How to install a ballet floor

Collect your tools

• a few large brooms and/or vacuum cleaner
• a narrow short-bristled broom
• the dance floor pieces neatly rolled up on PVC pipes
• rolls of dance floor tape in the desired color
• roll of gaffer tape

Decide the direction of your floor

Depending on:

• the audience's line of sight.
• do you work with a grid on the dance floor? Do you use fixed distances for your spacing? Then it is sometimes better for your performance to align the dance floors or, conversely, to place them perpendicular to the line of sight.

• Carefully sweep and vacuum the floor. You want to make sure there is nothing left on the surface, as even the smallest items can become visible and cause damage to the premises.
• Only then should you roll out the pieces in the desired direction, carry them with two people to the desired location, and lay them side by side approximately where they need to go.
• Leave them for at least half a day or overnight to acclimatize. At high temperatures, the pieces expand and shrink again when they cool down. This way, most of the creases and bubbles will disappear from the pieces before you tape them down.

• Determine where your front will be, the zero line, and slide the first building into place.
• Choose one short side on the left (jardin) or right (cour) and tape it down with dance floor tape.
• Then pull the other short side until all the bumps disappear. Tape this side down with gaffer tape at three points (twice on the side and once in the middle).

Secure the piece at the front (long side) with dance floor tape, as follows:

• Person 1 sticks the dance floor tape lengthwise. Stick 20 cm on the floor and at least 20 cm on the piece. Make sure the tape is evenly distributed across the width of the dance floor and floor. Do not tear the dance floor tape off the roll.
• Then person 2 takes the short-bristled brush or squeegee and places it on the tape against the roll and pushes it straight down onto the tape.
• Person 1 unrolls the tape further and keeps it taut so that the tape does not touch the floor.
• Under tension, person 1 ‘lays’ (sticks) the tape neatly in the middle of the seam.
• Only then should person 2 gently begin to slide the broom over the tape toward person 1. You can do this over the entire length or in two steps (this will ensure a nice, straight tape line).

• With two people (one on each side), slide the second dance floor piece against the unstuck side of the first piece. Do not place the two dance floor pieces completely against each other. Leave a small gap of 0.5 cm between the two pieces.
• Align the sides with the first piece; there is usually a slight difference in the length of the piece.
• Tape the same short side completely with dance floor tape again. Then stretch the floor as you did with the first piece and tape it at three points. Maintain the 0.5 cm gap at both ends.
• Then repeat step 3, but this time stick the dance floor tape over both dance floor piece.
• Repeat these two steps until all pieces are taped.

Now tape the two sides with dance floor tape from front to back. If possible, do both sides at once.

If desired, remove the gaffer tape from the edges for an optimal aesthetic effect. You can easily tear it off at the edge of the dance floor tape. Or gently cut away the excess dance floor tape with a utility knife for a perfect frame.

• Sweep/vacuum the floor thoroughly again.
• Only use a damp mop.
• Do not pour water over the floor, as this may cause the tape to come loose.

• Determine where your front line will be, the zero line, and stretch a rope or tape across the entire width of the floor along that line.
• Use this line to determine your center.
• Then determine the center/central point at the back (you can do this by eye, but in most rooms these points are marked or there are calibration points).
• Slide the first piece into place to the left or right of the central axis towards the back.

• Apply the other steps. 

  TIP: work away from the center first.