Okay, so I’ve been wanting to set up a little dance area in my spare room for ages. I do a lot of online dance classes, and my carpet just wasn’t cutting it. It’s all about having the right floor, you know? I needed something that was smooth, had some give, but wasn’t going to be a permanent fixture.

My DIY Dance Floor Journey

First, I started by clearing out the space. This was a bigger job than I thought! I had boxes of stuff piled up, old exercise equipment… you name it. It took a whole afternoon just to get the room empty enough to work in.

Next, I measured the area I wanted to cover. I figured a 6×8 foot space would be plenty. Then came the research. I looked at all sorts of options online – interlocking foam tiles, those plastic roll-out floors…but I really wanted that classic wooden dance floor feel.

I found some portable wooden dance floor kits, but wow, they were expensive! So, I decided to try and make my own. My thinking was, “How hard can it be?” (Famous last words, right?).

I headed to the home improvement store and picked up some plywood. I went with two 4×8 foot sheets, figuring I could cut one down to get my 6×8 size. I also grabbed some foam underlayment – the kind you’d use under laminate flooring – to act as a bit of cushioning.

• Cutting the Plywood: This was…interesting. I don’t have a proper workshop, so I was using a circular saw in my backyard. Let’s just say my lines weren’t perfectly straight, but hey, it’s a dance floor, not fine furniture!
• Laying the Underlayment: This was easy peasy. I just rolled it out and cut it to size with a utility knife.
• Putting it Together: I laid the plywood sheets on top of the underlayment. My slightly wonky cuts meant there were a few gaps, but nothing too major.

To keep the two pieces of plywood from sliding around, I initially tried using some heavy-duty tape. Big mistake! It didn’t hold at all. Then, I remembered I had some old yoga mats. I cut those into strips and placed them under the edges of the plywood. That worked much better – the rubber gave it some grip.

Finally I tested It worked! To my surprise, I like it! I’ve got my little dance space, and it didn’t cost me a fortune. It’s not perfect, sure, but it’s mine, and it’s good enough to get my groove on!