Top 5 Portable Dance Floors & Buying Guide

SnapLock Industries is a company that makes a variety of unique flooring products under several brands, including the popular RaceDeck garage flooring.  They also happen to produce outdoor portable dance flooring and have the best selection of styles when you need to hold an event outdoors.

SnapLock Dance Flooring are large interlocking tile sections made up of 3’ x 3’ panels. Each weighs 18 pounds, so they are manageable, and guaranteed to stay connected thanks to PowerLock technology. The tiles also have a unique feature across the bottom with 840 support structures per square foot, which keeps the flooring firmly in place.

These sturdy panels are rated as 100% waterproof with an industrial top that’s simple to clean. That, combined with a variety of styles, makes them perfect for dancing outdoors. SnapLock portable dance flooring is available in unique styles like Slate Black and Ebony, and Luxury White Marble along with traditional wood-look options, including Oak, Maple, and Teak.

We think SnapLock’s dance flooring is a great multi-purpose option, and the 20-year warranty is a major advantage of their lineup. These tiles are more expensive than comparable sections of the same size, but well worth it if you need a top-tier product that ranks as one of the best outdoor portable dance floors.

All of the best portable dance floors have one thing in common – they are built to take abuse. Some can handle more wear and tear than others, however. If you need portable dance flooring that can be used on a daily basis for years or in a commercial setting, you’ll appreciate this unique system from Palmer Synder Furniture.

The EventXpress portable dance floor brings a seamless solution to the table in the form of tiles featuring a cam lock system. This prevents separation while providing a seamless look, and makes these floor tiles easy to assemble. Each panel measures 3’ x 4’ and is a ½” thick with a weight of 48 pounds, so they are very well built.

The base or core of each portable dance panel is made from plywood and topped with sheet vinyl while the backs are coated with polyurethane. The tops have a urethane top coat and a glass fiber interlayer to improve dimensional stability. Unlike other thick panels or tiles, you can buff or wax EventXpress dance flooring, which will help it keep it looking newer for longer.

Portable dance floors are an excellent choice for all types of outdoor events, including weddings. Given the amount of dancing that takes place at most weddings, portable options have rapidly grown in popularity. Our top option for weddings is called Plankflex, and it’s an interesting alternative to traditional tiles.

Plankflex has more in common with luxury vinyl flooring than it does with a dance tile. Each plank has a modular base made of high-impact polypropylene with a wood-look image on top. That image is protected with a 10mil wear layer of clear polyurethane finish. The planks are incredibly resilient, so they can handle high heels with ease, and work well for most forms of dancing aside from ballet.

Each Plankflex tile measures 4” x 36” long and ½” thick. That’s in-line with most forms of click-lock plank flooring, and with a weight of 1.83 pounds per plank, it’s easy to handle and install. No special tools or glues are required – you simply need a level surface. That means you’ll need to check the ground level outdoors. That said, these planks can be installed over low-pile carpet, so there’s a little wiggle room to work with.

If you’re in the market for a wood-look portable dance floor that can be used for other purposes as well, it’s hard to go wrong with these Plankflex tiles. While more expensive than square tiles, they have an excellent 15-year warranty and are made in the USA. These planks are available in three colors with Chestnut, Cherry, or Ash.

Whether you prefer martial arts, Zumba, or want to learn ballet from home, Greatmats has a solution for you. That includes homeowners that are interested in tap dancing, which is where the company’s Portable Tap Dance Floor Kit excels.

​Portable Dance Floor Buying Guide

If you just want to dance and aren’t a fan of research, you’ve come to the right place. While you can dance on almost any surface, you can also injure yourself or damage you’re flooring. You don’t want to break out the tap shoes on solid hardwood flooring in your home, and there are dozens of companies that claim to have the best dance floor for a variety of styles.

The goal of our portable dance floor buying guide is to help you narrow the field and get you on your feet faster. We’ve broken things down so that you can find the right choice for your needs, whether you are learning to Tango or need a practice pad to perform a little break dancing.

Pros and Cons of Portable Dance Flooring

Purchasing dance flooring can be a costly endeavor depending on the type of surface and size you’re interested in. That means it’s a good idea to consider the pros and cons of portable dance flooring before looking into other alternatives.

Portable Dance Floor Pros

• Simple to Use – One of the biggest advantages of buying a portable dance floor is the fact they are extremely easy to use. Many lock together in a matter of seconds, which makes installation a breeze, and they are light enough for most folks to handle alone.
• Durability – Unlike other forms of temporary flooring, portable dance floors are built to last. Given the amount of motion this type of flooring receives, manufacturers engineer them with durability in mind but pay close attention to the warranty when longevity is a concern.
• Budget-friendly – While you can find plenty of portable dance flooring in the premium class, buying a portable dance floor is far more cost-effective than installing a studio in your home. It also allows you to practice at home outside of the classroom if you’re taking classes.
• Multiple uses – Dancing may be the main use behind a portable dance floor, but it’s not the only one. This type of flooring is often used for weddings and other outdoor events where a solid temporary floor is needed.

