Expanding Joins in Dance Vinyl: Prevention and Management Tips
Expanding joins in dance vinyl can become a serious issue when they reach the point of being abrasive and posing a potential trip hazard. As a studio owner, ensuring the safety of your dancers is paramount, and such hazards clearly do not conform to safe practice standards. This article aims to provide valuable guidance on managing your vinyl flooring to prevent these problems.
Recently, we encountered a few instances where installed floors developed defects. The primary issue was the seams or joins between vinyl sections expanding to a hazardous level.
One of these cases involved a floor installed by our team, which had been glued, welded, and in place for over four years.
Another case involved a poorly executed installation by a third party, where single-sided tape was used for a semi-permanent setup. Obviously, semi-permanent and loose lay installations are exactly that, but this particular floor had only been down for a year and a half, so what could have happened?
Understanding the Dynamics of Expanding Joins in Dance Vinyl
Essentially, there are three dynamics at play here:
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Initial Installation Conditions
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Temperature: If the initial installation was done on a particularly hot day, the vinyl would have been in an expansive mode and would tend to shrink back when it cooled down.
- Tip: Never install on days over 35º C (95ºF)!
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Welding Issues: If the vinyl was welded, the groove might not have been deep enough, or the installer might have relied on the factory edge, which may have a rounded profile.
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Subfloor Moisture: The subfloor might have had a high moisture content, which can easily affect the tenacity of the mostly water-based adhesives used. Moisture can later occur from flooding or poor cleaning techniques. Large or regular amounts of water can cause your subfloor to delaminate, swell, create soft spots, and ultimately fall apart. It can cause glued vinyl to develop bumps, ridges, peaking, curling, and bubbles.
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2. General Temperature Fluctuations
Major fluctuations are not desirable. Even when unattended, dance floor vinyls should not be allowed to vary much past temperatures between 18º C (65ºF) and 30º C (85ºF), particularly when closed up during summer breaks.
Studios in Australia, for example, can exceed 50º C (120ºF), which is not good for most things! Ideally, airflow and temperature controls are maintained on a timer even when the room is not in use.
3. Sunlight and UV Exposure
The biggest and most likely offender is sunlight, especially the ultraviolet component of sunlight. Direct sunshine onto your dance floor can affect your vinyl surface with a result similar to throwing a brick into a swimming pool, creating a mess of wave-like ripples. It can equally cause your vinyl to appear to “shrink.”
This UV component, as well as the direct heat, causes the plasticizers in the vinyl (the phthalates, which act as binding agents and make the vinyl flexible) to leach as a gas. This can cause the vinyl to become dimensionally unstable. Basic physics dictates if there is less of it, it will take up less room. Hence, the gap.
Tip: Blinds or curtains should be normally kept closed to prevent the vinyl from reacting in a manner such as gapping at the joins. The worst of the gapping can sometimes be viewed in the center of the room where the sunlight has been most affecting.
Check out STM’s Curtain Solutions here.
Addressing the Issue
In one of the above instances, the single-sided tape used, with no bonding to the floor below and no welded join to its neighbour, was able to stretch as the vinyl contracts due to increased tension in the sheet. Once the damage is done, it is irreversible. The upside is, though, if you reinstall a loose-laid and gapped vinyl, it is unlikely the gaps will expand further than they already have should the causes outlined above be removed or significantly reduced.
The same applies to a welded floor. If the gapping is recognized in time, then it may be as simple as adding another line or double line of weld. Otherwise, inserting a 50mm (2”) strip welded on each side may be required.
Conclusion
Proper installation and maintenance of dance vinyl flooring are crucial to preventing hazards like expanding joins. By understanding the dynamics at play and taking preventative measures, you can ensure a safe and durable flooring solution for your studio.
For more information on professional dance floor installations and solutions, visit our blogs or toolbox.
