How to Create a Ballet Bar and Dance Studio

It may be intimidating but making a ballet bar for a little girl is not that difficult. You can very easily turn part of a bedroom, basement, or childs playroom into a ballet studio complete with ballet bar and mirror with these easy steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Drill
• Saw (Mitre/Hack/Chop,etc)
• Round wooden bar 3"-4" in diameter or a straight wooden stair railing with rounded edges on one side
• Brackets & screws
• Large Mirror

1. Determine the area that you want to use for your ballet bar and/or ballet dance studio. Measure the wall that you want the ballet bar on and determine how long you want the ballet bar to be. Decide if you want a mirror on the wall behind the ballet bar.

2. Next purchase a round bar or straight stair railing beam from a local home improvement store that is the length you want your ballet bar to be or cut it down to the length you want. A good length is 6'-8' and it should be roughly 4" in diameter or 1.5" thick and 3" wide with rounded edges on the top.

3. If you decided you wanted a mirror on the wall you need to decide if you want the entire wall mirrored or just a large mirror on the wall. If you want the entire wall mirrored call a local glass cutting shop and give them the measurements of the wall and ask them to cut a mirror for you in that size including installation on your dance studio wall. You will also want them to cut 2 circular holes in the mirror about 4" lower than the height you want the ballet bar at and about 3'-4' feet apart so you can connect brackets to studs in the wall. So measure & mark where the brackets will connect to the wall and give those measurements to the glass company for the holes.

4. If you decided you didn't want the whole wall mirrored but just want a large mirror on the wall in the middle of where the ballet bar will be, go to your local home improvement store to buy the size mirror that you want.

5. Now you need to attach the mirror to the dance studio wall. Purchase some mirror brackets that connect to the wall on the sides and rotate a connector over the front of the mirror like how a picture frame holds a picture in. If you purchased an entire wall mirror and had the install company put it in good for you because thats done now! Adhesive can also be used to secure the mirror but it will basically be permenant so make sure that is what you want.

6. Now you need to connect the ballet bar to the wall with brackets. You will need to connect the brackets to studs in the walls for support either thru the holes in the mirror or just on the outside edges of the mirror that you put on the wall. The ballet bar should extend out past the brackets 12"-24" on each side.

7. Now once the brackets are mounted to the wall set the ballet bar on top of the brackets and mark holes underneath with a pencil to connect to. Drill holes where the pencil marks are and then put screws into the brackets underneath to hold the ballet bar to the brackets. The brackets should L-shaped or lean out at about a 45 degree angle from the wall so the ballet bar is a minimum of 6"-8" from the wall when attached and ballet shoes aren't pressed against the mirror when resting on the ballet bar.

8. Now you have a ballet bar on the wall with a mirror behind it just like an nice dance studio and it only took a few hours.

Tips & Warnings

• You can stain the ballet bar to whatever color you want or just put a sealer on it to give it a soft shine and natural wood color as well as smooth finish so it doesn't scratch or tear up ballet dance shoes.
• You can also paint the ballet bar any color to match the room decor.
• Depending on the size of the mirror you are working with you may need someone to help you hold it in place and attach it properly to the wall as they can be extremely heavy and awkward.