The new metallic-coated concrete floor in the WRCB-TV News Channel 3 studio gives the effect of walking on clouds and echoes the backdrop of the Channel 3 logo.
Before the coating could be applied, planetary grinders were used to remove the old paint from the floor surface.
The next step was to coat the floor with a black primer to add depth and dimension to the cloudscape.
After applying the primer, the crew rolled on a thick blue epoxy enhanced with iridescent metallic powder, back rolling it as they went along to create the illusion of waves. The 2,400-square-foot project took four days to install and three days to cure. Exhaust fans venting directly to the exterior kept fumes to a minimum.
The finished floor was coated with a clear urethane topcoat to add shine and protect the floor from the constant abuse of wheel-mounted cameras.
A close-up view of the floor. “We wanted to create the feeling of walking into the studio to be an experience of entering a place where the magic happens, walking with clouds at your feet,” says Gordon.
When WRCB-TV News Channel 3 in Chattanooga recently embarked on a half-million dollar project to remodel its studio, one of the goals was to modernize the outmoded look and bring it up to the standards of a high-definition broadcast. To make the studio more camera-ready, the existing concrete floor needed a major upgrade.
“The old studio floor was painted concrete that did not hold up well to the cameras constantly rolling across the surface. We were hired by Channel 3 to install a beautiful new floor. We wanted to create the feeling of walking into the studio to be an experience of entering a place where the magic happens, walking with clouds at your feet,” says David Gordon, president of Concrete Repair Specialist.
The theme of clouds was chosen to match the studio backdrop for the Channel 3 logo, which features wispy clouds in a blue sky. To create the effect, CRS decided to refinish the floor with a blue metallic epoxy coating from FloorGuard, applying it by using a back rolling technique to create the illusion of waves in the surface. Before the epoxy could be applied, the crew had to remove the old paint from the floor with a planetary grinder. Then they cleaned the floor and applied a black primer to add depth and dimension.
“The epoxy includes metallic particles that look like glitter, and by stirring it and then applying it over the black primer coat, we were able to simulate a 3D cloud effect,” says Gordon. “Ray Batten from FloorGuard gave us tips to help us achieve the effects we wanted. The primer was applied as per usual, but then we used a flat squeegee to scrape and mark the primer to create light and dark areas. When we applied the thick resin filled with the iridescent metallic powder, we were able to back roll it in varying passes to form what looks like satellite photos of clouds.”
The final step was to protect the floor with a clear urethane topcoat that can withstand the constant camera and foot traffic of the news team and give the floor a beautiful gleam that can easily be maintained by damp mopping.
“We at Concrete Repair Specialists grew up watching Channel 3, and we were honored to be a part of their move toward the future of television,” says Gordon.
Materials used
Metallic epoxy flooring system: HyperREZ in True Blue, from FloorGuard
Flooring contractor
Concrete Repair Specialist, Chattanoga, Tenn.www.ConcreteRepairSpecialist.com
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