Sprung floor

A sprung floor is a floor that absorbs shocks giving it a softer feel. Such floors are considered the best available for dance and indoor sports and physical education. They enhance performance and greatly reduce injuries. Modern sprung floors are supported by foam backing or rubber feet, while the traditional floors are cushioned mechanically. Many dance halls with sprung hard wood floors date back to the early 20th century, such as the Willowbrook Ballroom in Chicago (1921) and the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR (1914).

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Terminology

A sprung floor is also sometimes referred to as a floating floor. That term though more often refers to a floor that insulates against noise or a raised floor with ducts and wires underneath as in computer halls.

The term dance floor may also mean a surface to be laid on top of a floor rather than the whole installation. Here the term floor surface or just surface is used for this. The term floor covering is also commonly used for this.

Besides just referring to any floor where dancing is done, the term dance floor may also refer to:

• A portable mat including both a dance surface and shock absorption. These used also be called dance mats but that term nowadays more often refers to electronic dance pads.
• Floors with flashing illuminated panels. These don't normally follow any ergonomic standards but can provide a good ambience e.g. for disco as in Saturday Night Fever.

The term speed refers to the traction (kinetic friction) of dance floor surfaces: fast describes slippery surface, and slow higher-traction surface, like a gym floor.

A sprung floor excluding the surface is often referred to as the sub-floor, though this may also refer to the concrete or other floor under a sprung floor.

A vinyl dance surface is often referred to as a Marley floor after the Marley company who originally made them. In fact the original Marley floors were made of linoleum.

Requirements

The basic requirements for a sports floor or a dance floor are the same. They should encourage optimum performance and be safe. There are many differences between what would be the best floor for various sports and forms of dance.^[1] However the requirements are similar enough that one can have a floor suitable for general use; and any exceptions like judo would expect to put down their own mats anyway. ^[2]

These basic requirements are covered in more detail in the standards listed below.

• Like a good race track it should have just the right amount of give; it should not be too hard which causes repetitive strain injuries or too soft which is tiring.
• It should be even and flat with only small variation in characteristics across it.
• It should be springy and return energy to lift the feet when moving, but not too springy like a trampoline.
• It should absorb the energy of falls and reduce injuries.
• It should have appropriate traction: too much and the foot might twist when turning, too little and it can be dangerously slippery (more on this below).
• There should not be any sideways movement. Sideways movement hampers balance, this is why very thick pile carpeting can be dangerous for the elderly (thick underlay however is good).
• It should be primarily ‘area elastic’ rather than ‘point elastic’. It should depress more like a wooden floor than a sponge rubber one – but the effect should not extend too far and the surface layer can be point elastic.
• It should be easy to see action on the floor: it should not be too light or dark.
• It should not be either too noisy or too quiet in use.
• It should not become very dangerous if liquid is spilled on it and it should be easy to clear up any such spillage. This is a major cause of injury.

Additionally many such floors are multipurpose. For instance a community hall might be used for playgroups and old age groups, for dances, aerobics and sports, and for seating for plays. It may have to carry heavy objects like pianos. There may also be requirements for ease of cleaning and maintenance. Cost of repair after damage by vandals or stiletto heels is also a consideration. Note the requirement to host public events can often be eased by the use of a gym floor cover to protect the floor.

There is no combined standard covering playgrounds and sprung floors or for use in old age centres but one that conforms to a full minimum sports or dance standard should be adequate to prevent serious injuries (e.g. broken bones) for children falling from 2 feet (0.6 meter) as from a toddlers table, or hip injuries in the elderly.^{[3] [4]}

Traction

In general dance requires less traction than gym. However a floor should not of itself be very slippery or sticky, DIN 18032 defines a range of traction which should suit most activities. These type floors should also be smooth which means it is difficult to stop them becoming slippery when wet.^[5]

Most of the differences between the different disciplines can and should be catered for by the use of appropriate shoes. On the same surface a dance shoe with a leather or suede sole will give much less traction than a gym shoe with a composite rubber sole. A sticky floor used for gym is very likely to cause twisted ankles, and a slippery floor used for dancing is liable to cause bad falls.

Everyday footwear nowadays tends to have a higher traction. For occasions like weddings where the dancers may not have proper footwear a slightly slippier floor could compensate somewhat, but a highly polished floor can be very dangerous with leather soles. Both gyms and dance clubs are better off providing good safe floors and encouraging the use of proper footwear.

Construction of a sprung floor

There is a FAQ on 'Build your own dance floor' on the web.^[6]

Sprung floors come in a few major types:^[7]

• Traditional wood basketweave
• Wood with high durometer neoprene pads. Sometimes both basketweave and neoprene pads are used.
• Foam rubber with a wood or other area elastic layer on top
• A few sprung floors use actual springs! The special floors used by cheerleaders and tumblers often have coil springs under them.

The construction may be built into the area, or composed of modules that slot together and can be disassembled for tours.

Halls should be designed and built with sprung floors in mind leaving at least 10cm for the floor. The depth is a major constraint when laying a sprung floor in a hall not designed for it. About 5cm is about the maximum one can normally accommodate, and some sprung floors designed for refurbishments are as low as 3cm.^[8] Ramps for wheelchairs will be needed at the doors, and if as is usually desirable the ramp is outside the hall the doors will need the bottoms trimmed off (easing), and so their height will be reduced. Ramps can have a 1 in 12 incline at most and they may also need a safety zone round them. Thus if the floor is 5cm deep the ramp needs to be 60cm long or more.

The underfloor needs to be made flat either with levelling cement, very careful trowelling, or by using shims or a layer of masonite. Any new cement must be left at least a month to dry. A membrane vapour barrier must be used to prevent damp from the ground.

