With Junckers Hardwood Inc. flooring underfoot, actor Ralph Macchio and professional dancer Karina Smirnoff dance the paso doble (above) and quickstep (below).
For most people, the draw of ABC's smash reality hit "Dancing With the Stars" is the goofy celebrities, outlandish costumes and, for better or worse, the dancing. Undoubtedly, though, wood flooring professionals are sneaking a peak at that gleaming dance floor. In the midst of the show's 13th season, Junckers Hardwood Inc. is enjoying having its wood flooring on display yet again for millions on network television twice a week (Monday and Tuesday, 8/7 Central). In the spotlight is the company's DanceFlex system, which comprises 7/8-inch solid beech flooring floated over ½-inch-thick DanceFlex Dance Foam. In order to achieve adequate flexibility in the floor strips, Junckers stabilizes the press-dried prefinished strips by joining them into 5-inch-by-12-feet planks using a double-dovetail. Then the planks are given a tongue and groove on all four sides and a specially milled clip slot underneath. "The clips are the real magic with this system, as they allow for each plank to flex independently on top of the foam," says John Safarik, sales manager at Junckers. "At the start of a season, we'll generally add about 10 to 15 percent of new wood to replace some damaged pieces, but the bulk of the floor from the previous season goes right back in. There are some planks from season one that can still be seen this season," Safarik adds. So how did Junckers first win this coveted job before the show's debut in 2005? Turns out the dancers asked for it. "Once the pro dancers were selected, they recommended to ABC that they use our system," Safarik notes.
