Why I Wanted Removable Dance Flooring

So yesterday I was staring at my garage thinking – this concrete floor sucks for dance practice. My knees were killing me after two hours of salsa drills. I can’t nail permanent flooring cause I rent this place. Googled around and stumbled on this “click-lock wood panel” idea folks use for temporary stages. Figured I’d gamble on building my own trashy version.

The Sketchy Shopping Trip

Rushed to the hardware store after work grabbing whatever looked cheap but sturdy:

• 20 packs of laminated wood planks (the kind that snaps together)
• 2 rolls of rubber underlayment foam
• A box of 1-inch L-brackets with screws
• Can of wood glue “guaranteed to dry in 5 minutes” (it lied)

Total damage? Around $150. Not terrible.

The Assembly Disaster Zone

Cleared out my entire living room like a maniac. Swept the floor ten times because dust ruins the adhesive. Started laying the rubber foam pads first – unrolled them like giant toilet paper rolls. Cut edges with kitchen scissors when they overlapped.

Next part sucked. Had to lay each wood plank clicking them sideways like LEGO bricks. Three panels in, the grooves wouldn’t lock cause the factory cuts were crooked. Grabbed my sandpaper and shaved off the messed-up edges till they clicked. Glue oozed everywhere when I tried reinforcing joints – wiped it with old t-shirts like a caveman.

The “Removable” Hack Job

Here’s where my genius struck. Instead of gluing everything permanently, I installed L-brackets underneath where panels met. Screwed one side to panel A, left panel B loose. Now I could unscrew panel B, pop it off like a battery, and stack panels like pancakes for storage! Did this for every fourth row so the floor comes apart in sections.

Tested stability by jumping like a maniac. One panel flew off – forgot brackets need screw locks. Fixed with wing nuts instead of regular screws.

Finished Results & Final Thoughts

Took me all Saturday with pizza breaks. Ended up with 10 separate 4ftx3ft panels I can unclip in 10 minutes. Stacked sections fit against my garage wall. Danced for an hour – zero knee pain and the springy feel is awesome.

Would I recommend this? Hell yeah, if you’re cheap like me. It squeaks near the doorway and one corner lifts when I spin too hard – probably need more brackets there. Still better than spending $500 on “professional” portable floors. Next project? Adding LED strips underneath because why not.