How to Choose Tap Dance Flooring? The Best Types of Floors For Tap Dancing
Tap is one of the few dance forms that is equally reliant on the auditory and visual senses. When you’re tap dancing, it’s all about the sounds, not the looks. That’s why it’s so critical to get the right flooring.
It is important to seek for a floor with exactly the right amount of traction when purchasing tap dance floors so that you may safely slide and pivot. Look for a floor that has been engineered with tap resonance in mind as well.
We’ve put together a guide to help you choose the right tap dancing floor for your studio. You may find a floor for everyone from beginners to professionals in studios, schools, and more.
Contents
How to Choose Tap Dance Flooring
There are a few things to keep in mind while purchasing tap dance flooring to ensure a successful performance.
- When it comes to tap dancing, it’s all about the sound. In order to hear clearly, the floor should be firm enough to produce acute, echoing noises…
- The mobility of your tap dance floor is a crucial consideration when buying for one. Before purchasing a dance floor, think about the logistics involved in getting it there.
- Hard-soled tap shoes can be extremely abrasive, therefore it’s critical to look for tap flooring that are scuff-resistant.
- Tap shoes are notoriously difficult to remove from non-dance floors, and no one wants to put their practice time at risk. You’ll need a dance floor that can withstand the rigors of rehearsals and recitals if you want it to survive a long time.
- Tap routines are all synchronized, therefore your floor must have enough room to accommodate a variety of acts.
Tap Dancing – What Floor to Choose?
Floors for percussion dance genres including tap, Irish dancing, and Flamenco must be specially designed to meet the needs of the dancers and prevent injury.
It is for this reason that tap dance floors, in particular, have been designed to provide clearer tones and a more robust surface. Because of their tendency to scratch and their tendency to become overly slick, many dance floors are unsuitable for tap dancing. The most important characteristics of tap dance flooring are a hard-wearing surface, stress absorption, and the ability to produce a clear sound when struck.
In addition to improving performance and preventing micro-injuries, providing your tap dancers with the correct floor can also help. Repetitive strain, slips and falls, and micro-damage to joints in the legs and feet are the most common causes of tap dance injuries. Your dancers’ muscles and joints can get inflamed over time as a result of their rapid motions and leaps. It’s important to choose the correct tap dance floor to ensure that your dancers are able to produce the distinctive sharp, hollow sound while also providing extra support for their joints.
The Best Types of Floors For Tap Dancing
Vinyl and hardwood are the two most common materials for tap dancing floors.
Vinyl Flooring
It is possible to divide vinyl dance floors into two primary categories: soft vinyl and dense vinyl.
Soft Vinyl
Dense vinyl floors are the most expensive, while soft vinyl floors are more flexible and lighter in weight. The percussive movements of tap dancing require a different type of floor, and these are not an appropriate option for that style.
Dense Vinyl
Tap dancers, on the other hand, should consider using a dense vinyl floor. Dance studios that frequently use percussion instruments prefer robust vinyl for its long-lasting durability and clean, crisp sound. Tap dancing necessitates the use of dense vinyl, which is more expensive but well worth the money.
You should examine the grip of your vinyl flooring before placing it down if you are a tap dancer. Vinyl floors with a cushioned backing should be avoided because they tend to muffle sounds more.
Hardwood Flooring
Another common option for tap dancers is hardwood flooring. Hardwoods such as maple and oak are known for their sturdiness. As a result of the demands of percussive dance, many of these flooring require no special treatment to protect them from water damage or warping.
If you’re going to buy a hardwood tap dance floor, make sure it’s sprung so that your dancers don’t injure themselves while performing. Consider a composite hardwood floor if you’re looking for a more cost-effective alternative to hardwood flooring. A layer of hardwood is added to a plywood substrate in a composite floor. Traditional hardwood floors have a longer lifespan, while bamboo floors are more resistant to variations in humidity.
Top Flooring Considerations for Tap Dancing
Sound
The music is everything in tap dancing. If you’re planning to use a tap dance floor in your tap group or at-home practice, you’ll need a floor that produces a clear, reverberating sound. You want the characteristic “tap” sound from the surface to be strong enough.
Choose a tap floor that will produce a lot of sound when used with tap shoes. Loud and clear, but not hollow or faded, is what you’re going for. As a result, years of high-quality tapping can be expected.
Durability
Your tap floor’s long-term durability is also critical. Using tap shoes can quickly wear down a floor surface since they are so firm. It’s a recipe for immediate wear and tear if you add in the fact that tapping is fast, fast, and repeated repeatedly.
Tap mats should be composed of high-quality materials that are long-lasting and sturdy. Make sure the goods comes with a guarantee if you’re worried about it breaking down.
Portability
It is possible to perform tap dancing in any setting. You never know where you’ll be called upon to perform, from the school auditorium to the gym floor to the church activity center. Tap dance mats and practice pads need to be easy to transport because they are used on the dance floor.
Is it really possible to take something with you? A lightweight and entirely removable tap floor is a must, allowing anyone to put together and take down the tap floor with ease. A simple set-up process without the use of specialized adhesives, tapes, or connections should be possible.
Scuffing
Tap dancing, as previously stated, necessitates quick, repetitive movements performed in hard-soled shoes. For dance floors that aren’t scuff-resistant, this can be terrible news Scuffed dance floors can detract from the elegance of tap dancing, making it less appealing. Your dance floor should be safe, but it should also be free of unattractive scuff marks.
