Has anyone here ever built a dance studio floor. I was hoping to get some input on what materials to use and in what sequence.
It would have to be a floating floor, as it will sit on a concrete slab. I was envisioning something to the effect of: Interlaced 1×4’s to create a grid over the concrete slab, then 1/2″ ply, some kind of shock absorbing material on top of that, and then more plywood on top.
Thanks,
DP
Replies
Surprisingly, this question has been asked too. Archives might help. I think most people said you should Google "dance floors" and get a kit to install as they are difficult to invent and people are prety particular about what's under their feet when they dance.
I built a floor for a Theater/ Dance practice studio and the simplest thing was to build it with "sleepers". A 2x4 placed 12" OC but lying fllat not on edge. First we put down a vapor barrier.Next we then screwed 3/4 t&g on top. Somebody got a great deal on Pergo and this was placed on top. I hate to admit it but it has held up great. Considering this is in a garage/outbuilding it has held up well.
The wonders of a web search ... here are some sites I found that are worth a look. I suspect you could put together a reasonable equivalent yourself if you could source all the right materials.
http://www.woodenkiwi.com/stud_fl.html
http://www.sprungdancefloors.com/content.asp?page_id=1
http://www.harlequinfloors.com/americanenglish/index.asp?section=64&page=246
The High Desert Group LLC
I asked a few questions about a dance studio a while back. One about the floor:
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=46389.1&search=y
And one about the hand rail:
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=46967.1
.
For the floor, we ended up putting down 7/16 OSB running one way, then 1/4" luan running the other. (This was over carpet) The luan was stapled to the OSB with 3/4" staples. Then they bought some sort of dance mat in rolls that they put down over the top of it.
Worked out O.K., I guess. The only downside I saw was that they left the edge of the plywood exposed. But it isn't a really big deal.
Thanks for the help people. Specifically i need something to serve as the shock absorbing material. In the attached image they call it waffle padding. Yes i have looked at many of the sites. None of these places will sell me just the shock absorption padding. There's no reason to pay their ridiculous prices for a complete floor system. The amount of shock absorption the material needs to provide is equivalent to 2 levels of berber carpet, even one would probably be sufficient. Also the material needs to be resilient. Suggestions would be appreciated. Constructing the floor on top is not a problem.Thanks,
DP
If you just need shock absorption, what about polyurethane foam sheets--the stuff that is resilient and flexible, not Styrofoam; or how about a couple layers of really good carpet padding (both sheets or padding under whatever is the top surface)?
"how about a couple layers of really good carpet padding."Doh! LoL. What's that saying about look to the easiest solution first. And here i am looking for some complicated highly technical new age material, when there's good ol' 10yr carpet padding. Thanks,
DP
I ran across this site a while back; possibly of interest in your situation: It's about a club owner in SF who remade an old nightclub into a new model.One of his tasks was to refresh the dance floor - the new one has two layers of plywood sandwiching a layer of neoprene - the wet-suit stuff.Anyway, this URL point to the start of his rebuilding log - maybe you'll find it of help, and/or interest in just what it takes to build/rebuild a nightclub. http://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/remodeling.html-TJ