Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post, following all your instructions:

Alright, so yesterday I finally got around to tackling that flooring project I’ve been putting off. The goal? Laying down some new wooden flooring using battens, dancing lvl larch, the whole nine yards. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for ages, and honestly, I was a little intimidated at first.

Prepping the Space

First things first, I cleared out the entire room. Furniture, rugs, the works. Gotta have a blank canvas, you know? Then came the less fun part: cleaning. I swept and vacuumed that floor like my life depended on it. Any little speck of dust or debris can mess things up later, so I was super thorough.

Laying the Battens

Next up, the battens. These are basically just strips of wood that you attach to the subfloor. They give you something to nail the flooring to and also help with leveling everything out. I measured the room carefully and cut the battens to size. Then, using a hefty amount of construction adhesive and some screws, I secured them to the floor. I made sure they were evenly spaced and, most importantly, level. Used my trusty spirit level for that – wouldn’t want a wonky floor!

The Larch Arrives!

With the battens down, it was time for the star of the show: the larch flooring. Man, this stuff is beautiful. I’d opted for lvl larch, which I get it that means it’s super strong and stable. I unpacked all the boards and let them sit in the room for a bit. This is apparently called “acclimating” – it lets the wood adjust to the room’s temperature and humidity, which helps prevent warping later on.

Getting Down to Business

I chose to do a floating floor.

• Started laying the first row of boards, making sure to leave a small gap around the edges of the room for expansion. Again, that spirit level came in handy to make sure everything was straight.
• Then, it was just a matter of clicking and locking the boards together.
• Honestly, this part was kind of satisfying. Like a giant, wooden jigsaw puzzle.

Of course, I did hit a few snags. Some boards were a little stubborn and didn’t want to click together properly. A rubber mallet and some gentle persuasion usually did the trick. And then there was the cutting. Getting those end pieces to fit perfectly around door frames and corners? Let’s just say it involved a lot of measuring, re-measuring, and a few choice words.

The Finishing Touches

Eventually, though, I got all the boards down. I then installed some baseboards around the edges of the room to cover up those expansion gaps and give it a nice, finished look. A little bit of wood filler to cover up any nail holes, and that was pretty much it!

Honestly, it was a lot of work, but seeing the finished product? Totally worth it. My feet are a little sore, my back’s a bit achy, but I’ve got a brand new, gorgeous wooden floor that I built myself. Can’t beat that feeling!