Okay so I finally decided to tackle this shock absorbing dancing hard maple assembled wooden flooring project. Honestly, the name itself sounds like something you’d order from NASA, right? But the ads promised it could take a dancer jumping around like a maniac, so I figured, why not give it a shot for the basement studio.

Getting the Boxes and Tools Ready

First things first, I dragged all these heavy boxes down the stairs. Man, that maple stuff is dense! Nearly threw my back out. Opened them up and saw these planks with crazy little grooves and bumps on the edges. Instructions were just pictures – no words. Typical. Grabbed my rubber mallet, a pull bar, spacers, and a saw. Figured that’d be enough.

Making the Floor Less Wonky

My basement floor? It looked okay, but I knew better. Got out a long level and checked. Yup, dips and bumps all over the place. Not good for clicking those wood tongues together. Rolled out this self-leveling compound stuff. Mixed it like pancake batter only way messier. Poured it on, watched it ooze around trying to fill the low spots. Took a whole day to dry rock solid. Had to be patient.

Then I unrolled this black foam pad right over it. Supposed to be the “shock absorbing” part, along with the wood itself. Taped the seams with this heavy-duty silver tape so it wouldn’t slide around.

Smacking Planks Together

Started in the corner. Placed the first plank groove-side towards the wall, popped in the spacers to leave a gap for the wood to breathe. Grabbed the next plank, angled it down into the groove of the first one.

• Hit it with the mallet – whack.
• Nothing happened. Tapped it again. tap tap.
• Smacked it harder. THWACK!

Finally heard a satisfying click. Okay, getting the hang of it. Went row by row, angling, tapping, clicking. Sometimes needed the pull bar to snug things up against the previous row. Had to cut pieces for the ends and around the support pole – sawdust flying everywhere!

The “Dancing” Test (and the Aftermath)

After a few days of cursing and bruised thumbs, it was done! Looked really sharp, gotta say. Felt surprisingly solid walking on it. Time for the real test. Cranked up some loud music and just… jumped. Stomped. Did some terrible shuffling moves. And yeah, the floor had some give! Not super squishy, but definitely took the edge off the landings. Felt way better on the knees than concrete or regular wood. The shock absorbing bit seemed to work.

But here’s the thing they don’t tell you: all that clicking and tapping? Now the whole floor makes tiny little creaks and ticks when you walk normally, especially when the heat kicks on. Drives my wife nuts. It’s like the wood is whispering secrets every time you take a step. Maybe it needs to settle?

Honestly? Would I do it again? Probably. It looks good, feels good for moving around, and putting it together myself saved a bundle. Just need some earplugs for the nighttime creaking.