Okay, here’s my blog post about the batten basketball beech assembly wooden flooring project:

So, I tackled a pretty big project this weekend – installing some new wooden flooring. Specifically, it was a “batten basketball beech assembly” type, which, in plain English, means it’s designed for a sports surface, like a basketball court, and it uses beech wood. I’d been putting this off for ages, but the old floor was looking seriously rough, so it was time.

Getting Started

First things first, I had to clear out the entire room. This was probably the most annoying part, honestly. Moving all the furniture, rolling up the old carpet (which was disgusting, by the way), and just generally making space was a pain. But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Once the room was empty, I cleaned the subfloor. It’s important to have a really clean and level surface to start with, otherwise, the new floor will be all wonky. I swept it, vacuumed it, and even mopped it to make sure I got rid of every last bit of dust and debris.

The Batten System

Now, for the batten system. These are basically wooden strips that you lay down first. They create a framework and give the floor that “springy” feel that’s good for sports. I measured out the room and figured out the spacing for the battens, making sure they were all parallel and level. This took some fiddling, using a level and some shims to get everything just right.

I then, using the old fasion hammer, fastened the battens to the * part gave me a workout.

Laying the Beech Flooring

With the battens in place, it was time for the actual flooring. These beech planks were beautiful – a really nice, light color. They came with a tongue-and-groove system, which means they click together. Starting along one wall, I laid down the first row, making sure it was perfectly straight. Then, it was just a matter of working my way across the room, clicking each plank into the one before it.

I did have to cut some planks to fit around the edges of the room and any obstacles.

Finishing Up

Once all the flooring was down, I installed some baseboards around the perimeter of the room to cover the gap between the flooring and the wall. This gave it a nice, finished look. I also had some t-molding.

Finally, I gave the whole floor a good cleaning, vacuuming up any sawdust and wiping it down with a damp cloth. And that was it! The new floor looked amazing, and it felt great underfoot.

It was a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end.