Starting This Messy Project
Okay so I wanted dance flooring that I could move around my garage since concrete kills my knees. Saw rubber tree wood scraps at Lowe’s discount pile – cheap but crazy warped. Grabbed my circular saw thinking “how hard can it be?” Spoiler: real damn hard.
Measuring & Cutting Disaster
First I throw boards on sawhorses. Marked cutting lines with pencil but these bendy planks wouldn’t stay put. Saw blade kept binding when the wood flexed mid-cut. Had to brace each piece with cinder blocks like some janky Jenga tower. Wood chips everywhere and two planks split clean in half – ugh.
- Used 5 broken blades
- Smashed my thumb with hammer trying to straighten edges
- Neighbor came over thinking construction noises meant free beer
The Pad Situation
Bought foam exercise tiles for padding – big mistake. They slide around like buttered ice. Tried gluing them under the planks with construction adhesive. Glue soaked through foam making crunchy lumps. Ended up stapling car floor mats under the wood instead. Looks stupid but kinda works.
Assembly Frustration
Drilled pilot holes for connector bolts so the whole thing would lock together. Forgot boards were different thicknesses from uneven cuts. Bolts either stuck out sharp or disappeared into gaps. Wasted three hours grinding bolt heads smooth. Finally linked eight panels – sorta rectangular? More like abstract art.
Testing the Frankenstein Floor
Tried cha-cha on this thing. Panels shifted apart leaving toe-trapping gaps. Jumped – whole section flipped up like seesaw. My cat fled the room. Added velcro strips between panels – finally stayed put! Still wobbles like drunk penguin but takes spin moves pretty good.
Lessons Learned
Should’ve bought pre-made panels. Or paid for dance classes instead. But hey – spent $45 total vs $300 store price. Just don’t look underneath unless you want nightmares about my staple gun massacre.
