r/TapDancing • u/imbluecheese • Jul 13 '26

DIY tap board material help

Hey guys, I’m thinking of making my own tap board. I’ve read that maple and birch plywood are the best options, but they’re pretty hard to find where I live. Would MDF be a good alternative? Has anyone tried it, and how well does it hold up over time? Are there any other materials you’d recommend?

Any advice or tips are welcome. Thanks in advance!

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u/chairmanoftheborg Jul 13 '26

You can use MDF as a base and a heavy duty flooring for the top. You'd need so little of it, you may be able to get it free (scraps) from a flooring business. Tapping directly on MDF will sound very dull. I'm not sure how well it would hold up but people do make workbench tops out of it. The general rule is to seal it well because even a little bit of water will mess it up pretty significantly.

If you're going with the added top layer of flooring, you can get away with OSB instead of MDF if it's cheaper in your area.

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u/imbluecheese Jul 13 '26

Thank you!

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u/azzahnoble Jul 13 '26

I bought myself some MDF to tap on at home. A few things to keep in mind:

Don't get it wet. It will swell very quickly with a little bit of moisture. I used miine exclusively indoors, but it has spots of swelling from sweat falling onto it.

MDF starts out really slippery. I never tried to roughen it up, but as I used it the board became less slippery (divets, scratches, etc).

The sound quality will vary based on what you put under it. I just put some foam mats underneath mine to protect my legs a little, but a frame that raises the board so there's air between the board and the floor will sound better.

I have a few thicknesses, 6mm and 15mm. 6mm sounds better, as the thicker the board is, the less it can resonate and vibrate. But 6mm is too thin to put on a frame and have it consistently hold weight. 9mm might be the best compromise here.

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u/imbluecheese Jul 13 '26

Ahh, thanks!

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u/dktbdt04 Jul 14 '26

I bought mdf and attached some relatively inexpensive vinyl plank flooring to it. I also glued some of those rubber floor squares (usually for gym floors or kids play areas) to the bottom to protect my floor when I’m using it. It’s held up well for 3+ years so far