Tribe.net. Local Connections Just Joyce http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#e7bfbb19-43f6-46bb-b72a-4368c9d4131a 2009-06-17T20:01:17Z 2009-06-17T20:01:17Z

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I meet with the owners on Monday, and we talked about options. They are planning on building me a sample piece of floor to see if it will suit my needs (how lucky am I?). I am feeling really positive about this! And Kira, thanks so much! I miss my Florida Tribal Wallah, but feel super fortunate to have found such a strong community More about this whole adventure into possibly opening my own studio space is on my personal blog here http://www.perlgurl.net/blog/?p=50

Just Joyce 2009-06-17T20:01:17Z Velvet Fifi http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#cb7d8981-f72a-4aed-90ae-1f303d61df63 2009-06-14T22:32:47Z 2009-06-14T22:32:47Z

If you want a movable floor, my husband built one of those, too, and I've got the plans laying around somewhere that I can post as a .pdf. Totally over-engineered, surprisingly simple to build if you have a drill and a saw, cheap, comfy, and something you can break down and take with you if you like.

Velvet Fifi 2009-06-14T22:32:47Z Phoenix http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#c636db81-fe73-4474-a92b-975e94e04b8f 2009-06-14T21:59:55Z 2009-06-14T21:59:55Z

The studio that Ocean speaks of....has an EXCELLENT floor. They did a great job and it really makes a difference on your feet and knees. A friend here actually bought one that is removable too.....it is very well constructed. If you are renting then you may want to consider doing that in case you move -- then you can keep the floor. The one that is transportable is also a sprung floor and feels great. phoenix

Phoenix 2009-06-14T21:59:55Z Kira http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#d49ac560-1ad2-4d2b-b3d3-8824bbd6669a 2009-06-14T03:39:04Z 2009-06-14T03:39:04Z

A quick add on to the 'paint over the plywood' idea. We recently used Epoxy Garage Floor paint over plywood that had been sanded and seams filled, then put the clear coat that is intended to go with the product. It is a great surface! You can get the flecks that you sprinkle on over the wet paint, and it helps to further hide any imperfections. It's durable, because it's Epoxy paint, and meant for use in hard usage areas...and it was super easy :) And to Joyce directly... !!Way To Go!! I know all of the Florida ladies still miss you very much around here, but I am so happy to hear that you are doing so well up there!

Kira 2009-06-14T03:39:04Z Maura http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#ab7718a2-0d50-447b-9b05-4c01a0428af0 2009-06-13T22:34:21Z 2009-06-13T22:34:21Z

Faten Salama dances on a plywood-topped floor in her technique video in and I always wondered how it was made. Maybe your teachers' experience has supplied the key.

Maura 2009-06-13T22:34:21Z Jennifer Rose http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#be674b00-0704-481a-ba76-7a648b5ef349 2009-06-13T20:23:04Z 2009-06-13T20:23:04Z

I created a nicely cushioned dance floor by laying 1/2" plywood over old ceiling tiles I scored from Freecycle. The down-side is that it is a permanent installation because you have to use 2" screws to get through the plywood and ceiling tiles. If you get nice looking plywood, all you have to do is put on a few layers of polyurethane and voila. If the plywood isn't so nice, you can cover it with laminate flooring instead or do what I did - I painted it with an oil based gray garage floor paint. Good luck!

Jennifer Rose 2009-06-13T20:23:04Z Velvet Fifi http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#0a4108c7-e59d-4c22-92f2-77ff4f31e3bf 2009-06-13T02:33:20Z 2009-06-13T02:33:20Z

I put a dance studio in my basement (with lots of thought...) I used a dimpled plastic underlayment that is made for basements (water drainage), that is glued to 3x3 OSB. over that I got a high quality dense foam that I rolled out and and then installed engineered flooring with no grooves (bamboo flooring). I had a professional dancer friend come over and test it with me. My legs felt terrific after hours on the floor - plus it is very comfortable temperature wise. My friend said that she could barely tell the difference that it wasn't a sprung floor. (She should know). It has just the right amount of give and spring to it and is wonderful to dance on, but without the high cost of a sprung floor system.

Velvet Fifi 2009-06-13T02:33:20Z Xanthea http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#c8bbe968-aff6-4222-aaf6-8d2adba0e008 2009-06-12T02:44:16Z 2009-06-12T02:44:16Z

Can't say much about one type of flooring over another, but how exciting about the possibility of a Studio in Fairbanks! Good luck with that and here's wishes that it comes to be a reality!

Xanthea 2009-06-12T02:44:16Z Todd http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#647fa061-da9b-4bec-9bef-55c1de430a1e 2009-06-11T22:46:46Z 2009-06-11T22:46:46Z

Oh, and my flamenco teacher's floor is done the same way, with several coats of hard enamel over it to make it smooth and durable against the nails.

