Let me tell you this whole “pad dancing pine timber” thing? Started simple. Saw some leftover thick pine slabs from building my kid’s playhouse out back. Looked sad stacked near the shed. Figured… why not?

The “Bright” Idea Strikes

Had this worn-out dance mat hooked up to the old PS2. Kid stopped using it months ago. Dusty. Thought… pine slabs seem kinda… flat. Like the mat squares? Maybe I stick ’em on? Just tape it down, right? Easy!

Spoiler: Not easy.

Round One Disaster

Dragged the dance mat inside. Slapped a pine slab right on top of one square. Used cheap masking tape. Stepped on it – WHOA! Slipped like crazy! The slab went flying. Nearly took out the coffee table. Pine is slick, man. Didn’t think about that.

• Problem #1: Wood is slippery. Dance pad surface is slippery. Bad combo.
• Problem #2: Cheap tape? Useless.

Getting Serious (And Messy)

Okay, needed grip. Dug around the garage. Found that gritty, no-slip drawer liner stuff? Cut small squares. Stuck one piece to the bottom of a pine slab. Felt stickier. Tried heavy-duty duct tape this time. Taped the whole slab edge down to the dance mat pad. Looked messy as heck.

Stepped again. Slab… barely stayed put. But felt super weird and uneven underfoot. Like dancing on a lumpy brick. Had to press hard on the mat sensor underneath too. Barely registered my steps.

Enter The Chalk Powder

Got desperate. Remembered gymnasts use chalk for grip? Found my wife’s gardening chalk for marking beds (don’t tell her!). Sprinkled a little sanding dust and this chalk on the liner before sticking it to the slab bottom. Friction? Needed friction.

Taped the slab down AGAIN. Pressed it real good. Held my breath… stepped. Foot stuck! Actually stuck! No slipping! BUT… the slab felt heavy. When I jumped to the next pad, the wood kinda wobbled like a loose tooth.

The Frankenstein Moment

One slab sorta worked. Needed a whole set. Cut three more slabs same size. Covered each bottom with grit-liner + secret chalk mix. Wrapped each edge with about a mile of thick duct tape, sealing them down. Mat was buckling under all this wood & tape. Looked like four small wooden monsters ate my dance pad.

Powered it up. Selected some dumb kids’ song with a slow beat. Tried stepping. Left foot on “Up” slab. Right on “Right.” Slow. Okay… it worked? Mostly. The wood creaked. The mat groaned. But the arrows lit up! Mostly!

Tried going faster. Big mistake. Slab on “Down” shifted slightly. Jumped. Landed off-center on “Center.” Timber! The slab flipped. Tape pulled the whole corner of the mat up with it. Total collapse. Looked like modern art.

Tweaking The Beast

After the avalanche, found the real issue. The slabs were too big. Sensors overlap, see? Cut the slabs smaller. Not much, just enough so edges didn’t hang over the arrow areas underneath. Used more duct tape (always the hero). Focused tape right under where my foot lands most.

Tested again. Slower song. Concentrated hard. Left, right, center, up, down… it registered! Actually playable! Clumsy. Heavy. Looked ridiculous. But hey… my pine slabs were dancing! Or maybe the pad was dancing under the pine? Pad Dancing Pine Timber. Yeah.

Final Take: Is it practical? Heck no. It’s heavy, ugly, and feels like dancing on bricks. But did I make leftover pine and a junked dance pad sorta work together? Yes. Win? Small, weird win. Keeps my feet kinda busy. Saves the wood from just rotting. Good enough.