Finding a floor that fits: whether you are a school owner, a stage manager, or chair of a capital fund-raising effort, you need the score on surfaces.

BUYING A NEW DANCE FLOOR REQUIRES CAREFUL BUDGETING and lots of research; after all, it's a decision you and your dancers will have to live with for five to twenty-five years. Unfortunately, because dance floors are so specialized, no definitive consumer's guide exists that would make your job easier. Dance Magazine's consumer quester gives an overview of what's available now and how to care for your purchase. [] Years ago, the only floor surfaces available included rather drab battleship linoleum or basketwoven wood designs, but luckily the market has changed. According to floor manufacturers, in response to the needs of school owners and dancers, innovative construction materials hit the market in the 1970s, which included various plastics and foam. School owners didn't want to leave behind custom-built floors when their leases expired, and dancers needed a floor that would be consistent wherever they stepped.

"[Dance] companies complained that each floor [they performed on] was different," says Randy Swartz, a Philadelphia dance presenter who is now also president of Stagestep, a floor manufacturing, distributing, and retail company. "They needed to rehearse and perform on the same kind of floor [wherever they traveled]."

So manufacturers devised dance floors that could be installed permanently or be moved to new locations. Overlays, generically called marley, were made easier to clean and more resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. And touring groups could choose from several different models of portable panels, virtually ensuring that they could always have perfect floors. One enterprising tap teacher purchased eight panels of a touring floor and gave one four-foot section to each student to use at home. Later the panels could be snapped together to create a larger performance area for the whole group.

With basic concepts of a good quality floor--resiliency, energy absorption, and support--in mind, manufacturers continue to refine existing products and develop new ones. Synthetic coatings now make plywood last longer, adhesive tapes are stronger and easier to replace, and computerized manufacturing processes ensure consistency. At L'Air International, President and Chief Designer Kenneth Snipes describes a new floor that is made from recycled materials, waterproof glue, and nontoxic resins--changes that reflect a growing realization that resources aren't infinite.

"Things tend to get developed when someone has a problem they need solved," observes Richard Wood of Wooden Kiwi Productions. Wood and his partner, Peter Colao, used their experiences working in stage production to design and market a studio floor that will also tour. They often got amused looks from architects observing their quality-control methods. "After we installed a floor, we took off our shoes and jumped around on it to make sure you couldn't tell the middle of a panel from the edge." Their touring floor design was recently acquired by Rosco Laboratories, where Product Manager Michael Sean Graves further refined the individual panels to be smaller, lighter, and more cushioned.

There's a high degree of subjectivity to floor purchases.

"There's a mysticism about floors," says Swartz. "But really there's a science to the stuff, and customers just need to set priorities about what they need and want." And then set a budget limit.

Marley-type overlays can run as low as $2 to $5 per square foot. Portable constructed panels can vary from $5 to $15 per square foot depending on the floor type. Permanent floors and those that must withstand unusual demands can cost upwards of $25 per square foot. To make a fair comparison customers need to count not just the price of the floor, but costs of labor, maintenance, and insurance.

"When customers make a purchase, they want to feel they spent the money the best way possible," says Graves. Graves says he does as much educating of customers as he does selling these days.

Perhaps the best way to get references on floors is by contacting other local studios and theaters. Manufacturers can provide lists of locations near you where their floors have been installed so you can see them yourself and talk with the owners.

Bob Dagger, president of Harlequin Corporation, describes how his company helps customers narrow their options: "We get the dimensions of the space and ask them to describe what they're doing in the space--whether it's tap, ballet, or rock and roll." The company asks about the condition of the sub-floor and helps customers determine whether they need a permanent, temporary, or touring floor.

At custom design companies, like Haywood-Berk, the interview begins more generally. "First we ask if they've danced on anything they really liked," says company President Roger Berk. From there the company works with the customer to create a floor that matches their best experiences.

Before making a final decision, customers should request samples of each floor being considered. Sample sizes range from small swatches for color comparisons to squares large enough to jump around on, so be sure to request the larger size to test. Even custom companies build large-scale samples of each design they create. Samples let dancers give their opinions on the best.

While it's not as much fun as jumping around on sample floors, reviewing each floor's specifications is important, too. Here's where you'll want to consider details like whether you can move those portable panels yourself or will need another person to help. The size and weight of panels will affect the labor to set up and remove the floor. Consider whether you will have a space large enough to store the panels when they are not in use. Floors may be ruled out if their depth world create a surface higher than surrounding areas or reduce the working space in an already low-ceilinged studio.

"How soon can we have the new floor?" is a critical question. Marleys frequently ship in one to two days and are delivered within ten days. Installation at its simplest involves rolling them out on your current floor and taping them down. Many portable floors don't take much longer to ship and can be installed in anywhere from a few hours to a full day. Custom floor installations may take three to six weeks to complete. This can be longer during the busy summer or performance season. Schedule during a downtime.

READY TO ROLL

Care and maintenance is important to the life of your floor. Classic hardwood floors may need to be resurfaced every five years, but should be structurally sound for twenty-five years or more, according Roger Berk of Haywood-Berk. Other materials vary.

According to Dagger at Harlequin, many floor problems can be solved with a good cleaning. Often it's as simple as damp mopping with a solution of ammonia and water and rinsing to remove oils, makeup, or other substances.

Dry mopping is recommended by Swartz at Stagestep to prevent moisture from sweating bodies from condensing on the floor at night and mixing with dust and dirt to create a slick surface. Using a dehumidifier at night also prevents this problem.

"You have to be something of an expert to sort out problems because they can be caused by installers, architects, tape adhesive, or the floor itself," says Dagger. He once received a call about a floor that had suddenly become "like ice." When he arrived to inspect it he found some electricians using a silicone spray on the lighting system. The silicone mist fell onto the floor and created a dangerously slick surface. It's a good rule of thumb not to allow any substances in the studio that you don't want to have end up on the floor.

Jennifer Gniady has written for dance publications for nearly five years and also edits health, science, and educational news for companies such as McGraw-Hill, AOL Time Warner, and News Corporation.