In this guide: The short answer · White RGB or White LED? · Starlit panels · Edge trims · Power · Control · Display Floor pixel system · Comparison table · What to check · Popular picks · FAQ

The short answer

Our LED dance floor range is built around two LEDJ systems from Prolight Concepts, and they do different jobs.

• LEDJ Starlit is the classic wedding and party floor: high gloss black or white interlocking panels with RGB LEDs set into the surface, finished with sloped aluminium edge trim and run from an RF remote. Prolight describes the Starlit systems as designed for venues and events such as weddings, parties and corporate evenings.
• LEDJ Display Floor is a pixel floor: 500 x 500mm tiles with 64 RGB LEDs each, which will not run without the separate SD-1 controller. The SD-1 adds built-in programs, sound-active and DMX modes.

For a function room or a hire fleet that mostly does weddings, Starlit is the system to build around. For a club-style floor that chases to music or takes cues from a lighting desk, look at the Display Floor. Either way, buy panels, trims, power and control as one matched system, because the parts are specific to each range.

Dance floors are one part of a function room setup; our wedding and function venue AV guide covers what to install permanently and what to hire in.

“White RGB” or “White LED”? Read the product name twice

The names are easy to misread, and the difference decides which remote you need.

• White RGB / Black RGB describes the panel surface (white or black high gloss) fitted with tri-colour RGB LEDs. All the Starlit panels we list are RGB panels.
• White LED describes the LEDs: Prolight’s older Starlit floors used cool white LEDs in black or white panels. Prolight now files those complete white LED systems under its discontinued products, but still lists a white LED remote pack for them.

Prolight says the RGB Starlit Dance Floor Remote Control Pack is for its RGB LED dance floors, on black or white surfaces, and the White LED Starlit Dance Floor Remote Control Pack is for floors with white LEDs. Match the remote to the LEDs, not to the colour of the panel.

LEDJ Starlit panels

Prolight describes Starlit as a scalable, portable system built from 2ft x 4ft and 2ft x 2ft interlocking panels, so one fleet of panels can be laid out to different floor sizes. Each panel has a high gloss finish and tri-colour LEDs. The 2ft x 2ft panel comes in 4-sided and 3-sided versions, which Prolight lists with slightly different dimensions.

Two things follow from those figures. First, the panels are 30mm high, the same height as the edge trim. Second, the actual panel dimensions are larger than the nominal 2ft (610mm), so plan the footprint from the listed millimetres plus the trim, not from the feet in the name.

Weight matters for hire stock. A 2ft x 4ft panel is 14.5kg on Prolight’s figures, so a floor of any size is a lot of panels to carry, stack and load. Plan handling, storage and transport from the panel weights before deciding how big a floor to stock. Prolight’s own Starlit trolley, which it described as taking floors up to 16ft x 16ft with trims and accessories, now sits in its discontinued section.

Edge trims and corners

Prolight finishes Starlit floors with sloped aluminium edge trim. The trim pieces are:

• 4ft edge trim: 30 x 1220 x 170mm with lugs (130mm deep without), 1.9kg.
• 2ft edge trim: 30 x 610 x 170mm with lugs (130mm without), 0.9kg.
• 4ft edge trim and cable: the same 4ft trim with a 4.8m 4-pin XLR captive input connection, 2kg. This is the power edge: Prolight’s user manual has the supply connect to the floor through it.
• Corner edge trims: a set of two left and two right aluminium corners, each 30 x 435 x 170mm with lugs, 0.5kg per trim.

Prolight’s Starlit user manual says every installation must have a complete edge trim system, to reduce the risk of trips. The sloped trim is the transition between the floor surface and the room floor. Where you need to meet a venue’s access requirements, take the trim profile from the manufacturer’s documentation and check it with the venue; do not assume. Lay the floor on the type of surface the manufacturer’s instructions call for, following those instructions for levelling and assembly.

Prolight also sells Dancefloor Contact Edge Insulation Stickers (20 x 60mm, packs of 100).

Power

Starlit floors are powered from separate LEDJ power supplies. Prolight’s current range lists three, all rated 90 to 240V, 50/60Hz, and all for use with both white and RGB Starlit floors. Prolight’s system descriptions specify a Meanwell switch-mode power supply.

Prolight’s Starlit user manual includes a component chart listing the panels, trims, supply and remote for each floor size from 8ft x 8ft upwards, with one supply per system. On that chart the 500W supply covers every listed size up to 24ft x 24ft (plus 26ft x 20ft and 26ft x 22ft), the 750W covers 26ft x 24ft up to 30ft x 30ft, and the 1000W covers 32ft x 32ft to 36ft x 36ft (the chart also lists a 1500W supply for 40ft x 40ft, which is not in Prolight’s current range). Work from the manufacturer’s chart, or ask us for the parts list for your layout. The Starlit power connectors come in packs of 10 and are worth carrying as spares in a hire kit.

The feed from the supply to the floor is a trip point at the edge of a busy room. Route it away from walkways where you can, and cover it where you cannot: cable ramps such as the Elumen8 CP 535 (a five-channel rubber ramp) or a drop-over ramp such as the Elumen8 CP 140Y are the usual answer. Our portable staging guide covers the wider job of building a safe performance area.

