I'm planning to install a dance floor in the basment of my home. I really don't know where to start. What kind of wood should I use? Which company should I contact? How should I prepare the concrete floor in the basement for the installation?

I really appreciate if anyone can answer the above question.

Thank you so much for your helpful advice.

I'm no flooring contractor or expert, but can offer the fllwg general observations:

(We also assume you have a huge basement!)

Begin as in any other wood floor over slab on or below grade: a vapor barrier and sleepers, either nailed or set in mastic, spanned according to the intended load & local code. PT sleepers are a good idea over subgrade concrete. Lay plywood subfloor as for other flooring.

Over the plywood are placed elastomer blocks, frequently 12" OC, then the MDO, then the maple flooring. A local installer of gym flooring may help you select and procure the correct durometer and spacing of rubber blocks.

IMHO doing this right is not cheap, and if you don't understand the materials or have experience building hardwood floors, you may be better off to hire an experienced installer. Installing maple flooring below grade, even with vapor barrier, may/may not also be a dicey proposition, depending upon your individual site & seasonal moisture conditions. I'd suggest seeking professional advice on-site, to avoid incurring future heartache, before commencing. In any case, it is wise to have all of the flooring stored for a few weeks in the same space prior installation, for it to acclimate to prevailing humidity. There are also other important "tricks of the trade" regarding proper laying & fastening of of the materials, to insure future stability and no buckling.

FWIW, as a former realtor, I doubt one would profit or recoup such an investment on sale of a residence. IMHO it would have to be justified for the present owner's convenience or whim - unless zoning permits use as a studio or like business.

After you correctly design, purchase and build such a floor, you may come to appreciate how your local ballroom can afford let you in the door so cheaply (smile).

Wow, lucky you! Your own private dance floor!

My only piece of advice is definitely not to do the portable type unless you have to. All those seams are icky to dance across. I know they are supposed to be adjustable so you can level it, but what a pain and over time it will have to be readjusted.

Good luck! I am green with envy!

Camay - All I have is a vapor barrier which is not much of a cushion but I don't practice that often. If you practice several hours a day you might need sufficient cushion underneath. We only practice a maximum of 6-7 hours a WEEK and it does not bother me. I am not a pro when it comes to the aspects of dancing but I don't see much difference between the studios where we take our lessons and my basement floor.

Rice,

You didn't mislead me at all. I know it's not easy to install the floor. My future-in-law is a professional home remodeler. He's going to help my fiance to do the dance floor. I only have to decide what kind of wood and what preparation have to be done on the concrete floor. Because they don't know anything about dancing.

At first I checked out several protable dance floor panel cos. They are so expensive. I'll contact some other flooring cos in town for them to give me a estimation (with and without the installation).

Do your laminate dance floor perform as good as you expect? Someone told me I have to put several layers of material such as sleepers and elastomer blocks. Do you have them underneath your wood planks? I wonder the floor will perform well without those layers to absorb impact?????? Will my feet hurt after I dance for hours without those support layers???

Thanks,
Camay

Camay - There is probably a complicated part that you might encounter in installing wood laminate floor if you do not have any experience at all in home improvement. This includes installation of baseboards and/or end molding to hold down the floating floor. I actually drilled our concrete floor to fasten the end molding of the floor. Using concrete power drills entails some risk of bodily injury (you have to be intact to be able to dance... with exceptions of course). What you can do is check out Lowe's Hardware or equivalent and ask them to show you wood laminate floors and get a feel for it if you can really do the job. They also know people who can do the installation and still it is cheaper than kind of wood floors that were previously mentioned. Simply put, do it youself wood laminate floors are a lot cheaper. On the other hand, there is a risk of injury and if you make a mistake it becomes expensive. Sorry, I did not mean to mislead you the first time.

Camay - I agree with Frank. If you want a truly topnotch dance floor that is the way to go and you can even use flex floors which are being marketed for dancing purposes. The drawback is the prohibitive cost.

We did our basement by ourselves and we used laminate wood planks purchased at Lowe's Hardware Store. This a floating floor in which the planks are glued together and it comes (or purchased separately)with a vapor barrier. We have an 18 x 17 feet floor and we spent $1,000 - 1,200 for the materials. It took us a day to install. The tools can be rented at Lowe's. Installation instructions I think are included with the materials. Although woodworking was my hobby (now it's ballroom)I don't think it is a necessary to accomplish this job. This is the tightwad way and it serves our purpose. I am willing to e-mail you more about the details of installing if you decide to take this route. Goodluck! By the way, your back will be sore for a day or two after doing the installation.

Thanks Rice!! I think I can only afford regular hardwood floor instead of a "real" dance floor at this time. I checked out several dance floor suppliers. The prices are eye-popping. I would love to have your detailed information about the "do-it-yourself" dance floor.