Dance floor installers

Cut Tuck Remnant Cut off excess material from tuck-and-wrap process. Remember to check your clearance to insure floor can easily move in and out of expansion cavity. Make sure clearance is uniform around entire perimeter. A high area of the slab could result in a section of the floor not being able to move freely. Use as shown in the illustration. Starting Row Begin in the left-hand corner with a full uncut plank.

Lay the plank upside down and hammer the end of the clip with the holes into the clip groove slot on the underside of the plank. The long end of the clip without holes must project in the direction of the tongue. Clip Spacing The distance between the clips should be about 18" on center four clips per six foot plank. The first and last clip at the end of each row must be 2" to 4" from the wall. Clip Planks Together Glue and place the end joints together first; then use a hammer and tapping block against tongue to tap boards firmly together along the length.

When the planks are tight, press down on the plank to engage the clip. To effectively seat the end joint, tap board into place starting at its open end and tapping back along its length into the floor. Note: Do not strike the edge of the board with the hammer or drive boards together too hard. This avoids damaging the edges of the board. Glue the End Joint Once the clips are in, turn the plank right side up and install the first board with the groove side towards the starting wall.

The tongue side will be away from the wall with the long arm of the clip exposed. Apply Header Joint Adhesive to the inside bottom of the end joint groove as shown and repeat with succeeding boards to complete first row. Starting Next Row To start the next row of boards, begin with the cut piece left over from the first row if cut piece is under 16", cut 16" or more from a full plank to stagger the end joint.

This end-gap spacing is critical to the structural integrity of the floor. Spacing end joints 16" or more creates a proper interlocking strength for the floor.

To prevent clips from touching each other, alternate them in line by approximately 2" back and forth as you proceed across the floor.

Clip Spacing at Corners Clips need to be doubled up at places where the floor turns a corner or goes through a doorway. It is also important to narrow the clip spacing to 12"" and place clips within 2"-4" at ends when you go through a narrow aisle way. Using this method in narrow aisle ways will help prevent gaps from occurring. End Joint Spacing To create a random pattern, stagger end joints of boards by at least 16" and strip joints by at least 3".

The staggered pattern is critical to the structural integrity of the floor. Fitting Last Row Cut the last row of planks as needed to fit in the remaining space. Remember to allow for the expansion gap at the wall. If needed, the width of the last row of planks can be scribed with a pencil as pictured in section G, figure 5.

Installation of the Last Row The final ripped down board must be glued to the preceding row by applying Header Joint Adhesive along its length side. This is the only exception to applying Header Joint Adhesive to the length side. Do not apply Header Joint Adhesive to the sides length of the boards anywhere else. Snugging Last Board Cut the last board to proper length and use a crowbar to snug up the last board.

Use a shim against the wall to avoid damage to the wall. View More. Flooring Surfaces View More. Subfloor Systems View More.

Installation View More. Pre-cut Floors. Installation Products. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

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You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Necessary Necessary. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The best hardwood floor has a good subfloor; without good subfloor installation, your hardwood floor might be uneven, creaky, or gapped. When installing a hardwood floor or a floating dance floor also known as an elevated or a sprung dance floor , your subfloor needs to be plywood or oriented strand board OSB atop concrete.

Start with your concrete; if the concrete in your existing floor has sustained any damage, you should pour new concrete. The concrete must be extremely dry for you to install anything atop it; moisture in your concrete will wick into your wood and damage the dance floor. Concrete rarely is perfectly level, so you can use a self-leveling compound to smooth out the imperfections and make laying the plywood or OSB portion of your subfloor easier.

You will also want to lay down a moisture barrier layer atop the concrete before you install your plywood sub floor. Not every dancer prefers elevated flooring. Many dancers report that elevated floors feel bouncier. Whether or not to elevate the floor is up to personal dancing preference. To create a sprung floor, you need to make a lattice that fits between your concrete and your plywood subfloor layers. Some people prefer to create the lattice structure with boards that run parallel to the four walls of the room, making what looks like a checkerboard pattern.

Your other option is to install the boards at a 45 degree angle to the walls. The most important thing to do when creating elevation is to spread your boards evenly and to ensure everything is level.

You may have to adjust the height of your lattice in certain areas to ensure the flooring installed atop it is level. Your lattice plan should involve 12 inches between each board. Cut the boards so that they fit your lattice measurements. Just make sure that the seam between boards is 20 inches or more away from the seam in the adjacent rows. Use Ramset fasteners to attach the sprung floor lattice directly to the concrete below it. In this instance, you want to create another layer beneath the plywood to still give the floor some spring.

Pine is a popular choice for creating a middle layer of subfloor. You can also lay down a foam layer. After creating your elevation, your next layer of subfloor is the plywood or OSB layer. Before you start installing this final subfloor layer, make sure your lattice is completely level.