A proper dance floor system used to be an expensive and complicated project. No more. We are talking about a real professional floating wood sub-floor and marley floor surface with a taping or adhesive system, for as little as $3.50–$4.00 per square foot.
Do it yourself does involve time and effort for which you are rewarded by saving money.
Let’s first start out with a list of materials:
- If you are starting with a clean level concrete slab, you will need a vapor barrier, which can be liquid or visquin (clear vinyl sheeting) and water proof tape. If you have VCT tile or glued commercial carpet there is no need for a vapor barrier.
- Two layers of underlayment grade plywood, each a ½ inch thick. The bottom layer should be B/C, meaning that neither side has been sanded. The top layer should be A/C, meaning the top side is sanded smooth. Underlayment plywood does not have any knot holes or vacancies between the laminations.
- One inch counter sink deck screws. Nails are a no-no.
- Ardex Featherlite or Feather Finish filler for the screw holes.
- Foam blocks or foam cubes.
- Transition for doorway to access the raised dance floor system.
- (Optional) Vented Cove Base.
- Marley type flooring.
- Tape or adhesive.
That’s it. All products are available at Stagestep except the plywood, screws and Ardex.
Tools Needed:
- Circular saw with wood blade
- Power screw driver
- Matte knife
- Sander
Tips:
The bottom layer of plywood should be cut when necessary to stagger the seams. Boards should be 1/2 inch from the walls. Glue or peel and stick foam blocks or cubes to the plywood. 52 Blocks or 100 Cubes per 4 x 8 panel. See directions online, of placement of foam at Stagestep.com. Download installation guide. See page 33.
Flip all boards over so the foam blocks or cubes are in contact with the concrete or vapor barrier.
If the bottom ply runs North/South, the top ply should run East/West. Top ply should be cut where necessary to stagger the seams. Counter sink the screws using between 75-100 screws per 4 x 8 ply panel. Fill countersunk screws with a filler such as Ardex Featherlite or Feather Finish, Do not apply filler to the seams.
The following day, level the top layer of ply by sanding the filler smooth to the surface. Vacuum or sweep the subfloor
You are now ready to install your floor surface.
Installing your Marley Floor
There are five ways you can install your roll out marley. But first, there are a few things you need to do prior to the install.
- All rolled flooring needs to be stored standing up prior to installation, or else, if lying down they could develop roll set(floor has waves in it when rolled out)
- Roll out your flooring lose and let it acclimate to room temperature. This could take 24 hours.
- Make sure the subfloor has been swept or vacuumed before installing the floor.
Installation methods:
Temporary
Temporary installation of the floor from a few hours to a couple of weeks is primarily used for touring shows, conventions, competitions and in situations where the floor has to be pulled up and re-installed frequently.
Use top surface tape only. Seams should be separated by 1/16 of an inch before taping. Tape should be applied to all seams and circumference of the floor. Tape comes in two types, vinyl and cloth and in two widths, 1.5 inch or 2 inch. Your preference.
Tape residue should be removed prior to re-application with Wipeout Plus.
Semi-Permanent—One to three years.
2 inch double-faced tape and top tape.
This method has been around for many years. The double-faced tape is installed around the perimeter of each roll and down the middle of each roll.
The floor is rolled out and trimmed in place. Then one roll is rolled ½ way back up, employing a 4 inch tube (all floors are shipping with floors rolled around a tube so do not throw them away).
Apply the tape and peel off the top protective coating and roll your floor over the tape. Continue the process until all floors have been installed with the double-faced tape. Top tape all seams and around the circumference of the room. Remember to leave a 1/2 inch gap between the floor and the end of the subfloor to accommodate the top tape.
Semi-permanent Long Term—Three to four years.
Utilizing 4 inch installation double-faced tape, install the exact same way as 2 inch double-faced tape. However, In this case, all seams are tight and no top tape is needed. Therefore all flooring should be flush to the sub-floor.
Long Term Semi-Permanent.
Stagestep offers a unique installation product called ReUseIt. It is a sticky netting that utilizes suction to hold the floor to the subfloor indefinitely. Just peel up your floor to remove. Leaves no residue.
ReUseIt is installed over the entire subfloor prior to rolling out your floor. Install is perpendicular to how your floor is running.
ReUseIt comes in rolls 39 inches wide and 268 feet long. One person walking backwards unspooling the netting while a second person with broom in hand pushed it onto the subfloor. Cut roll when you get to a wall and repeat, going edge to edge with the previously applied ReUseIt.
Roll out your floor, running in the opposite direction of the ReUseIt. Match seams and trim to fit the room. Utilizing the 4 inch tube that came with the flooring, roll flooring ½ way back up. Peel protective top sheet of ReUseIt running across the width of the floor exposing 39 inch by 6.58 feet of ReUseIt (width of a roll of flooring) . Roll floor out over exposed ReUseIt and repeat until install is complete.
A 75-150 pound roller is sometimes used to smooth out and further secure the flooring. No top tape needed.
Permanent
Permanent installation requires adhesive and a professional crew to do the job. If you have never glued down a floor, do not make this your first project.
