Is it possible to install a smaller temporary hardwood floor over a carpeted floor?

Question

Next month I will be moving into an apartment, and I'm interested in adding several unique features to my interior elements to make it a more enjoyable place to live. The apartment has a carpeted floor, and I was wondering if there is a way for me to place some kind of a temporary sheet flooring over the carpet, so I can practice my dancing hobby at home. I know that I can purchase wood floor mats and link them together, but is it also possible to create something like a 10x10 wooden floor sheet? I don't have a lot of wood working tools, so I would definitely be more interested in knowing what kind of professional to hire, or what kind of store might have pre-assembled floor units to choose from.

Another less expensive alternative I am considering is purchasing some other kind of floor mat material, and possibly binding it to a wooden base underneath. I've seen breakdancers roll out their own vinyl floors in college lounges and literally tape it to the carpet for an immediate flooring fix. Not sure I want to go that route, but I am considering all options here.

Let me know if you've ever tried putting a smooth floor over a carpet before, and what I should know before planning this project. Any feedback welcome.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You could call a party rental place and they might have something you could rent or buy from them

Answer 2

no what you want to do is take a cutting tool and in the carpet cut the space that you want to use for dancingand then buy enough hardwood for that space and then you will probably need to find some place that rents a special tool for installing the floor it sometimes looks like an arm thing and the hand unit comes with a very big mallet but thats just my opinion,good luck.

Answer 3

Hardwood floor needs a hard, reasonably flat subsurface. If you put it on carpet, the wood will slip on the carpet whenever any horizontal force is applied (say, from a person dancing). What's more, the carpet will be too soft to keep the wood on one plane - it will tend to bend at joints because the surface underneath is soft and yielding. I'd expect the tongue of the tongue-and-groove joint to snap, sending splinters up into your feet; if it didn't snap, it would separate.

Covering a carpet permanently with any hard flooring that doesn't breathe is problematic because carpets so covered can mildew. Breakdancers get away with it for a short period of time, but I don't think you can permanently.

I also suspect, though I don't have any proof of this, that breakdancers  aren't in as much danger as a jazz dancer (for instance) would be if the floor shifts on the carpet - they're already close to the ground, so they don't have far to fall.

Answer 4

Any number of sheet flooring systems are avialable, but few will be rigid enough to avoid pocketing when you apply weight over a compressible surface like carpet.  A couple of sheets of 8-12mm ply laid perpendicular to another pair of 8-12mm sheets below (adhesive bonding would be plenty strong enough) would create a rigid enough 8'x8' base and would require no tools. $50-80 dollars materials, so skip it when the novelty wears thin.

A sheet system could again be glued to the above.