Okay, so yesterday I finally tackled that flooring project I’ve been putting off. You know, the one in the spare room? It’s going to be a little dance/yoga space, so I wanted something that looked nice but was also, you know, functional.

I went with this engineered wooden flooring – looks like real wood, but it’s supposed to be more stable. And because it’s going over concrete, I needed to put down battens first. That was the first hurdle.

Figuring Out the Battens

First, I measured the room. Like, really measured it. Several times. Because, let’s be honest, I’m not exactly known for my precision. Then, I figured out how many battens I’d need and how far apart they should be. The flooring instructions had some guidelines, which was helpful.

I got some treated lumber for the battens. Didn’t want any moisture issues down the line. Then came the fun part – cutting them all to the right size. My trusty circular saw got a workout! I ended up with a nice pile of perfectly sized (well, mostly perfectly sized) battens.

Getting Down to Business

Next, I laid out the battens on the concrete floor, making sure they were evenly spaced and level. This involved a lot of shuffling things around, using a spirit level, and adding little shims here and there to get everything just right. Seriously, who knew concrete floors were so uneven?!

Once I was happy with the layout, I fixed the battens to the floor. I used concrete screws and my impact driver. It was pretty satisfying, actually. Like building a little wooden skeleton for the floor.

Adding the “Dancing Rubber”

Now, this is where the “dancing rubber” part comes in. I decided to put some thin rubber strips on top of the battens. The idea is to give the floor a little bit of extra bounce and soundproofing. It’s probably overkill, but hey, I like to experiment!

• I bought a roll of this rubber stuff from the hardware store.
• I cut it into strips.
• I stuck the strips into the batten top.

Laying the Floor

Finally, the moment of truth – laying the actual wooden flooring! This was the easiest part, thankfully. The planks just clicked together. It was like a giant, satisfying puzzle. I started at one wall and worked my way across the room, making sure to leave a small expansion gap around the edges.

I did have to cut a few planks to fit around the door frame and at the end of each row. But my jigsaw made quick work of that. And before I knew it, the whole floor was done!

The Finished Product

Honestly, it looks pretty good! It’s not perfect, but it’s a huge improvement over the bare concrete. And the rubber underlayment does seem to give it a nice, slightly springy feel. I’ve already done a few test dances, and it feels great. Now I just need to add some skirting boards, and it’ll be completely finished. Another project ticked off the list!