Control: RF remotes, not DMX

Starlit floors are controlled by RF remote with a plug-in transceiver. The two packs Prolight lists are:

Prolight’s RGB system description sums up the effect range as static colour selection, built-in programs and adjustable-rate flash and twinkle. A replacement white LED remote is sold on its own for the older white LED floors.

Prolight does not list DMX control for Starlit panels, and its Starlit user manual covers RF remote control only. If the floor needs to take cues from a lighting desk, that is the job of the Display Floor and its SD-1 controller. For how DMX addressing and universes work, see DMX explained.

LEDJ Display Floor: the pixel system

Prolight describes the Display Floor as a multi-pixel visual effect dance floor. The key facts from Prolight’s listing:

• 500 x 500mm panels, 66mm high, 8.8kg each.
• 64 tri-colour SMD 5050 RGB LEDs per panel, 120° viewing angle, 13W power consumption, 100 to 240V input.
• IP54, with IP-rated power and 3-pin signal input/output trailing connections, and convection cooling. Even so, Prolight’s Display Floor manual says to use it indoors only and keep it away from rain, moisture and liquids.
• It will not operate without the LEDJ SD-1 controller, which is sold separately.

The SD-1 is a dedicated controller for the Display Floor and Display Qube. Prolight lists 82 programs with auto run and 18 speed settings, sound-active mode with sensitivity adjustment, master/slave linking, brightness control and a 12-channel DMX mode. It has 3-pin XLR DMX in and out, RJ45 link in and out, eight RJ45 zone outputs, a 3.5mm audio input, an SD card slot for floor configuration and a wireless remote, and runs from 12V DC.

Two points from Prolight’s manuals are worth knowing before you plan a desk-run show. In DMX mode the SD-1’s 12 channels select and adjust the built-in programs (program choice, speed, brightness, sound sensitivity, blackout and auto mode); the desk calls up the floor’s programs rather than controlling each pixel. And each of the SD-1’s eight RJ45 zone outputs runs up to 10 panels, with larger grids needing an SD card configured for the layout, which Prolight supplies on request.

The Display Floor has its own black aluminium trims, 63mm high: the 1m edge trim (2.5kg), the 0.5m edge trim (1.25kg) and a four-pack of black plastic corners. Starlit trims, at 30mm, are not the same height. For a desk-controlled show, our wireless DMX guide covers getting signal to a floor in the middle of the room without a cable across it.

Starlit or Display Floor: comparison

What to check before you buy

• The layout and parts list. Work out the floor size from the real panel dimensions plus trim, then get a full parts list: panels, 3-sided and 4-sided counts, straight and corner trims, the trim with cable, connectors, supply and remote.
• LED type against remote. RGB panels take the RGB remote pack; white LED floors take the white LED pack.
• What the floor is designed for. Prolight’s Starlit user manual sets out what the floor is designed to take, and Prolight publishes a load-bearing test report for the Display Floor. Read the manufacturer’s documentation and follow the manufacturer’s limits.
• Indoor or outdoor. Both are indoor floors on Prolight’s manuals: the Starlit manual says to keep it away from rain, moisture and liquids, and the Display Floor manual says indoor use only, despite the panel’s IP54 rating.
• Surface and assembly. Lay and level the floor to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Cleaning, care and effects. Gloss panels go out to every event; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and storage. Prolight’s Starlit manual also warns against metallic confetti on or near the floor, which matters if the night includes confetti cannons.
• Handling and transport. Count the panels and add up the weights before choosing a van, cases or a trolley.
• Spares. Power connectors, a spare remote and a spare trim of each type keep a hire floor working on the night.

A dance floor is usually one part of a lit room. For the backdrop, see LED net lights, curtains and starcloths, and for the seasonal party season, Christmas and New Year party effects.

Popular picks from the shop

Frequently asked questions

What is a starlit dance floor?

A floor of interlocking gloss panels with small LEDs set into the surface, so it looks like a starry sky. LEDJ Starlit panels come in black or white high gloss with RGB LEDs, controlled by an RF remote with static colours, built-in programs, flash and twinkle.

How many panels do I need for a 12ft x 12ft dance floor?

Prolight’s Starlit component chart lists a 12ft x 12ft floor (excluding edge trim) as 15 panels of 2ft x 4ft plus six of 2ft x 2ft (three 4-sided, three 3-sided), with eight 4ft edge trims, one 4ft edge trim with power cable, four 2ft edge trims, one set of corners, a 500W supply and one remote pack. Check the chart in the manufacturer’s manual, or ask us for the parts list for your exact layout.

Can you control an LED dance floor with DMX?

The LEDJ Display Floor can, through its SD-1 controller, which has a 12-channel DMX mode alongside auto, sound-active and master/slave modes. Prolight does not list DMX for Starlit panels, which are run from an RF remote.

What is the difference between White RGB and White LED Starlit panels?

White RGB means a white gloss panel with colour-changing RGB LEDs. White LED refers to Prolight’s older Starlit floors with cool white LEDs. They use different remote packs.

How much weight can an LED dance floor take?

Follow the manufacturer. Prolight’s Starlit user manual sets out what the floor is designed for, and Prolight publishes a load-bearing test report for the Display Floor. Read those documents for the exact model and stay within the manufacturer’s limits.

Can an LED dance floor be used outdoors?

Not on Prolight’s documentation. The Starlit user manual says to keep the floor away from rain, moisture and liquids and not to install it in damp environments. The Display Floor panel is rated IP54, but its manual still says to use it indoors only.