Honestly, this whole thing started ’cause my old rug looked like a dog’s breakfast. Needed something tougher for messing around on my dance pad sensors, ya know? Floor was concrete, so I figured plywood was the cheap and cheerful way to go.

First Up: Scoping Out the Mess

Went poking around the garage. Stuff piled everywhere! Dragged a tarp out from under about ten bags of who-knows-what. Cleaned it off outside, spraying it down with the hose – filthy doesn’t even cover it. Knew I’d be laying on this later… Ugh. Laid it out inside to mark my spot, making sure there was enough room to shuffle around like I planned.

Getting the Gear (or Lack Thereof)

Got in the car, drove down to the local hardware warehouse place. Found the plywood section. Cheapo stuff was all warped. Proper flooring stuff? Yeah right, way outta my budget. Found some plywood panels – they said structural, dunno. Seemed flat enough. Grabbed two big sheets. Threw ’em in the back of the car. They stuck out like crazy. Drove slow.

Let the Cutting Commence (Mostly)

Got home. Muscled the sheets into the garage. Heavy beasts! Borrowed my neighbor’s cordless circular saw – mine sounded like a dying lawnmower. Measured where I wanted ’em. Drew a line. Started cutting… realized halfway I probably needed the thicker blade for this, eh. Saw blade smoked a bit, cutting was slow, but got ‘er done eventually. Edges looked like a beaver gnawed ’em, rough as guts.

The Jigsaw Puzzle Assembly

Dragged the cut panels inside. Sweating like a pig already. Had this bright idea to glue some edging on the rough cuts to make ’em smoother. Bought cheap white plastic stuff, sticky back. Peeled it, stuck it on. Looked okay… until I dropped a board and the bloody edging fell right off. Figured tape might hold it? Wrong. Gave up on edging – rough edges it is. Shoved the panels together on the tarp. Not perfect, couple gaps.

Making it Actually Work for Dancing

This was the main bit. Took my old dance pad sensors, laid ’em out where they needed to be. Grabbed the jigsaw. Marked the spots roughly. Cutting plywood with a jigsaw is… fiddly. Chunks flew everywhere. First hole was way too big. Second one was slightly less huge, but still messy. Got all the sensors seated, taped the wires down underneath so I wouldn’t trip. Plugged it all into the computer.

The Final Result (It Works!)

Stepped onto the patchwork plywood. Clicked the sensors. Computer dinged! It recognized ’em! Did a little test shuffle. Boards wobbled slightly where they met. Not perfect. Looks kinda rough around the edges and smells faintly of garage dust. But hey:

• It’s way cheaper than store-bought flooring
• Concrete ain’t hurting my feet anymore
• Sensors work great through the holes
• Feels solid enough to jump on

Good enough for now. Sweat equity wins again!