Todd 2009-06-11T22:46:46Z Todd http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#21dbcfc3-caf2-48b6-9691-a82c2ead22c2 2009-06-11T22:45:17Z 2009-06-11T22:45:17Z

There are many ways to lift the floor. One way is framing just as if you'd laid the framework for a wall onto the floor. When we built a martial arts (judo, jiu jitsu and akido) floor we built it from standard two/four framing. We screwed 1" press board down onto the framing. Because you are dancing on the floor, I suggest a smoother finish on top. We also put 1" thick rubber grommets between the framing and the floor, every 12 inches. Now, I personally would take 20 high circle falls a night, twice a week, onto that floor with standard American Judo mats on it. Other than being 40 years old at the time, it wasn't painful.

Todd 2009-06-11T22:45:17Z Just Joyce http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#32162655-3244-4fb0-bba6-78a524b6c031 2009-06-11T21:05:57Z 2009-06-11T21:05:57Z

This would be a barefoot studio. Dance/yoga classes and workshops, etc. No flamenco or tap.

Just Joyce 2009-06-11T21:05:57Z Maura http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#7504609b-1cdd-4e62-8ecd-53feeb2b8539 2009-06-11T20:56:36Z 2009-06-11T20:45:30Z

What kind of dancing do you propose doing in your studio? Our studio is bellydance-only, so laminate floors work fine for us (folks check their shoes at the door). PS our first studio floor was laminate over the existing old commercial carpet - my Home Depot Trainer sister's idea - worked nicely. But that was the third floor, not ground-floor-concrete. We are now on a second floor, concrete on the bottom, commercial laminate padding, then laminate.. works fine for classes. If daughter is doing a practice marathon, she wears dance shoes for support... but if most of the users are not going to practice on it more than an hour a day, the laminate is fine. If we ever get to the point where we are sure we will stay in business, we may install real dance floors. Right now the agreement with the landlord is - if we have to break the lease, then he gets the laminate floor and the lighting, goodbye that's all. We actually thought about making our own but decided in the interests of time to forgo. If I ever decide to do it I'd probably do it a test space at a time using something like this: http://www.judoinfo.com/tatami.htm http://www.aikidoonline.com/Archives/1999/oct/clmn_dojomaint_1099.html I read about folks using tires as the springs but, as someone said, unless they are all the same size and new how can you control the result?

Maura 2009-06-11T20:45:30Z Just Joyce http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#4f893227-0783-47f0-9bda-f9ebfd603e80 2009-06-11T20:27:37Z 2009-06-11T20:27:37Z

Todd, VERY good point! I just moved to Alaska (and LOVE it), but have already found that it get to -40 (yes negative 40) and stay there during the day for up to 2 weeks at a time! Building owners have mentioned putting up a raised floor. Suggestions on how to best achieve a quality raised floor would be appreciated as I have no idea how to build something like that!

Just Joyce 2009-06-11T20:27:37Z Todd http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#b24449e1-27e4-49ec-89d4-ae8c8659fa6e 2009-06-11T20:18:58Z 2009-06-11T20:18:58Z

Your climate can be extreme. This is something many people don't think about until it's too late. Anything you can do to raise the floor, even by just an inch, will make a huge difference in the comfort and durability of the floor.

Todd 2009-06-11T20:18:58Z Just Joyce http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#75df8a46-89a7-4d1a-8462-f657f06056b4 2009-06-11T19:49:18Z 2009-06-11T19:49:18Z

Oh, and I have alredy done a cursory search of thsi tribe and ran across Ocean's blog posting about installing one: http://people.tribe.net/oceanostteen/blog/74ec17b9-870f-48e5-9e09-7e32131f0068 Plan to print that out and use it for reference for sure!!

Just Joyce 2009-06-11T19:49:18Z Just Joyce http://bellydancebiz.tribe.net/thread/c3d24bdb-a2c6-4990-9b8e-136eb1d1e6fe#17d91cf2-59f6-43f5-ba6e-fa11a31b96bc 2009-06-11T19:47:36Z 2009-06-11T19:47:36Z

Hello, I am considering opening my own dance studio. Very much in the planning and feasibility study stages but I am currently looking at leasing a space that needs the floor redone (it was a pool hall, and has very dirty old carpet, which appears to be just on top of concrete, that will need to be replaced). The owners are open to putting in flooring for me, provided that falls within a reasonable price. I don’t foresee true sprung floors, but perhaps see a nice wood floor with underlayment that offers some spring. My question is, for those of you that have done this before, what are the things I need to be sure doesn’t get installed, and conversely, what might be the best, and most cost effective ways to approach this? The space is just over 1700 square feet, and I have indicated I need at least 2/3 of the floor with ‘dance floor’. Thanks in advance!

Just Joyce 2009-06-11T19:47:36Z