Starting This Whole Idea

Okay so my kid wanted dance practice at home, but our concrete basement floor? No way that’s comfy. Saw expensive studio floors online – like thousands of dollars! Nope. Decided to make a cheap removable version myself.

Stuff I Gathered

Drove to Home Depot and grabbed:

• Cheap oak hardwood planks – the 3-inch wide ones on sale
• Double-sided carpet tape (the thick kind)
• Felt pads like you put under chair legs
• Rubber mallet

Cutting & Sanding Disaster

First I measured the basement corner where she dances – 8 feet by 8 feet. Marked the planks with a pencil and tried using my rusty handsaw. Crooked lines everywhere! Ended up borrowing my neighbor’s table saw. Still messed up five planks before getting it right. Sanded the edges like crazy so no splinters in dance shoes.

The “Assembly” Part

Laid out all planks on the concrete, pushed ’em real tight together. Then flipped each plank and stuck double-sided tape along both long edges. Pressed down HARD. Slapped on felt pads on every plank corner so they don’t scratch the floor. Took my rubber mallet and tapped the pieces sideways until no gaps left.

First Test Run Fail

Kid tried pirouetting and BOOM – whole section slid apart! Tape wasn’t sticky enough between the planks. Cursed loud enough my wife yelled from upstairs. Peeled off all the tape (left nasty residue, ugh).

Quick Fix Solution

Went back to hardware store for stronger construction tape. Also bought cheap hook-and-loop strips as extra grip. Stuck hooks on one plank side, loops on the next. Tape in the middle this time. Felt like wrestling an octopus threading those strips.

Final Victory Dance

Reassembled everything. Kid jumped, slid, spun – nothing moved! We high-fived. Next morning I lifted the whole thing by the edges – came apart easy as LEGOs. Stored all planks vertically behind the water heater. Total cost? Under $200.

Lessons learned: Never trust weak tape. Oak’s heavy but feels amazing underfoot. Wife’s happy it hides when not in use. Kid hasn’t tripped yet – 10/10 would slam my thumb with that mallet again for that.