help with new studio space

F

forbyfiev

Active member
I hope this is a good place to post this,
We're moving into a new studio space, with a shooting area about 28x50. The floors are concrete that have had various treatments in the past so there is a mess of leftover adhesive, spalling, mortar, etc. We've discussed floor tile (like in grocery stores), painting, and bare concrete with some kind of sealer.

Does anyone have suggestions on what floor treatment we should think about?

Also anything else we should consider doing while the space is being finished?

thanks much
 
I like the look of finished stained concrete, but I have some friends who have it in their studio and to be honest is is very reflective, sound wise.
 
Sound wise... yea concrete isn't great, but so are most floors because of their solidflectedness. Can combat that by covering the ceiling and a wall with some acoustic foam or just some carpet.

In my last studio we covered the shooting area with ikea wood-ish flooring, was pretty cheap, provided a good surface, and wasn't horribly reflective
 
we have been thinking about audio problems but I don't know if there's enough difference between the hard floors to matter.

I'd love a floating wood floor (bamboo) but that may introduce color casts? I've always had grey floors walls etc
 
If cost is important, then floor battens and plywood covering, with 6mm dance floor (kind of tough, posh vinyl) - and for me, always grey. It's tough and you can paint it with the plastic based (emulsion) paint. When you have multiple layers you can lift it with a scraper, and peel it off. Not an easy job, but once a year or so is great. If you have heavy items, then 450mm centres rather than the usual 600mm stop it deforming. The gap is also handy for cables.
 
I think you gotta come to your own choice after considering the pros and cons if various solutions. I've always like a concrete floor and have snagged some jobs photographing components from oil liners that would have gone through a ply/batten floor. Of course there is budget, Sound , how long you are gong to be there, who owns the space bla bla.

Overall a poured floor is usual best if fundable?
 
Poured floors are often not as expensive as they appear - and you can even stick in underfloor heating. vinyl studio floor is great, but industrial flooring firms often have reasonably priced flooring.
 
mcgeedigital said:
+1 that would be a nightmare to get decent audio in.
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I'm not sure about that. Polyurethane sealed wood floors are sonically essentially hard plastic floors though they make still look like wood. I was just reading Bruce Swedien's Recording Method book and he builds an eight foot square drum platform and makes sure no one seals or paints the plywood to maintain the porous nature of the wood. Sounds better than something that's uniform and soulless. Might argue concrete is even less uniform than Pergo type floors are.
 
We'll tracking a drum kit is a little different than an actor on green screen for the desired end result. Of course the OP has not disclosed his studio use plan. It might be something as simple as throwing down a few moving blankets from Harbor Freight when needed to deaden the floor.
 
We're a commercial studio so could be anything from music videos to Viagra endorsements ; ) I'm sure we'll be using sound blankets no matter what.
the acoustics are horrible right now in the empty space, but will change once we fill it up with stuff.
Of course cost in an issue, but thinking about future maintenance
 
Heavy curtains - like black Bolton Twill are pretty good for taming mid to HF, and come in very handy in the studio with perhaps the wall behind white or green. If the problem is at the bass end, traps are quite simple to build - especially the membrane absorber types.

I'm looking into a studio/storage space at the moment, but I'm intending to build it around a truss and pipe freestanding structure if I can get the space I want, so if I then need to relocate, it should be simpler - and cheaper.
 
paulears said:
Heavy curtains - like black Bolton Twill are pretty good for taming mid to HF, and come in very handy in the studio with perhaps the wall behind white or green. If the problem is at the bass end, traps are quite simple to build - especially the membrane absorber types.

I'm looking into a studio/storage space at the moment, but I'm intending to build it around a truss and pipe freestanding structure if I can get the space I want, so if I then need to relocate, it should be simpler - and cheaper.
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This is all solid thinking and good advice. The only thing I would add is if you're starting to hang a lot from the trusses you may want to run it by a structural engineer. Trusses are usually plenty strong but they overbuilt the Brooklyn Bridge too and I imagine at this point they're glad they did.

EDIT: sorry just realized you said free standing....never mind
 
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Staining can look good on new concrete but defects show through, and looks particularly bad on concrete that has had other materials applied. An opaque coating would probably be a better option. If you can fill any defects in the floor before coating then small wheels like casters won't get snagged and make thumping noises when a light is moved etc. Re the sound, use runners for walkways as it lessens the noise from people walking and absorbs some sound.
 
My cunning plan is to use the space to store all my lighting kit that's currently stored somewhere else, but store it wired and operational so the studio space could be used for band video work. The space I'm looking at is in poor condition internally, but secure and waterproof - so Billy's comment on the truss is right on the nail - I couldn't hang anything from the roof, so ground support is easy, and the curtains will hide the state of the walls from being seen, and tame the acoustics at the same time.
 
One other thing, not mentioned so far: at least with smaller studios, avoid rectangular rooms. You will get standing waves. Put walls at a slight angle. Or so I have been told. Of course, it may be too late.
 
Jim Ritscher said:
One other thing, not mentioned so far: at least with smaller studios, avoid rectangular rooms. You will get standing waves. Put walls at a slight angle. Or so I have been told. Of course, it may be too late.
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that is one way to avoid such issues, but not the sole required way, anything to disrupt reflections helps, such as the heavy curtains already suggested, or eggcrate foam, which is typically easier to just put up vs altering a wall. And while there are of course foams made specifically for acoustics, cheaper bed foam which comes of course in huge rolls, can be used to great effect. You don't need to wrap 100% of everything in foam/curtains/whatnot, just opposing walls, so that no solid surface faces another solid surface directly parallel
 
We'll most likely have a curtain across one wall anyway. (It's a glass storefront and we'd like to be able to open the curtain for light now and then anyway)

Also probably will need foam on the ceiling because we didn't count on rain noise since we've been in a 3 story building for a couple decades.
 
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