How to make your own tap dance floor at home -- affordable & easy to make!
I already sell a wonderful tap dance floor through my website (www.tapdancemadeeasy.com) that is manufactured/portable/light, but it is a pretty small footprint (30"x48") which has its pros and cons. I've wanted a larger sized one for a while, so I gave this project a go with the help of my crafty friend Don (with an assist from my boy CJ).
Materials used (all can be purchased at a major hardware store, and the total was around $100 for everything):
(1) 4'x4' plywood (I am using 3/4" thick, you can also use 1/2" if you need it to be lighter; I had mine cut for me at the hardware store; make sure you measure your usable space to determine best size for yourself!)
(2) sandpaper / sanding option
(3) Playmat/rubber mat squares to approximately match the size of your floor (small gaps are ok, you can also build it with gaps for louder volume)
(4) box cutter/knife/scissors to trim playmat edges
(5) Gorilla glue (or similar)
(6) Polyurethane (they sell various stains/finishes, for this I used a clear matte water-based style; they also sell ones more suited for floors but I just went with a basic one for this and will see how it holds up).
Happy Tapping!
Eli Newsom
Owner/Instructor
www.tapdancemadeeasy.com