Portable Dance Floor Cons

• Quality control – The biggest issue we uncovered with portable dance floors is quality control, but only with some companies. This is an area where the warranty comes into play, but our best advice is to stick with well-known and trusted brands.
• Storage – While minor, storage is something to keep in mind. Unless you plan on using the portable dance floor as a permanent to semi-permanent solution, they will need to be stored and can take up a considerable amount of space.

Usage

Portable dance floors are considered a niche product. That means it’s important to consider how often you’ll use it, especially when some of the top-tier tiles can be quite expensive. Are you purchasing a portable dance floor as a place to practice at home? If so, it’s better to pay up and buy something that will last for years to come.

Alternatively, if your home is covered in carpet and you just need a small section of suitable flooring to dance on, there’s no need to break the bank. The same goes for consumers that need a portable solution for events or for a wedding. There are a variety of mid-range options that look amazing but are geared more towards short term use, and not expected to last a half-dozen years.

Types of Portable Dance Floors

• Tiles – Dance floor tiles are the most popular type of portable dance flooring for general use, and it’s not particularly close. Tile systems use interlocking tiles and are typically made from vinyl, although other materials are available as well. They provide you with portable flooring that’s easy to install and remove as needed while allowing you to customize the size of your dance floor.
• Rolls – Rolled dance flooring is an interesting alternative to modular tiles, and often found in dance studios or with traveling troupes. Rolled dance flooring has to have a completely even surface to ensure proper installation, but brings some unique advantages to the table when it comes to speed and control when compared to other types of portable dance floors.
• Kits – Portable dance floor kits are sold with tiles and the cheapest way to pick up portable dance flooring as long as you don’t require a great deal of it. These kits come in a range of set sizes, and some brands make things easier to expand than others. When considering a portable dance floor kit, keep the size in mind along with your budget.
• Planks – While there aren’t too many companies that sell portable dance flooring in plank form, it’s the best choice for permanent or semi-permanent installation. They can add class to any outdoor event as they resemble a traditional wooden floor, which makes them ideal for weddings along with activities like aerobics and tap dancing.

Dance Styles

We aren’t going to spend much time here as there are hundreds of dance styles. The footwear used and the type of surface are far more important and directly tied to which types of dances are suitable for certain types of flooring.

Sneakers are common on the traditional dance floors, along with casual shoes, boots, and heels. With portable options, your choices are a bit more limited with some forms of dance, so think about your footwear when considering a style.

Some companies let you know upfront which footwear is suitable for specific dance styles, while you’ll have to dig a little deeper with other brands. The same applies to the surface style, which can vary from fast to moderate for more controlled slides.

Warranties

Whenever you’re buying flooring, whether it’s laminate or a portable dance floor, you should always look into the warranty. How long of a guarantee you get comes down to the manufacturer, but also the overall quality of the line.

It’s not uncommon to find companies with tiered warranty programs as well, which means you’ll get a better guarantee from their premium products. We found that most companies that manufacture portable dance floors offer guarantees ranging from 3 to 5 years.

FAQ

Q: Can I install a portable dance floor on grass?

A: It depends on the style of flooring and how level the ground is. Otherwise, the flooring could separate outdoors and potentially cause injuries.

Q: Does portable dance flooring smell or need to air out before use indoors?

A: It shouldn’t be a problem unless the tiles or sections have foam or rubber backing.

Q: Is it possible to install a portable dance floor on carpet?

A: Based on our research, many styles of portable flooring are suitable for low-pile carpet. Thick or plush carpet will cause a variety of issues with both roll-based and tile flooring.

Q: How long will it take to install a portable dance floor at my home?

A: You can snap together individual tiles or larger sections in seconds on level ground, so it largely depends on the size of the dance floor you need to install.

Q: Can you wear high heels on a portable dance floor?

A: You’ll want to check the manufacturers beforehand to see what type of shoes are safe on that particular line. High heel shoes and hard-soles can damage certain types of surfaces.

Q: What’s the best type of portable dance flooring for an uneven surface?

A: If your floor has a bit of a slope or is lightly uneven, roll-based flooring will be more forgiving as it conforms to your floor. Any flaws in the subfloor will show through on this style, however. Click-lock sections can separate on an uneven surface, but are thicker and won’t telegraph the surface below.

Q: Is it easy to keep a portable dance floor clean?

A:  In most cases, but it all depends on the surface and wear layer. Some companies allow you to wax or polish their dance floors while others may require a special cleaning solution.