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  • 1.  Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-09-2019 11:39
    ​Greetings all,

    We at the University of North Carolina Wilmington are in the preliminary stages of exploring flooring options for our main ballroom. Does anyone has product suggestions, dos and don'ts, testimonials, etc., to share? We certainly would appreciate it. Thanks and hope everyone is enjoying the day.

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    Amélie Brogden
    Director of Conferences, Events, and Reservations
    University of North Carolina–Wilmington
    Wilmington NC
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  • 2.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-15-2019 12:35
    Depending on the events you typically host in you Ballroom, I would recommend carpet to help with sound during events.  If you choose to use carpet, I strongly recommend carpet tile, and order extra that you can use when pieces need to be switched out due to stains or wear and tear.  Tiles are more expensive to install but worth it when it comes to maintenance of the room.  Much easier to replace one tile as opposed to a whole section of carpet.

    --
    Cynthia Stone
    Director, Student Activity Center & Venue Management
    UNC Charlotte
    202 Barnhardt Student Activity Center
    9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223
    704-687-1099



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-16-2019 03:47
    Carpet....Carpet... Carpet.. it is much easier to maintain than wood,  tile, or concrete. It is less expensive and can be easily  maintain with soap and water. You can change it every couple of years if so desired and with a little paint on the wall you can look brand new and pretty. You can always purchase or rent a dance/wood floor when needed.
    Keep away from concrete, tile or wood.. Concrete is ugly..you would have t o paint it every week.  Wood doers not wear scratches well and it is hard to heal when it get banged up. Tiles will continuously break and chips  and although carpet like to drinks stains and dirt, water and soap love to clean it out for you.... Good Luck.. Go carpet.....



    Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device



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  • 4.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-16-2019 09:39

    Everything that Cynthia said, but I'd add that you should make sure that you get a commonly used carpet tile design. We have one that's a little more...original...and we've not only had problems finding replacements, but we've also had to pay a little extra for the replacements we've found.

     

    Tony Berry

    Technology & Equipment Manager

    Student Activities Center

    Clayton State University

    2000 Clayton State Blvd

    Morrow, GA 30260

    (678) 466-5433

    TonyBerry@clayton.edu

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                    SAC_logo-smaller

    A Unit of the Division of Student Affairs

     




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  • 5.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-15-2019 12:35

    Hi and good morning.  So man questions from your initial post.
    Do you have a multi-part ballroom with air-walls or operable partitions?
    What's currently in the space?
    Is noise a concern - either now, or in the future?

    There has been a rich conversation about using carpet vs. "harder" materials in ballrooms over the years, and there are clear advantages and disadvantages for both options.  We recently replaced out carpet with updated carpet tile and it's been a good move.
    We had some trouble with the power, operable partitions (Modernfold walls) in the space as the carpet in the pockets where the walls park wasn't installed correctly, but since we got that all taken care of, things have been excellent.

    If you do carpet and have a need for dance floor (occasionally, or regularly) consider the rental cost as part of the floor replacement - and same idea the other way.  If LVT or wood-like flooring is used, carpet rentals may come up, plus stage use may change (or need to be changed - stages like to 'walk' on non-carpeted floors.

    Either way, I'd do something with carpet tile or LVT.  The new vinyl is amazing and looks like wood with some noise abatement qualities that really help - plus it's really tough.  Plus, either way, if you can do some additional sound abatement, it'll add to the perceived quality of the space.

    Would be happy to chat more if you're interested.  Hope it's a fun project and not all work!
    Jason



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    Jason Levy
    Director, Student Centers & Conferences
    Temple University
    Philadelphia PA
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-15-2019 12:35
    At UC San Diego we have two ballrooms.  One with carpet tiles and one with wood flooring.
    We recently replaced our 30 year old wood flooring and decided to continue with the look after considering all flooring types.  Here is what we learned in the process:
    Carpet (rolled):
    Pros - can be customized with special designs/logos..etc.
               less expensive than other materials for initial install
               helps with acoustics
               change up the look every 10-15 years

    Cons - hard to repair if damaged
                constant upkeep (vacuum, spot cleaning, deep cleaning..etc.)
                10-15 year life span depending on use and wear areas
                 portable dance floor needed
                 
    Carpet (tiles)
    Pros - customization possible but less options
               easy to repair (just replace tile if damaged)
               less expensive that other materials to install
               good for acoustics
               change up the look every 10-15 years

    Cons - constant upkeep
                tiles can pop up with the turning of heavy equipment (scissor lift)
                when replacing tiles the colors don't match due to fading
                10-15 year life span
                 portable dance floor needed
              

