Stretching P.V.C. Vinyl sheeting (a.k.a. Marley), or as we at Alvas call it, Matlay® - All Marley can be affected by temperature, humidity, applied pressure, etc. It will all expand and contract to some degree ...Sometimes I describe it as being like a stubborn child, and like a child it will eventually behave if it is treated properly. The following describes how we do it. Keep in mind we have never met a Marley we couldn't train.

Stretching Matlay® (if necessary) for taping - Matlay® can be stretched about 1 inch for every 10 feet when rippling or bubbles occur. First unroll floor and allow it to lay flat, (without edges touching adjacent rolls or anything else) for as long as possible. Allow it to do its thing.

Rippling along the edges of Matlay® (see diagram)

1. Tape or staple down one end of floor securely.
2. Go to the end and hop, skip or jump up in the air, landing in the center of Matlay® only with forward momentum; about 1 foot from the unsecured end.
3. Repeat previous step until most of the rippling is removed (Matlay® will stretch 1 inch for every 10 feet).
4. Tape or staple down stretched edge.
5. After stretching you should see the ripples subside. They may not go away immediately, but they will within an hour. If not, a second treatment may be necessary, but do not overstretch.

1. Tape or staple down one end of floor securely.
2. Go to the other end and at the same time two people take a hop, skip, or jump in the air, simultaneously landing on opposite edges with fore ward momentum, about 1 foot from the unsecured end.
3. Repeat previous step until most of the rippling is removed (Matlay® will stretch 1 inch for every 10 feet).
4. Tape or staple down stretched edge.
5. After stretching you should see the ripples subside. They may not go away immediately, but they will within an hour. If not, a second treatment may be necessary, but do not overstretch.

Vinyl Dance Floor "Marley" likes to be laid out flat giving time to relax, expand, contract or anything that it wants to do before it is secured by the tape. Roll out floor and place it where it will go with all edges of all lengths not touching anything so it can relax and settle. Room temperature, preferably between 60° and 80° F should be maintained as temperature changes do affect all dance vinyl. After floor has settled, line up the seams between the lengths so that the seams almost touch without putting pressure on each other.

Be sure vinyl seaming tape has been stored at a temperature above 50°F. Using two people, one holds the end down and the other unrolls the tape. Unroll tape to about 10' and let relax one minute; put tape down on seams and hold flat with palm of hand. Unroll more tape and repeat. Before final taping of outer edge of Matlay, sweep out air starting from the center of the floor and work to the edge allowing Matlay to relax.

In some cases the outside edge of Matlay need not be taped down if it is next to a wall as floor will expand or shrink according to room temperature.