Why is Marley Dance floor called "Marley"?

Have you ever asked or thought about this question before? Here is a little history and back story.

In the dance industry, the term “Marley” describes just about any roll-out vinyl floor used as a dance floor. The moniker turns out to be a bit confusing, since it could mean any number of very different dance floors used for a variety of purposes. So, where does the name come from?

Though the term “marley” gets used widely, dance vinyl flooring takes its name from the company that started producing it — the Marley Company.

The Marley Company

During the 1960s, the Marley Company in England made many vinyl floor, wall, and roof products. They developed a thin reversible vinyl black/gray flexible floor called “Stageflor.”

An executive’s daughter was a professional dancer who complained to her father about all the different theater stage surfaces she had to dance on while on tour. He came up with Stageflor. Urban legend or truth — it doesn’t matter. The Marley Company made each floor to order, and the customer had to handle the paperwork, shipping, and tax duty. It took five months to get a floor during those days.