When searching for the right tap board, make sure it is scuff resistant so it will give you years of quality performance and reliable support.
Size
Choose a tap board that can withstand wear and tear, and you’ll have years of trouble-free service and trustworthy support.
If you want a larger area, you may either purchase a larger dance floor or numerous linked tap dance tiles. If you have a permanent tap floor, such as in a dance studio, a large space is the best option.
Weight
Depending on how much the tap mat weighs, its portability will be affected. Moving a heavy tile is tough, so search for a lighter product if you need something that can be moved around easily.
However, if you intend to keep the tap board in place for a long period of time, you may want to go with a heavier option. Make careful to take into account the total weight of the floor.
Ease of Storage
What will happen to the dance floor once it has been dismantled? Temporary tap rooms and portable tap floors necessitate an easy-to-store floor. As a result, its capacity to squeeze into tight areas becomes critical when transporting it in vehicles like cars, vans, and school buses.
tiles, which can be dismantled and stacked, as well as rolls of tap flooring that can be folded up and rolled into many different places, such as car trunks or closets.
What Surfaces can it be Installed Over?
For example, certain tiles can be mounted on any surface, but you need to make sure the product you choose can be applied to your specific application. Tiles can be installed on top of carpet, hardwood, or ceramic tile if desired. They can even be placed on top of a concrete surface.
Choosing a tap floor that can be installed on any surface is essential if you want to take it with you wherever you go.
Price
While specific price should never be the only factor in your decision, it needs to be considered. Whether you are choosing a tap floor for your home, a business, or for a community organization, budgets matter. You need a quality product that fits your budget and gives you years of support.
Despite the fact that price isn’t the sole consideration, it should be taken into account. Whatever type of tap floor you’re looking for, whether it’s for your home or company, budgets play a big role. You need a high-quality product that is within your price range and provides you with long-term service.
Portable Tap Dance Floor Kits
When making a selection, you should take into account not just the price but also the quality of the product or service. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a tap floor for your home, business, or community group; budgets are important. An excellent product that is within your price range and will last for many years is essential.
Perhaps you’d want to work on your tap dancing in your spare time? Or, perhaps you’re a small-class instructor at a community center who needs a floor that’s quick and easy to set up and take down? If that is you, then investing in a set of portable dance floor kits is a great idea! They are available in a variety of sizes to suit your demands and space.
Tap dancing necessitates the use of special dance floor kits. As slippery as Marley is, these flooring are better suited to tapping than other types of wood floors.
How to Install Tap Dance Floors
Depending on the type of tap dance floor you have, as well as the type of installation you’re conducting (permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary), each dance flooring roll is slightly different.
Let’s go over how to lay tap dance rolls and tap dance tiles to get a basic idea of how to create dance flooring.
How to Install Marley Tap Dance Flooring Rolls
Marley dancing rolls are traditionally installed by laying the rolls flat and applying vinyl tape to the seams. Temporary and permanent methods of installation have minimal considerations. Look at that.
Temporary Installation
- Relax for 1-2 days after unrolling the flooring so that it can settle flat. Install the glossy side down and the matte side up.
- Use a utility knife and a straight edge to cut the rolls. Make sure to leave a 1/4-inch gap around the rolls to allow for temperature fluctuations.
- Apply double-sided carpet tape around the perimeters of each roll, and firmly press the edges to the floor, making sure there are no ripples, on the underside of each roll.
- Mat Tape can be used to create a ramp or tapering installation if you’re placing over foam subfloor tiles with surplus around the borders. Use Mat Tape to tape down the roll’s perimeter if you’re placing over foam tiles and there isn’t any extra around the edges.
- The seams of many rolls can be joined together with mat tape placed on top of the flooring.
Keep in mind, though, that the tape may need to be replaced if it wears or tears due to footwork. The top tape should be replaced every few months. Underneath, the double-sided tape can last for several years.
Permanent Installation
There are a few extra measures to ensure that the dance floor remains in place once it is installed permanently. Glue is needed to ensure a strong hold on the subfloor during this procedure.
- After a couple of days, the rolls should be totally flat and ready to use. Keep the shiny side down, and the matte side up, as the top is textured for better grip when you’re dancing.
- Rolls should fit snugly, but a 1/4-inch gap should be left to allow for expansion and contraction.
- At one end of the room, roll up the floor. Apply a thin layer of glue in 10′ intervals, or as short as you feel comfortable with, and let it dry. The flooring should then be slowly unrolled into the adhesive.
- For every 10 feet of the roll, repeat this procedure.
- Use a 100-pound roller on the floor to remove any air bubbles and guarantee a solid bond. If you’re unable to locate a roller, you can try walking in tiny, choppy steps across the floor.
Tap Dance Flooring Maintenance
The dirt and grime from the outside will inevitably find its way onto your lovely dance floor, no matter how many signs you put up saying “no shoes in the dance studio.”
A simple-to-clean dance floor is the most effective technique to counteract the difficulty of keeping outside dirt at bay. Because you’ll have to clean it on a regular basis, you don’t want a floor that’s a chore (pun intended).
All of our tap dance flooring options are easy to clean and maintain, which is great news for busy tappers. Sweeping and vacuuming are all that’s needed, as is a moist mop and a dance floor cleaning solution.
As far as cleaning goes, it’s just like cleaning any other floor in your house. You’re good to go as long as you mop up spills as soon as they happen.