When I first got this idea to put down ash wood flooring in my garage gym, man I had no clue what I was diving into. Thought it’d be simple like slapping down some laminate like in the guest room last year. Boy was I wrong.
So Here’s How This Mess Started
Woke up Saturday morning feeling ambitious after three coffees. Dragged my butt to the local big-box hardware store figuring I’d just grab whatever looked tough. Saw these ash planks labeled “sport flooring” – looked nice, felt solid, price tag made my eyes water a little but I figured hey, it’s for the gym, worth it. Got talked into buying extra for “waste” which seemed dumb then but saved my bacon later. Brought home a truckload of wood that felt heavier than my last PR deadlift.
The Actual Sweat-Fest
First up, clearing out the garage. Found stuff I forgot existed – like that broken juicer from 2018 and dumbbells hidden under a tarp. Took way longer than planned. Then I actually measured the space. Realized the walls weren’t straight. Like, at all. Pissed me off because now I couldn’t just lay straight rows. Had to scribble lines like a madman with chalk to keep things kinda square.
Started laying the first row near the wall. These ash planks are stupid heavy and awkward to handle alone. Dropped one corner straight onto my big toe – yelled words I won’t repeat here. Remembered I needed expansion gaps too, so shoved these little plastic spacers everywhere. Looked like a toddler’s building blocks sticking out.
Cutting was another nightmare. My cheap circular saw choked on the first cut, shooting sawdust straight into my face. Got smarter after that:
- Put on goggles AND held my breath during cuts
- Marked cuts upside down because the wood grain confused me
- Started doing test cuts on scraps first
Even then I messed up three planks trying to cut around a weird corner post. So glad I bought extra.
When Stuff Went Actually Wrong
Thought I was cruising halfway through. Then bam – noticed the floor was getting springy near the middle. Turns out my concrete slab underneath wasn’t level like I thought. Had these annoying little dips. Panicked for a solid hour. Ended up:
- Shimming low spots with ripped plywood scraps
- Using a 4-foot level like a detective hunting clues
- Went through a whole tube of construction adhesive trying to glue wonky spots down
Felt like playing whack-a-mole with bumps.
Finishing Touches (Or What’s Left Of My Sanity)
Took me two full weekends and a case of beer. Once everything was finally down, I went around tapping every single plank listening for hollow sounds like a doctor checking for broken bones. Found five loose ones and had to pry them up with a crowbar – wrecked my fingernails doing it. Cursing happened. Finished gaps with quarter-round trim I nailed on sloppily. My hammer skills need work.
What I Would Change Next Time
If I ever touch wood flooring again (big if), I’d:
- Bribe at least two friends with pizza to help lift
- Rent a proper floor sander because the finish is rougher than I like
- Spend a whole day just measuring twice and cutting once
- Never again do this in summer heat – sweat made everything slippery
It’s holding up good so far, but man, I spent way too much money on band-aids and ibuprofen. Still find sawdust in my hair. But now when I drop weights during workouts? Doesn’t feel like the whole neighborhood hears it. Worth the backache? Ask me in another month.
