Many dream of a hardwood floating floor in their dance studio. That dream is tempered by costs related to materials and professional installation. There is also the concern that while most studios are working on a three to five year lease, traditional hardwood floors are permanent.
There is an alternative. It is called Encore, a semi-permanent flooring system that integrates a floating subfloor with a real hardwood floor surface. The top surface is usually a maple or oak hardwood with a factory finish. The substrate is offset plywood with 1/2” cross link cell foam which sits on the slab, floating the hardwood. These multi-layered planks are manufactured in our Philadelphia plant and come assembled as one piece. The planks are constructed onsite using a third generation click-and-lock system. The resulting finished floor shows no seams. Encore is assembled without nails, screws, clips, cables or glue. It does requires a small number of planks be cut by a circular saw to stagger the seams and to fit the room.
It does not take a carpenter or general contractor to install. It is designed as a do it yourself project, saving a considerate amount of money. You can just as easily “un-click” the panels and remove the flooring without damage to the floor or the room. Encore can then be relocated and reinstalled.
Individual damaged panels can be easily replaced. As with the other hardwood floor, Encore can be screened, sanded and refinished. A special finish called FloorShield can be applied to provide extra protection.
Wood floors do require more maintenance than marley type flooring system and they are more sensitive to temperature and humidity fluctuations. Make sure you have a functioning HVAC system. Encore flooring systems provide outstanding sound for percussive dance and can also be used as a multi-use environment for ballet (with the special finish), jazz, contemporary and social dance.
Encore offers a flexible, cost effective way to have your hardwood floor and dance on it.
