Floor work: seven questions to ask when you go shopping.

Choosing a floor for your studio isn't simply a price decision. Or a maintenance decision. Or even an aesthetic decision. You need to factor in how long you'll be in the space, what you teach, and even what kind of subfloor--if any--is there already. "There isn't any one floor that works equally well for all dance disciplines, so you have to compromise," says Matt Lincir, owner of Alva's Dance and Theatrical Supplies. Here are some questions to consider before you go floor shopping.

How long do you plan to be in the space?

"Do you own your space or is it a five-year lease?" asks Stagestep president Randy Swartz. If you think you might move in a few years, a floor you can take to the next location can be a big savings. Semi-permanent installations generally are made of rollup vinyl. Many studios opt for "marley" floors--once a brandname that has become a synonym for vinyl floors designed for dance. "They're easier to maintain and they're less expensive than wood," says Tracy Cosgrove, floor product manager for Rosco Laboratories. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the vinyl, the longer it lasts, but also the greater the cost.

What type of dance do you teach and how many classrooms do you have?

If you plan to offer everything--ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz, modern--and you only have one space, most manufacturers offer at least one all-purpose vinyl floor. "The downside is that it may not be the perfect speed for doing ballet, or you may not get a perfect tap sound," cautions Cosgrove. "Tap changes the mix; so does Irish step or flamenco," agrees American Harlequins marketing manager Claire Londress. Many tappers prefer a hardwood surface, but vinyl over a plywood subfloor is an alternative if you don't have a separate studio for percussive classes.

What kind of floor is there already?

If it's a slab of concrete, you need to install a subfloor as well. "People think that wood floors are resilient--nobody wants to jump on a piece of wood that's sitting on a piece of concrete," says Swartz. If you aren't ready to invest in a sprung wood floor, many marleys come with foam backing that doubles as a subfloor. "If something is going on cement, you need as much of a cushion as you can manage," says Rose Brand's vice president of outside sales, Roger Claman. "Some cushioned flooring has padding. Other types look like a sponge--they're all one piece, a hard surface with a soft underside, like a candy bar with chocolate on top. Many companies have a hard-wearing slip resistant vinyl mounted on a firm foam backing."

Do you need a sprung floor?

It makes sense because they go a long way to protect students from injury "They're ideal because they absorb the shock from dancers' shins," says Claman. Every floormaker has sprung models and encourages studio owners to install them. "It keeps the dancers from getting tired as quickly, and it protects them from stress fractures," says Michael Sean Graves, president of Entertainment Flooring. "Even with hip hop, which is done in sneakers, you still want something that will cushion the jumps," Sprung floors can range from layered plywood with a vinyl or wood surface to a fully constructed subfloor and a danceable surface. "If your studio isn't doing tap, you can use an all-purpose marley on top" says Londress.

How sprung is too sprung?

Gauging the right amount of resiliency isn't a science. In fact, it's pretty subjective. "When you're on pointe you don't want a panel that gives too much, or you will have ankle injuries. You need something solid that also has some absorption," says Ed O'Mara, owner of O'Mara Sprung Floors. How can you tell? "Bottom line, it's in the feet of the beholder," says Alva's Lincir. "When I try out a floor, I go up on half-point and land down on my heel to purposely jar my spine. It helps me gauge how much flex a floor has."

Do you need a touring floor?

If you're taking your students to outside performances, a portable floor can save you a lot of headaches. It's dangerous for dance students accustomed to rehearsing on thick vinyl to perform on, say, the highly polished surface of a school gym. Touring floors usually come in black or gray, and are thinner and narrower--and less costly--than regular floors. "We just changed our touring floor to a thicker vinyl so it can handle tap and last longer," says Graves. "The thicker a floor is, the heavier it is to move. If you're storing a floor, it should be rolled up on a PVC tube at least a foot longer than the floor's width, so it's easy to roll out, and wrapped as tightly as possible so it lies flat when it's rolled out."

How much maintenance does a floor need?

Dirty floors turn slippery and are more susceptible to wear and tear. Londress recommends a strict "No street shoes" rule. "Kids bring in dirt and gravel, and spike heels can put a hole in soft vinyl:' Londress says. She suggests mopping vinyl once a week with a neutral pH cleaner, and then going over the area again with water to pick up any residue. Wood floors can last forever, but they need to be resanded and refinished frequently, thanks to rosin residue, or in the case of tap, scuff marks. Still, it can be worth the extra investment. "If you cut into marley, you can't fix it. You keep it until it's so damaged it's time to replace it," says Joseph Reinke, an owner of Dance Equipment, a studio supplier. He recommends mopping wood floors once a week with Bonakemi, a non-wax water-based cleaner.

American Harlequin www.harlequin.com

Dance Equipment www.DanceEquipment.com

Entertainment Flooring www.flooradvice.com

O'Mara Sprung Floors www.SprungFloors.com

Rosco Laboratories www.rosco.com

Rose Brand www.rosebrand.com

Stagestep www.stagestep.com