Alright, let’s talk about putting in some batten dancing hard assembly wooden flooring. I’ve done a bit of DIY around the house, and this was a project I tackled a while back. It’s not rocket science, but it does take some patience and elbow grease.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the room completely. Everything had to go – furniture, rugs, the whole shebang. Then I gave the subfloor a good sweeping and vacuuming. You want a nice, clean surface to work with. Any dust or debris will mess you up later.

Laying Down the Battens

Next up, I got my battens. These are basically just strips of wood that you’ll fix to the subfloor. I measured and cut them to size, making sure they were spaced out evenly across the room. I used a pretty standard spacing – nothing fancy. Then I laid them out to make sure my plan was good, you know a “dry run”.

Then, the fun part – nailing those suckers down! I used a nail gun, which made things way easier. You could use a hammer and nails, but that sounds like a lot of work. I made sure the battens were firmly attached to the subfloor, checking that they were level as I went. If one was a bit high, I’d give it a few extra taps.

Putting Down the Floorboards

With the battens in place, it was time for the actual floorboards. I started in one corner, laying down the first board and making sure it was snug against the wall. I mean, leave a little expansion gap, it’s wood it will expand in heat. Then, I worked my way across the room, board by board.

I used that assembly style, the ones that click together. So I slotted each board into the previous one, making sure the joints were tight. Sometimes I had to give them a good whack with a rubber mallet to get them to fully connect. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle, but more satisfying.

Finishing Touches

Once all the boards were down, I trimmed the edges to fit neatly against the walls. Then I installed some baseboards to cover up the expansion gap and give it a finished look. A little bit of sanding, a little bit of cleaning up, and that was pretty much it.

Honestly, the hardest part was probably just the physical labor. Lots of kneeling, bending, and hammering. But seeing the finished floor – that was a good feeling. It’s not perfect, but it’s solid, and I did it myself. If I can do it, you probably can too!