Hardwood Dance Floor (somewhat off-topic)

[Your Name Here]

Hello. I am planning to install a hardwood dance floor in my basement on top of concrete. My plan is to put moisture barrier plastic on top of the concrete, then rubber blocks, then plywood on top of these blocks, and then finally, nail down the floor planks. From what I'm reading on the net, the floor needs to be "sprung" with some resilience so that there is some "give"; otherwise, it's bad for dancing and people will end up hurting their knees, angles etc after doing many hours of practice. I have some questions that maybe some folks with experience in installing hardwood floor can answer.

- To make the floor sprung, I can get some rubber blocks that can be install on top of the concrete. I haven't been able to find any info about these rubber blocks. Any idea where I can get these? what brand?

- To prevent warping from moisture, I am planning to put a moisture barrier on top of the concrete. Does it make sense to also coat the plywood and the bottom surface of the wood flooring planks with something like linseed oil to prevent moisture absorption? or is it not worth it? anything else that might work better than linseed oil?

- From what I understand, it's best to dance directly on the wood and so, I don't plan to put any kind of poly finish for the surface of the floor. But I do want to protect it. I am thinking of adding 2-3 layers of some kind of protective oil like tung oil that will add beauty to the wood, fill in the pores to prevent dust getting in them and turning the wood into a dull, dark gray color. Can anyone recommend any other finishing options? There is something called dance floor wax but I have heard many bad things about it.

Thanks for all the help.

-Moe

[Wilson Lamb]

[Chris Merrill]

That will make it look nice, but will NOT protect the wood from physical wear. You need a film finish (shellac, poly, varnish, laquer, oil-vanish blends, etc.).

[Phisherman]

[C Carruth]

Check with companies that install dance floors for a living, which can be found in trade magazines, fitness magazines, etc.

You should be able to source thier underdecking, which is designed for exactly what you are talking about. Dance floors are not like putting in other types of hardwood floors. You will save yourself headache and heartache down the road by consulting with professionals upfront.

[Andy Dingley]

If you have the height, spring it properly. Traditional way was to build a "forest" of short stub posts, fasten wooden "springs" to these (horizontal wooden bars, of ash or maple) and then build a framework supported on the free ends of the spring bars. Then lay the flooring over the frame.

Rubber isn't the same thing at all. Blocks are lumpy (and not springy enough), a sheet layer isn't thick or spring enough. I think some modern floors have used air springs (thick rubbber balloons).

You definitely need a frame between the springs and the flooring material, especially with modern thin laminates.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Frank McVey]

Hi Moe,

You've already had sensible answers to the other points, so I'll just address the dance floor wax issue. Back in my youth, when people still did ballroom dancing here in UK, there was a waxy substance called "Slipperene". It came as a waxy powder which was sprinkled over a dance-floor to allow your feet to slide better (presumably when you were doing a soft-shoe shuffle or a palais glide), much in the same way as you might "dress" a bowling alley lane. It didn't have anything to do with finishing - it was just to make it easier to do the sorts of dances we did at that time. I imagine it would cause havoc if you tried break-dancing on it - that might be why you've heard some bad press about it!

Best of luck with your project,

Cheers,

Frank

[Mark]

Contact a local (may take a few tries) fitness/athletic club manager and find out who does their aerobics room floor. These will be the folks that can supply materials as well as answers.

[Rob Bowman]

On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 16:42:17 -0500, Your Name Here emerged from the woodpile and uttered:

Perhaps talking to someone who fits out squash courts might give you some ideas?

Cheers, Rob. Remove all capital letters to get real email address