Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo my floors for, like, forever. The old ones were just so…blah. I finally decided to go for it and picked out this gorgeous hard maple – it’s got this amazing light color that just brightens up the whole room. And, because I’m a bit extra, I went with the cushions dancing style. It’s supposed to be, you know, better for your joints and stuff.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the entire room. Everything. Furniture, rugs, even the little decorative knick-knacks. It was a workout in itself, honestly! Then came the fun part (not really): ripping up the old flooring. Let me tell you, that was a dusty, messy job. But hey, gotta break some eggs to make an omelet, right?

Prepping the Subfloor

Once the old stuff was gone, I had to make sure the subfloor was super level. I mean, we’re talking perfectly level. I used this self-leveling compound stuff – poured it on, spread it around, and let it dry. It was like watching paint dry, but, you know, important.

Laying Down the Cushions

Now for the “dancing” part! These cushions, they’re like little rubbery squares. I laid them out in a grid pattern, making sure they were all snug against each other. It felt a bit like putting together a giant, squishy puzzle.

Installing the Hard Maple

Finally, the star of the show: the hard maple! I started in one corner and worked my way across the room, snapping the planks together. They have this tongue-and-groove thing going on, so they fit together pretty easily. Though, my thumbs were definitely sore by the end of it!

• Measure twice, cut once.Seriously, this is the golden rule of flooring.
• Use a tapping block.It helps to get the planks really tight together without damaging them.
• Leave a gap around the edges.Wood expands and contracts, so you need to give it some breathing room.

The Finished Product

It took a few days, a lot of sweat, and maybe a few curse words, but I did it! My new cushions dancing hard maple floor is installed, and it looks absolutely amazing. It’s so much brighter and feels so much better underfoot. Plus, I can tell everyone I did it myself, which is pretty cool, if I do say so myself.