  A semi-traditional floor would have wood battens laid on neoprene pads. Neoprene lasts much better than rubber, they are typically laid 40cm-50cm apart and are 1cm-2.5cm thick. Then more wood battens are put on top at right angles half way between the pads. A traditional floor might have three layers of this springing. Then two layers of plywood at 45 degrees or maybe 90 degrees are placed on top making sure the joins don't match up. The plywood spreads the load. And lastly a layer of good durable wood like oak, beech or maple provides the surface - or less good wood covered with a vinyl dance surface. There may also be provision to stop the floor depressing too much if a very heavy weight is placed on it.

There should normally be a fairly wide gap between the floor and the wall to allow for expansion and to allow air to circulate. This will be covered by a skirting board or moulding and so is not normally evident. It is because the floor is free standing rather than being connected to walls or joists that it is also referred to as a floating floor.

The surface is normally of vinyl or hardwood, machined wood or laminate. The dance surface may be replaceable so for instance a theatre can adapt easily to either ballet or tap dance.

Open and closed cells

The neoprene pads used in sprung floors may be described as having open cells or closed cells. A cell is a void inside the neoprene, there may be just one big one or many small ones.

A closed cell is like a balloon - the air inside cannot escape and the pad is bouncy and returns most of the energy put in. A pad with many small closed cells may also be referred to as a foam, but typically only a single large closed cell is used as the cell can expand sideways and so provides characteristics more like a long spring.

Open cells have small holes which let the air inside escape and tend to dissipate the energy input. A pad with many open cells may also be referred to as a sponge.

As with everything to do with sprung floors a compromise of both is often used. A core of softer durometer may have a harder outer layer shaped so that heavy falls encounter more resistance instead of 'bottoming out' to a concrete subfloor. This also protects against deformation by heavy weights like pianos.

What makes a good sprung floor

A wood surface is ideal for social dancing if maintained properly and is also standard for many indoor sports. Engineered wood is normally used nowadays for wood flooring as it is less liable to warp or shrink and is more economic.

Vinyl is a better choice for other types of dance or more general commmunity use. The requirements for different types of dance are different but the differences can mostly be accommodated by changes in the dance surface. For instance Riverdance requires a harder surface that makes a sound, Swan Lake requires a softer surface because of the high jumps and possibility of falls. Ballroom dancing requires less traction than Scottish country dancing.

It used to be difficult to maintain a wood floor properly. However if the directions of the floor manufacturer are followed properly modern treatments will maintain a good surface.^[9] It is important not to just trust a commercial office cleaner to know how to do a good job, they should be instructed to follow the directions. There are no cheap and foolproof machines around for measuring traction which would enable cleaners to see their work conforms to dance or sports requirements.^[10][11] Thus there is a very strong inclination for managers or cleaners to go for other requirements e.g. a shiny surface or one that resists dirt better.

If a floor is occasionally used for public events, e.g. a gym hall used for a graduation ceremony, then a gym floor cover can be used to protect the floor and ease the normal requirements.

Standards

The same standards are applicable to dance as to sport. These describe minimum standards suitable for a general purpose hall. The ranges of parameters are wide enough to cover optimizing most special purpose halls as well:

• DIN 18032 part 2 is the German standard and is generally considered current best practice.^[12]
• BS 7044 part 4 is the British standard for artificial sports surfaces.^[13] The Sports Council only supports indoor activities on a BS 7044 approved floor and have a good description of them.^[14]
• EN 14904 is a new European standard which will replace European national standards.^[15] This was used for the World Cup in Germany, and covers both sports and dance halls. It also deals explicitly with some special purpose floors.

History

There doesn't seem to be a researched history of sprung floors. The earliest references on the web seem to be:

• The New Zealand Prime Ministerial home was rebuilt soon after 1872. The rebuild included a ballroom with a sprung floor and New Zealand's first lift.^[16]
• A purpose built dance hall with a still functioning sprung floor was built in Over-the-Rhine in 1885.^[17]

Many sprung floors were installed for dance soon after 1900 in places like embassies, hotels, and private clubs. Use of sprung floors exploded with the opening of large public dance halls between 1920 an 1945.

The use of sprung floors for sport date to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.^[18] Sprung floors for professional acrobats probably date long before this.

Ballrooms with sprung-wood floors

• Willowbrook Ballroom

See also

• Floor (gymnastics)

References

1. ^ Harlequin article on basic considerations for dance floors
2. ^ The Quest for the Perfect Judo Floor
3. ^ Safety surfacing
4. ^ Can flooring and underlay materials reduce the number of hip fractures in the elderly?
5. ^ UK Slip resistance group FAQ
6. ^ Build your own dance floor part of the FAQ list for the newsgroup rec.arts.dance
7. ^ Dance Floors including a FAQ
8. ^ Boen Sports Floors Their Boflex range of floors are only 28mm high
9. ^ Bona Sportive System A wood floor maintenance system supporting DIN 18032:2
10. ^ Assessing the slip resistance of flooring
11. ^ Ten Myths Concerning Slip-Resistance Measurement
12. ^ DIN 18032 German wiki
13. ^ BSiStandards
14. ^ British Sports Council: Floors for Indoor Sports. Design Guidance Note
15. ^ From Ansi, EN14904 Surfaces for sports areas - Indoor surfaces for multi-sports use - Specification (FOREIGN STANDARD)
16. ^ Premer House - Echoes of the past New Zealand 1872
17. ^ Students Step in to Help Preserve Historic Dance Hall Germany 1885
18. ^ History of FLOOR EXERCISES

• http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/DT200405/dancingtimes200405-1.html