10-31-2007, 07:11 PM
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Admiral
  
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 5,409
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Building a (break)dance floor for apt. - handyman?
Need some handyman advice - anyone savvy with the Lowe's/Home Depot world.
I am planning to build an 8'x8' floor on top of hardwood flooring in my apartment. Since I'm on the bottom floor, the floor is very solid underneath, and I want a little bit of "give". My idea:  What is a material I can put in between the slick linoleum/vinyl surface and my floor that is: - Soft - Not too expensive and can find it at a store - Able to grip the hardwood floor beneath and the slick surface on top?
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10-31-2007, 07:15 PM
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Fleet Admiral
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: San Diego
Posts: 9,529
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Hmmm. Assuming you don't need rigidity, memory foam can be pretty grippy. Maybe that material they sometimes make placemats out of. You can find that at hardware stores.
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10-31-2007, 07:38 PM
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Vice Admiral
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: floating inside of a giant egg made of stars
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how about a layer of carpet padding?
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"We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality." -Ayn Rand Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog. |
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10-31-2007, 07:41 PM
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Picture of the Day Guru
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 8,049
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Hit a sporting goods shop and see what they have for placing under weights. Add plywood or something on top for your harder surfce to dance on. Something too soft will cause problems under your linoleum since it is not very rigid.
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10-31-2007, 08:03 PM
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Chief of Naval Operations
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 10,829
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You might investigate "anti-fatigue" rubber matting that is used for work areas.
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stay low... keep moving... |
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10-31-2007, 08:27 PM
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#6 |
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Vice Admiral
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: floating inside of a giant egg made of stars
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ah yeah, if it's just linoleum you're gonna want something to provide some support. I amend my suggestion to maybe 1/4" plywood with carpet pad underneath.
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10-31-2007, 08:32 PM
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Commander
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: The Toilet Capital of America
Posts: 1,305
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Dude you gotta video some of your moves and post them.
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10-31-2007, 08:50 PM
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Commander
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Middle Earth
Posts: 1,350
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Plywood sounds crappy for dancing. I would go to Home Depot and/or Lowes and see if they have any laminate flooring on the cheap. Most of it just snaps together, so you can make any size you need easily. Sometimes they have special order returns or open/damaged packages that you can get even cheaper than plywood.
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10-31-2007, 09:01 PM
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Vice Admiral
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: floating inside of a giant egg made of stars
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Well I meant glue the linoleum to the plywood for some support, then carpet pad under that.
I imagine you'd still want a fairly stiff surface, just not as stiff as what is probably a concrete floor. I think laminate flooring would flex way too much if you put it on top of something squishy. It's intended to be installed directly on top of subflooring, so flex isn't typically an issue. The issue with plywood will be that for an 8x8 dance floor you're going to have a seam in the middle. Maybe two layers of 1/4 or 3/16 plywood rotated 90 degrees so that the seams don't overlap would be the way to go. |
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10-31-2007, 09:28 PM
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#10 | |
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Admiral
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 5,409
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Quote:
I like the plywood idea, but I have no friends with a truck and can't justify renting one just for this. Getting 2 4'x8's is out of the question I imagine. The laminate idea would work better transportation-wise, but it would be more expensive ($40 for 20 sq. ft). Would be awesome if "un-snapping" is an option, in case I move. Any other ideas come to mind that should be considered? |
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11-01-2007, 12:44 PM
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Picture of the Day Guru
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 8,049
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I am still concerned about the rigidity of the floor with you dancing on it. There are types of laminate flooring that lock together without glue (my floor is that type) but if your padding underneath has flexibility to it, it will crack and eventually break along those seams. Just be sure your padding is not spongy uder it if you go that way. Napoleon's suggestion of alternating directions of two layers would definately help. You want 8' by 8' so use four sheets of plywood, one pair going one direction and the other pair turned the other direction. Glue them together (you could use screws if you wanted to take it apart later on- just be sure you have them firmly together) and then top with either a single sheet of linoleum or use those peel and stick vinly tiles. Then place atop a fairly rigid pad of some sort. I think some sort of dense rubber would work. Cork would work but be expensive. Can you find a friend with a truck or van?
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