How to Buy a Portable Tap Dance Floor

Tap dancing is all about noise!!! The sound of the tap dancing shoes on the tap studio dance floor is music to any tap dance lover. Most good tap dance studios have a hardwood floor that is specially made for the wear and tear of tap dancing shoes. When taking a tap dance class, your teacher will tell you to practice at home. Most people do not have the perfect dance floor in their home so they dance on the rug without wearing their tap shoes, or scratch the regular floor with their tap shoes on or even worse, scratch their tap shoes on a cement floor!

The answer is plain to any serious tap dancer, amateur, semi-professional or professional. You must buy some kind of tap floor. A portable tap floor is the most convenient, is not too expensive, and is an easy solution to your problem. Here is what to consider when buying a portable tap floor.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• tap shoes

1. Decide what price you are ready to pay. Tap floors can be extremely expensive. Depending on the quality of the floor, they can run into the hundreds of dollars. You must decide if you want to go all out or look for the least expensive floor.

2. Pick the type of surface you think you will need. This means whether you want hardwood, laminate, or chipboard. Most nice tap floors, even those that are moderately priced, come in hardwood.
   
   When picking the kind of floor, make sure you realize that different kinds of tap shoes will make or not make marks on a tap floor. If you pick a better wood, and if you have professional level tap shoes, the board should not wear-out too fast.

3. Choose a size. Small size boards are generally 3x3 and are just right for in-home practice. If you need a bigger board, they will range from 3x4 and up. Of course, the bigger the board, the higher the price for it.

4. Decide whether you want a board that folds up or not. There is one board that folds up and goes into a nice carrying case. (Refer to my resource section for suggested boards.) There are also some that do not fold up but can still be carried around.

5. Inspect the board before you buy or if you are ordering on-line, make sure they have a good return policy. You want to make sure if it is a fold-up version, that it connects and folds up easily. Make sure it is not too heavy for you to carry, too. (Tap floors weigh 20 pounds and up.) Make sure you are satisfied with the quality of the tap dance floor you have chosen.

Tips & Warnings

• All portable tap boards should be raised from the ground.
• All tap boards should have some form of cushioning in it. You need to be kind to your knees and ankles!
• Some tap dance floors are for indoor and outdoor use. I believe that these are more expensive and tend to be for multiple dance genres. I recommend not purchasing this—get only a portable tap dance floor, not a ballet, jazz, and tap dance floor!

Resources

• Tappin Floor
• Personal Tap Floor and Carrying Case
• Portable Tap Dance Floor

[lee-lee]

on 11/24/2009 Terrific idea - wish I'd known about these sooner! 5*

[godfather25]

on 11/19/2009 Great article on buying a portable tap dance floor.

[believeinfamily]

on 11/19/2009 What a clever article. I had no idea that there was even a portable tap dance floor. I think that would be a great gift once I know that my neice would stick to tap dancing. 5*

[joycetmann]

on 11/19/2009 I never knew these existed. Thanks. I love to dance, just never tried tap. 5*

[riefderrico]

on 11/11/2009 Never thought about a portable tap dance floor - but I know how to buy one now. :)