Starting the Project

So yesterday I dug out this old dance pad from my garage storage. You know those plastic ones for video games? Yeah that junk. Figured it’d be fun to rebuild it with proper wood since the original sensors still worked fine.

Went down to the lumber yard and grabbed some soft maple boards – not too pricey but decent quality. Measured twice like my grandpa taught me cause maple ain’t cheap to waste. Took my circular saw and sliced planks into six 14-inch squares. Sawdust went EVERYWHERE despite the tarp I laid down.

The Struggle Phase

Here’s where things got messy:

• The original pad used thin plastic so my chunky wood pieces were way too thick. Had to shave layers off with my belt sander. Took forever and I sneezed maple dust for hours.
• Glued the sensor wires underneath but forgot they needed wiggle room. First test? Squished three wires flat when I jumped on it.
• Tried using epoxy to protect the sensors. Big mistake – that crap hardened like concrete and killed the sensitivity completely.

Making It Actually Work

Scraped off the epoxy disaster with a putty knife (took two bloody knuckles). Re-soldered the crushed wires then covered everything with flexible silicone sealant instead. Way better! Did the slide test with socks on – sensors triggered smooth like butter.

Pounded four rubber feet on the bottom corners so it wouldn’t scratch floors. Stained the maple with walnut tint cause blonde wood looks boring. Finished with three coats of urethane while binge-watching retro dance competitions on TV.

Why Bother Though?

Honestly? My kid saw me struggling with this all weekend and asked “Why not just buy a new one?” Made me realize I’m turning into that stubborn old dude who fixes radios with duct tape. But man, stomping on real wood just feels solid – that plastic junk vibrates like a cheap motel bed. Still need to reinforce the center panel though. Almost cracked it doing the moonwalk after three beers last night.