Okay so today I’m dumping my experience trying to install that shock absorbing dance flooring made from hevea wood. Heard great things, figured it’d be perfect for the spare room I’m turning into a dance studio. Spoiler: my back ain’t thanking me.

Starting Simple: The Research Phase

First, I spent ages just browsing online. Wanted something that wouldn’t kill my joints during routines. Kept seeing this “shock absorbing hevea wood” popping up – sounds fancy, right? Supposedly good bounce-back, natural give, durable as heck. Found a decent supplier. Looked at specs, reviews, videos. Clicked “buy.” Delivery took longer than expected, naturally.

When Reality Hits: Opening The Boxes

Boxes finally arrive. Heavy stuff. Opened up one and pulled out a plank. Honestly? First thought: felt solid, nice weight, smooth finish. But holy moly, that locking system? Tiny little grooves and ridges – looked way more fiddly than the videos made it seem. My heart sank a little. “Hope I didn’t bite off more than I can chew,” I muttered. Probably did.

Prepping The Stage: My Sad Concrete Floor

Ripped out the nasty old carpet. Underneath? Cold, hard concrete. Not ideal. Instructions specifically said: needs to be flat. “Flat.” Yeah, right. Spent a whole weekend just cleaning and chipping away at bumps and old glue spots. Sweated buckets. Used a long spirit level and some chalk – marked all the damn high and low spots. Went to town with a concrete patching compound. Waited impatiently for it to cure. Felt like forever.

The Fun Begins: Laying The First Rows

Finally, day-of-install dawns. Felt optimistic. Put down that first row against the straightest wall. Gapped it properly around the edges with wedges. Tapped the planks together, gently. Locking mechanism clicked. Success! First row? Easy peasy. Got cocky.

Second row? Different beast. Tried to angle the tongue into the groove like the picture showed. Held my breath, pushed down, tapped the long seam with a mallet and block. Heard a satisfying click. “Yeah!” I thought. This ain’t so bad. Third row… halfway… CRACK. Panic. Bent one of the tongue edges trying to force it. Had to stop. Breathe. Got another plank, went slower. Realized it needed a very specific angle – too high or too low and it just wouldn’t lock properly. Muscle memory started kicking in after row five.

The Middle Ground: Finding Rhythm… Sorta

Settled into a kinda pattern. Measure roughly at the end of the row. Cut plank. Sweep debris. Angle new plank carefully. Tap-tap-tap along the long edge. Pray it clicks. Sweep again. Repeat. Knees screaming after two hours. Used knee pads, still killed me. Started noticing where the concrete patching wasn’t perfectly level. Little dips. When I stepped on a plank crossing one, it made this annoying little hollow sound. Grrr.

The Home Stretch: End Games Are Tricky

Got to the far wall. Last row. Guess what? Wonky wall. Needed to cut planks lengthwise to fit the angle. Marking the irregular shape? Major pain. Used cardboard as a template. Carefully traced the line onto the wood. Used a circular saw. Cut slightly outside the line just in case. Offered it up. Needed trimming twice more. Sanded the rough edge carefully. Pried the last plank into place with a special pull bar, terrified of snapping it like before. Click. Done. Mostly.

Reality Check: Feeling That Absorbing Shock (Or Not?)

Pulled out the spacers. Vacuumed like crazy. Took a tentative step. Solid. Walked around. Felt good underfoot. Did some basic steps, some small jumps. Did feel softer than concrete alone. Definitely had some spring. Less harsh on the landings than I expected for wood over concrete. But those little dips I felt earlier? Yeah, you can still feel them if you land just right. Annoying.

So, what worked and what sucked?

• The Good Stuff: Wood looks beautiful now it’s down. Shock absorption? Noticeably better than hard tile or concrete. Seems tough. Hevea holds up well.
• The Bad (Mostly Me): That locking system requires real patience and technique. Mess it up, you wreck a plank. My concrete wasn’t level enough, leading to some subtle dips that bug me. Hard bloody work on the knees and back.
• The Verdict? It wasn’t magic, but it does what it says on the tin – absorbs shock way better than a standard wood floor would. Looks great too. Would I DIY it again? Maybe on a much smaller, perfectly flat floor. Or maybe I’d hire someone with younger knees.

It’s in, it works. My improvised dance studio feels nicer. Just wish my prep work had been absolutely flawless. That last little gap near the vent cover I ended up filling with caulk? Yeah, that ain’t winning any awards.