Checkerboard and black-and-white dance floors

A checkered dance floor is one of the easiest ways to make a room feel styled, whether it’s classic black and white or two colors from your palette. With a printed wrap, you pick the colors, the size of the squares and whether a monogram sits in the middle, and it goes right over the venue’s existing hard floor.

Color combinations that work

Black and white is the classic for a reason: it reads clearly from every angle and fits almost any style, from a speakeasy theme to a formal ballroom. If you want something softer or more personal, try:

• Navy and white, crisp without the starkness of black
• Emerald and ivory, rich in an evening ballroom
• Black and a printed gold tone, for a 1920s look
• Sage and cream, or blush and white, for a garden or spring wedding
• Terracotta and cream, warm and a little retro
• Two shades of one color, like charcoal and light gray, for a quieter pattern
• Team or school colors, for a sweet sixteen, graduation or company party

You can also turn the grid 45 degrees so the squares become diamonds. It’s the same pattern, but it feels more formal and draws the eye toward the center.

Choosing the square size

Square size changes the whole feel. To figure out the grid, divide each side of the floor by the square size. A 16 x 16 ft floor with 2 ft squares is 8 squares across and 8 down, which is 64 squares.

Floor size	Square size	Grid	Total squares
12 x 12 ft	2 ft	6 x 6	36
16 x 16 ft	1 ft	16 x 16	256
16 x 16 ft	2 ft	8 x 8	64
16 x 16 ft	4 ft	4 x 4	16
16 x 20 ft	2 ft	8 x 10	80
20 x 20 ft	2.5 ft	8 x 8	64

A few rules of thumb:

• Small squares (around 1 ft) look busy on a big floor and can fight with a monogram.
• Medium squares (2 to 2.5 ft) are the safe middle for most wedding floors.
• Large squares (3 to 4 ft) make a bold, graphic statement and photograph well from above.
• Pick a size that divides your floor evenly. An 18 x 18 ft floor works with 2 ft squares (9 x 9) or 3 ft squares (6 x 6), but 4 ft squares leave a half square on the edges.

Don’t guess the floor size. Venue floors are often built from 3 x 3 ft or 4 x 4 ft panels, so count panels or use our guide on how to measure a dance floor.

Adding a monogram to the center

A checkerboard with a monogram in the middle is a popular combination, and the grid math affects how it looks.

• With an even number of squares across (like 8 x 8), the exact center is the point where four squares meet. The monogram sits evenly across all four.
• With an odd number (like 9 x 9), there’s a single center square, and a small monogram can sit inside it.
• Put a solid circle or medallion behind the letters. Initials printed straight over a checkerboard get hard to read.

If the venue’s floor already looks good and you only want the monogram, a monogram decal on its own costs much less.

Photo tips

• Line the grid up with the head table or the stage, so the pattern looks straight in the main shots.
• Ask your photographer about an overhead shot from a balcony, stairs or a ladder. That’s where a checkerboard looks its best.
• Colored uplighting tints the light squares. White squares under pink light will look pink in photos.
• Very dark squares show dust and footprints more than mid tones do.

Pricing

A checkerboard is priced like any other wrap, by the square foot: $8 printed and shipped, or $11 printed and installed, with a $750 minimum. A 16 x 16 ft floor is 256 sq ft, so it’s $2,048 shipped, $2,816 installed, or $3,166 installed with removal. A 12 x 12 ft floor is $1,152 shipped. If you want us to build the layout from scratch, design is $150 flat, and rush under 48 hours is 25% more. See the pricing page and what a dance floor wrap costs for more sizes.

Checkered floor questions

Can’t I just rent a black and white checkered dance floor?

Often, yes, and if plain black and white is all you want, renting can cost less. One 2026 cost guide puts checkered vinyl floor rentals at roughly $400 to $900. A wrap makes more sense when you want your own colors, a different square size, a monogram in the middle, or the pattern on the venue’s existing floor.

Does a checkerboard cost more than a solid color?

No. Pricing is per square foot, so a checkerboard and a solid floor of the same size cost the same.

What if the floor isn’t a perfect square?

That’s fine. A 16 x 20 ft floor with 2 ft squares is an 8 x 10 grid. We’ll center the pattern so any partial squares are equal on opposite sides.

Is it slippery?

Every wrap is finished with a textured, slip-resistant floor laminate. See our FAQ and the article on floor safety and removal.

For more styles, see our wedding dance floor ideas, the design concepts in the gallery, or dance floor wraps. Deciding between a printed floor and a light-up one? See floor wrap vs LED dance floor. We install across our service area and ship anywhere in the US.

Want a checkerboard in your colors? Call (630) 866-3673 or send your floor size, colors and date through the quote form.