Man, this whole removable dance floor thing kicked my butt at first. Wanted something temporary for my garage when the kid gets that zoomies energy, you know? Saw those fancy interlocking floors but man, pricey like fancy cheese. Figured, heck, can’t I slap something together myself?

Starting Out Real Simple

Grabbed some of that cheap plywood they sell at the big box store. You know, the stuff that feels kinda bendy? Thought it would do the trick. Cut it down into squares – messed up the measurements bad on the first few pieces, totally wasted them. Ended up with maybe eight wonky squares.

Slapped some of that sticky stuff people put on stairs to stop slipping on the top of each square. Bad idea. Took forever, felt gross, and looked like I spilled yogurt all over the wood. Hated it. My fingers were sticky for days, couldn’t pick up my coffee cup right.

Pivoting Like a Dancer Who Tripped

The squares slid everywhere when you tried spinning or anything quick. Super dangerous. Needed something to lock them together. Remembered those plastic mats with bumps you snap together? Scavenged some old ones from the basement. Tried screwing small chunks of that bumpy plastic to the bottom sides of my plywood squares.

Big mistake number two:

• Too floppy: Plywood flexed way too much even with the plastic bits.
• Awful sound: Every step made this nasty creak-pop sound. Annoying as heck.
• Wobbly mess: Edges lifted, felt like dancing on floating docks. No way.

Got real frustrated. Kid tried one jump and almost kissed the concrete floor. Neighbor poked his head over the fence asking if I was building a torture device. Not cool.

Hitting the Hardware Store Again

Fine, decided actual wood planks were the only way. Picked up some basic tongue and groove flooring planks. Cut them down to shorter lengths. Thought about gluing them together permanently – but nope, needed removable. Had to think different.

Got some thin plywood strips. Layered the tongue and groove planks on top, running left to right. Then glued little blocks of wood underneath, spaced out like invisible columns holding up a bridge.

The “Engineering” Bit (Kinda)

Here’s the clunky part: Made removable connectors. Cut up more wood into these chunky L-shaped pieces. Drilled holes through them. Slid heavy bolts through holes in the plywood base and then through these L-brackets. Tightened big plastic wing nuts underneath.

It sounds complicated because it WAS complicated. Took ages just getting the holes lined up. Kept dropping bolts and scraping my knuckles. Dang it!

Does It Actually Work? Kinda!

Lugged the sections into the garage. Fit them together like puzzle pieces. Snugged up all the wing nuts underneath as tight as I could by hand.

• The Good: Surface feels way better. Solid underfoot. Less scary noises. Kid did a proper spin without falling! Connectors hold mostly. Takes maybe 20 minutes to assemble/disassemble.
• The Bad: Looks janky as all get-out. Those plywood strips underneath are rough. Needs a heavy rug on top to look decent. Wing nuts underneath dig into the concrete slightly when you bolt down tight. Needs maybe felt pads? Weird small gaps between sections.
• The Ugly: Heavy as lead. Moving sections sucks. Connectors are bulky to store. Still way cheaper than buying a fancy one, but man, the effort!

So yeah, built a removable wooden dance floor. It’s kinda ugly, kinda heavy, kinda a pain to put together. But the kid can practice spins and my wallet didn’t explode. Would I do it again? Maybe, but definitely with some strong beer and better planning next time. Just wanted something that works and folds away. Mission accomplished, but barely!