Illustrated Theatre Production Guide, 2nd Edition

Decking Methods 335

into a parallelogram, and the entire deck might fall. The

importance of keeping the upright members vertical is

paramount. The 1×4 uprights have enough compres-

sion strength to hold up a reasonable load, but compres-

sion assumes only a downward force. If the uprights are

allowed to tilt, failure is imminent. You can avoid this

by bracing the uprights diagonally.

The rack bracing is applied using

1

2

″

plywood

corner blocks similar to those used to put together stan-

dard soft-cover flats, only thicker. Glue and staple them

into place. If your load is very heavy, consider using

thicker materials or metal framing. Sometimes it works

out well to cover the entire surface of the carrier so that

it is really a hard-cover flat. This type may be used to

form its own facing material, and is great for the down-

stage side, especially if the platform is allowed to hang

over a bit.

If the carriers are reasonably short, and the size of

the decked area is large, then the carriers may be screwed

to the floor and to the undersides of the platform

framing. Do the layout by measuring the placement of

the decking area, and then setting the carriers on 4-foot

centers. The carriers on the outside edge should be flush

with the edges of the platforms. Make sure that the

interior carriers are placed where the platforms join,

and that both decks are supported. If the decking is

higher and more support is required, use triangular rack

braces.

SOUND DEADENING

Hard shoes pounding against the

3

4

″

plywood top of

a platform can make a most distracting noise. The

clomping and thudding of feet in a blackout remove

much of the magic of the moment. The easiest way to

deaden this type of unwanted sound is to carpet the

platforming. Unfortunately, the carpet approach is not

always feasible because of design factors. Here is a

method of deadening sound with insulation and hard-

board that works quite well and has the added bonus of

also improving the appearance of the deck. It works well

for in-house shows, but would be far too difficult to

load in for a tour show.

Use one of several different types of thin insulating

materials. Homasote works well, or perhaps extruded

foam insulation with a foil cover. Either of these loosely

compacted materials is intended to insulate a house

from cold, but it will insulate sound vibrations just as

well. Foam insulation is a bit less likely to fall apart,

and it is not as flammable or possibly toxic as the

asphalt-impregnated type of Homasote. The material

chosen should be relatively thin (about

1

2

″

), and should

come in 4×8 sheets. It is crucial that all of the sound-

deadening substrate be the same thickness. This method

is at its best on large areas, and it can become problem-

atic on small sections of oddly shaped decking.

Refer to the sketch of a decking layout composed

of stock 4×8 platforms. The deck measures 20′-0″ ×

20′-0″. The most straightforward method of joining the

decks together is shown. The second layout describes a

way of putting down the insulation so that the joining

cracks of the insulation do not fall in line with the joints

of the 4×8 platforms. This will prevent the telegraphing

of uneven joints upward toward the finished surface.

The final step in the process is to lay down sheets

of

1

4

″

hardboard to use as a paintable surface. The

finished product will appear much flatter and more

solid than just using the tops of the platforms them-

selves. The foam is too flimsy to be the top layer. You

can use a layer of just hardboard with no foam at all,

but of course that provides only minimal insulating

results, although it does greatly improve the physical