The cost of hiring a marquee is typically between one-third and one-half of the purchase price. For this reason, if you plan to use a marquee more than once, it’s often more practical to buy rather than hire. However, when it comes to dance floors and furniture, hiring is usually more economical since the hire charge is around one-tenth of the purchase price. Additionally, dance floors tend to be heavier than the marquee itself, making hiring a popular choice.
Common Dance Floor Finishes:
There are three popular types of dance floor finishes:
- Plain Wooden: Typically stained plywood.
- Parquet: Interlocking wooden blocks.
- Black & White: Square acrylic panels arranged in a checkerboard pattern.
If You Own a Marquee (Ideally a Portland One), Here Are Your Options for a Dance Floor:
1. Hire a Dance Floor:
- As mentioned earlier, unless you plan to use a dance floor more than 10 times, hiring is usually more cost-effective.
- When you hire from a furniture or marquee hire company, they generally handle both the installation and removal of the floor, which is helpful given the weight of dance floors.
- Additionally, dance floors can take up more storage space than the marquee itself, so hiring can also save on storage requirements.
2. Buy a Dance Floor:
- We can recommend several reputable dance floor manufacturers that supply strong and durable products to the marquee hire industry. These floors require minimal maintenance and last for years.
- Avoid cheap plastic interlocking tiles, as they generally don’t look good or withstand the wear and tear dance floors endure (although improvements in this area may come in the future).
- This is the most expensive option but ensures you have your own floor for repeated use.
3. Make Your Own Dance Floor:
- Building a wooden dance floor is relatively simple. Use 18mm plywood with battens attached to the back, and fasten the panels with clips or screws.
- The plywood can be stained or painted to match your preferred aesthetic.
- For easier handling and storage, it’s advisable to cut larger panels (e.g., 8×4 feet) in half to make 8×2 feet panels.
- Be sure to calculate the costs beforehand. While purchasing plywood from a wholesaler can be affordable, buying from a retail store like B&Q could make it more cost-effective to purchase a ready-made floor instead, as manufacturers buy materials in bulk.
These are the most popular solutions when setting up a dance floor in your marquee.
We are always happy to offer personalized advice for your event. Feel free to contact us with details about your event, including the type of event, available space, number of guests, and any diagrams or photos of the site. We’ll be more than happy to guide you through your options.
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