Carolina Theatre

Opened in 1927, the historic Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, NC is a thriving performing arts facility. The Theatre welcomes nearly 90,000 people annually to its rich atmosphere and ambiance of an earlier era. Top acts grace the stage at this wonderful facility built in a Greek temple design with crystal chandeliers, gilded railings, marbled columns, and classical statues throughout the interior.

Recently, Theatre management decided to renovate a portion of the facility for dual use as a smaller performance venue and corporate meeting space. The first challenge for the project was how to renovate the subfloor in the area overcoming almost one hundred years of use.

Existing Substrate

Early in the renovation process, questions surrounded how to best address the dented and damaged substrate. Prior floor coverings, layers of concrete, and dividing walls had been removed leaving a rough concrete surface.

“We hoped that there was an answer out there that would allow us to properly level the floor, but we were concerned about how that would be achieved and what the budget would look like. Schönox provided the solution to the project.”

Preparation

A laser leveling system allowed the installation team to get a more accurate look at the true slope of the floor. Careful measurements and calculations were made to estimate the needed amount of leveling compound. The depth of the gauge rakes to be used in the project are carefully set at the required level. These rakes allow the self leveling material to be quickly distributed around the project area.

Priming Using Schönox VD

After the concrete substrate was thoroughly vacuumed, the entire surface was primed using Schönox VD, a universal acrylic primer, that enhances the adhesion between the leveling products and the substrate. For use on non-porous substrates, a 3/8” nap roller works best to spread the Schönox VD primer drying in roughly 10 to 30 minutes.

Leveling Using Schönox AP

Schönox AP, synthetic gypsum self-leveling compound, was spread throughout the space filling in substrate imperfections, self leveling as it is applied. Specially designed for the renovation industry, AP sets up at 5800 psi. Schönox AP, a synthetic gypsum self-leveling compound, was used for the project. Synthetic gypsum is created from the by-product of the process used to purify emissions from power plants making AP a strong environmental choice as well as floor leveling solution.

Gauge rakes are used to spread the self-leveling compound throughout the renovation area. Dust-reduced properties within the product keep dust at a minimum allowing Schönox AP to be mixed within the Theatre facility.

Rennovated Subfloor

“We were delighted with the subfloor renovation project,” commented Keith Holliday, president of Carolina Theatre. “An 86 year old space is finding new life thanks to the strength of Schönox.”