    Porcelain Tiles (we looked at faux wood style)
    Pros - extremely durable (can take a beating)
               last a lifetime
               easy to clean and maintain (low maintenance)

    Cons - very hard/cold feeling
                not a lot of styles/choices
                if scratched/damaged a challenge to repair
                poor for acoustics
                higher upfront expense to purchase/install

    Wood (hard grain type - we have maple)
    Pros - very durable (can take a beating)
               last 30+ years
               easy to clean and maintain (low maintenance)
               If pattern looks good, floor is elegant and timeless
               No dance floor needed
               
    Cons - very hard
                getting pattern in place so it looks elegant and not like a gym floor
                if scratched/damaged a challenge to repair
                poor for acoustics
                higher upfront expense to purchase/install

    Terrazzo 
    Pros - very durable (can take a beating)
               last forever
               easy to clean and maintain (low maintenance)
               If pattern looks good, floor is elegant and timeless
               No dance floor needed
               
    Cons - very hard
                if scratched/damaged a challenge to repair
                poor for acoustics
                most expensive
                if not being installed on ground level, extra support could be needed due to weight

    You can visit our reservations website - https://reservations.ucsd.edu/BrowseForSpace.aspx and click on "Ballroom" to find images of our carpeted ballroom or click on "Ballroom AB" to see images with the wood flooring.

    Best of luck in your quest for new ballroom flooring.


                


    ------------------------------
    John Payne
    Associate Director
    University of California–San Diego
    La Jolla CA
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-15-2019 12:35
    Hi Amélie,

    As part of our LEED new construction certification, we went with bamboo flooring in our ballroom. It has two colors with the darker one forming a beautiful pattern that mirrors a pattern made of bricks elsewhere on campus. The bamboo itself handles a lot of wear and tear well - we have very few dents or actual scratches in the wood. What is an issue is the finish - to maintain our LEED operations certification, we use a water-soluble, non-toxic, non-urethane finish which has not held up well. The ballroom opened in February 2014, and we've already had to refinish it twice. Within a month of the last refinish we found that gaff tape was actually separating the finish from the bamboo, so we cannot use any tape on the floor at all. We've tried two different finishes and have had the same result. The current finish is Bona Traffic HD. We spend a lot of time cleaning the floor during turnovers, and about once every other week we have to clean it thoroughly with a riding machine (I-scrub 24) that's also used on the terrazzo floors in the building.

    One other thing to note about bamboo and the Bona finish - it cannot be mopped with a traditional mop and water. We did this the first few months the ballroom was open, and every single piece of bamboo warped. We had ridges in the floor until we did the first sand and refinish in May 2018.

    Overall we love the look of the bamboo, the pattern, and the matte finish. It's the durability of the finish that we are struggling with. If anyone else has bamboo floors and has any tips on a more durable finish, please let me know.

    We do have carpet tiles almost everywhere else in the building, and it's probably the best decision they made during the renovation. It's very easy to replace a tile or two when needed, takes far less daily care, and it's attractive. The corners will occasionally curl up, but overall we're very happy with it.

    Good luck with your search!

    ------------------------------
    Allison Van Den Berg
    Operations Coordinator
    North Carolina State University
    Raleigh NC
    acvanden@ncsu.edu
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-15-2019 12:35
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  • 9.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-17-2019 14:52
    Amélie,
    Here at the Lory Student, Center Colorado State University we have a combination.  Our Grand Ballroom and Cherokee  Ballrooms are wood which is beautiful but requires proper upkeep.  We contract for a company to come screen and coat the floors each year.  Between times we keep the floors looking good with a Windsor Saber Glide auto scrubber.  Our North Ballroom is carpeted.  The noise reduction properties of the carpet is nice, but the cleanability is not as convenient as the wood floors.  Personally, I like the wood floors better from a custodial standpoint.  Feedback from our customers is also that the wood floors are more aesthetically pleasing.
    Have a great day and good luck in your selection process!
    Nancy

    1459874456726_LSC

    Nancy Cowley

    Environmental Services Manager

    Office: (970)-491-7578

    Cell: 970-692-1022

    LSC Room 235

    email: nancy.cowley@colostate.edu

    website: https://lsc.colostate.edu





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  • 10.  RE: Ballroom Flooring

    Posted 10-17-2019 15:14
    I agree with the other comments to your post.  We are replacing our carpet this winter and will use patterned carpet tiles (patterns hide the inevitable stains) to create a little more texture & give character to the space.  Hope your project goes well!

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    Lesa Radtke
    Assistant Director of Events and Conferences
    University of Minnesota–Duluth
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