Got tired of hurting my feet

Wanted to dance at home, but our concrete floor felt like jumping on a sidewalk. Ouch, my ankles yelled after just an hour. Figured, gotta make something softer. Saw those fancy sprung dance floors online, cost an arm and a leg. Nope, not doing that. Time for a DIY job.

Went down to the hardware store last Saturday morning. Wandered around the lumber section scratching my head. Looked at plywood. Too bendy. Looked at regular planks. Too stiff. Then saw these “dancing beech” panels. Seller guy swore it was springier. Thought, why not give it a shot? Bought six panels. Hurt the wallet a bit, but less than the professional stuff.

First try was a mess

Got home, cleared the living room like a maniac. Swept like crazy. Just threw those panels down, locked ’em together with the little clips they had. Stood on it. Hopped a little. Felt… barely different. Maybe slightly less bone-jarring? Mostly just noisy rattles and shaky.

Ok, shock absorption needed. Duh. Remembered those foam puzzle mats people put in kids’ rooms. Dug out some dusty old blue ones from the garage. Stuck them under the beech panels. Another hop. This time, felt spongy. Too spongy! Like dancing on a wet sponge cake. Legs got tired fast, super unstable. Felt like I might tip over doing a turn. My wife walked in, laughed, said I looked drunk. Not helpful.

Back to the drawing board

Monday after work, hit the store again. Needed something in-between concrete and marshmallows. Asked about rubber. Sales guy pointed me towards these thin rubber pads meant for under washing machines. Flat, kinda dense. Bought a pack. Also grabbed a cheap carpet underlay remnant on a whim.

Wednesday night, experiment time.

• Attempt One: Laid down the washing machine pads. Put the beech panels on top. Locked it together. Felt firmer than the foam, but still had some bounce. Better! Not perfect though. Still felt a bit hard underneath the wood.
• Attempt Two: Tried the carpet underlay under the pads. Too much! Went back to feeling wobbly and soft. My feet sank.
• Attempt Three (The Keeper): Scraped the underlay. Just rubber pads + beech panels. Climbed on. Tried some basic steps, then a little jump. Huh! Solid underfoot, but took the edge off the landing. No ankle ache afterwards. Success! Mostly. Still slid a tiny bit when planting my foot hard.

Finishing touches for stubborn feet

Kinda slipping? Annoying. Found some anti-slip rug tape. Cut little strips. Stuck it onto the top of the beech panels near the edges where my feet plant most. Not pretty, but you don’t see it when focusing on not falling. Tested it again. Finally! Stable landing, less shock, no more drift.

Took it apart for storage – panels come apart easy, rubber pads roll up, tape stays stuck for next time. Done. Took a whole week of trips to the store and testing in the living room like a nutter. Wife thinks I’m crazy. Feet? Feet are happy dancers now. Total cost still stung, but way cheaper than that professional sprung nonsense. Worth it for happy ankles.