Dear Rob:
I’m a dance DJ. One of my regular venues is an Elks Lodge. Their parquet floor is in fair shape, but looks terrible and is difficult to dance on-kinda sticky. We’re going to sand off the finish, gum, heel marks, table drag marks, and then refinish the floor. I’ve asked 5 different “experts” about what kind of finish to put on that is dancer-friendly, i.e., isn’t sticky, but allows shoes to slide easily on the floor, and I’ve received 5 different answers, from oil to oil-based polyurethane to water-based polyurethane to 2-stage lacquers. We don’t have much of a budget. What would be your recommendation for a dance floor finish? Please advise. Thanks for your time.
Thanks,
Thomas
Dear Thomas:
I love dancing, and I hate it when a dance floor just doesn’t feel right. There are many opinions about what the correct level of friction coefficient (slip resistance) a dance floor should or should not have. You probably got many answers from your experts, as there are many variables that go into it. If your floor finish is worn down to bare wood, that could also be making your floor feel “sticky.”
Different dance types lend themselves to different levels of slip resistance. Waltz dancers, for instance, need to slide a lot and like their dance floors more slippery, whereas ballet dancers need greater slip resistance to help prevent them from falling.
Most general-purpose dance floors used in bars and nightclubs use a general-purpose, commercially rated water-based polyurethane such as Bona Traffic
Good Luck,
Rob
Hello. I have a dance studio and we built a sprung floor by using maso and painted it. Because of fitness classes and tap shoes it’s very hard to keep from scratching up the door. Is there a poly you recommend that will help preserve the floor?
There are many great finishes out there. I like products from Bona and Duraseal. I would hire a professional floor finisher in your area and see what they recommend.