Basement Floor - Handstand
Blog Posts,  Dancing At Home

Completely Floored

June 17, 2020
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How we built a dance floor in one weekend on a shoestring budget

I feel like I should let you know up front that I am not crafty or handy by any means.  As an example of my ineptitude, I have to call my teenage son to help me install my Amazon Firestick (I did it once, but I forgot what I did and have no patience for trying to remember when I could just use my Mom Voice to command authority and get a job done without actually doing it myself).  My mind is not geared towards a design-plan-build mentality, so even though I have some passable ideas, they rarely make it to fruition.  So when I have a problem, I usually need help to solve it.

One day, I was lamenting to my fiance that I really had nowhere for my girls to practice their dancing at home.  And with the studios having been closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, their technique, stamina, and overall motivation were diminishing.  Before my divorce, I lived in a fairly large house with a full, partially-finished basement where my girls would practice their acro. On top of that, I had a space in front of my walk-in closet that I had converted to a dance/workout area (complete with large mirror, portable ballet barre, and removable tap board). 

Change of Venue

After the divorce, I downsized radically; gone were the days of the walk-in closet, never mind the annex attached to it.  The basement in my new house, fairly sizable as it is, was crammed with boxes and belongings, leaving no available space to move (plus, the Clan of the Cave Cricket decided to take up residence down there, and I am a self-admitted coward when it comes to creepy crawlies).  So what my family once had was no more, and I was feeling a bit sorry (for myself and for my girls) that I couldn’t provide them with a place to work on their skills.

Rather than allowing me to wallow in self-pity (which I’m pretty good at), Dave got right to work on the mental part of the process.  He laid out his plan, which now seems simple and doable (but at the time, felt like it would take the moving of mountains).  

The Plan

Basement Lighting
We needed more power for the additional lighting.

Step 1:  Clear the basement as much as humanly possible.  Throw away stuff I don’t use (gasp!) and organize the remaining boxes.

Step 2:  Increase the lighting. Yeah, it was pretty dark.  I felt like I was visiting a haunted house when I went down there to do the laundry.

Step 3:  Vanquish the Clan of the Cave Crickets.  The Supreme Leader would not be pleased…

Step 4:  Install a dance floor on top of the cement.  Since this is where I had the most input (and is most relevant to this blog), I’ll spend my time here.

Being an engineer and contractor, Dave had some ideas right away on how installing a section of flooring could be pulled off logistically and economically.  But some of his plans didn’t take into account the needs of a dancer.  For example, his original idea was to lay a slick floor on top of plywood, but I interjected with the idea to add a layer of shock-absorbent foam in between to lessen the impact on the girls’ joints.  Together, we brainstormed on how to make it all happen.  Here’s how it went:

Stupid Wood Jokes

After clearing the basement floor and negotiating terms with the Supreme Leader of the Cave Cricket Clan (in other words, glue traps), we set out for the home improvement stores. We started with three sections of particle board, which may have been the most painful part for Dave because I let my wood jokes fly (“I’m not very PARTICLE-lar to this one.” “WOOD you like to get this one?” “This does KNOT look good to me.” “I usually go against the GRAIN.” “Can you hurry up? I’m BOARD.”). The sheets weren’t the only items we picked up, but those were my best jokes (sadly).

Particle Board Dance Floor
Particle Board Dance Floor

Dave laid the three boards across the basement floor. Knowing the dimensions of the top layers, Dave used a saw to cut off some of the excess (he used a 2×4 to prop the board up on an angle, so he did the cutting right there on the basement floor), and then screwed them into the slab with cement screws (I had explained that it would have to be affixed to the slab because the whole dance floor would move when my girls jumped, leaped, or tumbled on it). Also, it helped to flatten the boards because there was some bowing in them that had developed over time.

No Place Like Foam

Then I laid out the interlocking foam floor on top of the three particle boards. These were fairly inexpensive, and were shipped quickly from Amazon. Instead of ordering the double-sized set, I ordered two of the smaller sets because the shipping would be quicker (even though it wound up costing me a little bit more dough). Knowing what hard chargers my girls are (they look sweet and innocent, but are bulls in a china shop when they dance), it made sense for the floor to have a bit of “give” so their joints would be better protected.

Basement Interlocking Foam Floors
I bought two boxes of these – check the specs!
Interlocking Foam Floor
Interlocking Foam Floor
After laying out the foam floor, Dave screwed the white border trim around the whole structure.
Laminate Flooring
This product has a slight grain to it, but my girls are still able to turn barefoot with no problem.

Now it was time to lay the laminate flooring. We had purchased these the previous week from Lumber Liquidators here in NJ because Dave had worked with this exact material before. I’ve seen that many dance families use different flooring types, and really, it’s up to your personal preference. The most time-consuming part was trimming the boards so that they would fit the space and look patterned when they were laid out. They slide and snap into place; some of them took a little convincing, so thankfully Dave knew how to make adjustments so they fit snugly.

Laminate Flooring
Dave laid out the boards with a process known as “terracing.”

The Finished Product

And there you have it! The floor is absolutely great – there is just enough cushion in it to add a little yield, while the floor is slick enough for turns and tap dancing. As we speak, I’m in contact with a mirror company to get a 6′ x 8′ mirror installed on the far wall (the logistics of getting it in will be an issue, as they will probably have to cut it down the center to make it through the doors). I’ll keep you posted on that.

Finished Dance Floor
Voila! The final product!

Needless to say, my girls were thrilled! They finally have an indoor space that works for their needs and keeps their at-home dance practice from taking place in the middle of my dining room. I can’t thank Dave from DJC Engineering enough for his hard work and expertise.

Basement Floor - Handstand
They couldn’t wait to get their hands (and feet) on the floor!

Work hard, have fun! – Danielle

This post contains an affiliate link. If you use it to order an item, I may earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you).

Update: We added a backdrop behind the “stage” – read about it in Backdrop It Like It’s Hot!

If you have any specific questions, please post them in the comments below or email me. I probably will have to refer them to Dave, unless it’s about the foam flooring (which I am a novice-level expert with now, lol).

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Dance-coach-turned-dance-mom to identical twin competitive dancers!

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