Okay, folks, let’s dive into my little adventure with some keel dancing soft maple and turning it into a spiffy wooden floor.

Getting Started

First things first, I got my hands on a bunch of this soft maple. It was all pre-finished, which saved me a huge headache later on. I also rented a flooring nailer – that thing is a lifesaver, trust me. Don’t even think about doing this with a regular hammer.

The Prep Work

Before I could even think about laying down the wood, I had to make sure the subfloor was in decent shape. This meant checking for any loose boards, hammering down any protruding nails, and filling any big gaps or holes with some wood filler. I’m pretty clumsy, so I took my time with this part. It’s kind of boring, but super important.

Laying the First Few Rows

This is where the “keel dancing” part comes in. I started along the longest, straightest wall, leaving a little gap for expansion (the wood will swell and shrink with temperature changes, so you gotta give it some room). I used a chalk line to make sure I was going straight. The first few rows were a bit tricky, because I had to face-nail them (nail them through the top). The flooring nailer can’t get close enough to the wall.

Getting into the Groove

Once I had a few rows down, I could start using the flooring nailer. Oh man, that thing is fun! You just position it, whack it with the mallet, and bam! Perfect nail, every time. I got into a rhythm, laying down row after row, making sure each piece was nice and snug against the previous one.

• Position the nailer
• Whack it good
• Admire your handiwork

The Tricky Bits

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I had to cut some pieces to fit around doorways and corners. I used a jigsaw for those, and measured everything like a hundred times before cutting. “Measure twice, cut once,” my grandpa always said.

Finishing Up

After all the flooring was down, I installed some baseboards to cover up that expansion gap around the edges. This really made the whole thing look finished. Finally, I gave the floor a good sweep and stood back to admire my work. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine, and it looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!

So, that’s the story of how I installed my soft maple floor. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I learned a ton, and now I’ve got a beautiful new floor to show for it.