Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my spare room for, like, ever. It’s been this sad, old carpet that’s seen better days. I finally decided to take the plunge and go with a wooden floor. And not just any wooden floor – I wanted that cool, slightly raised look you get with a batten system. I called it “dancing sleeper assembly” because, well, it kinda looks like the floor is floating!

Getting Started

First things first, I ripped out that nasty old carpet. That was a workout in itself! Underneath was just plain old concrete. I made sure to sweep it all up real good, getting rid of any dust or little bits of junk.

Building the Frame

Next up, the battens. I used some pretty standard lumber – nothing fancy. I measured out the room and started laying down the wooden battens. I wanted them to run perpendicular to the way I planned to lay the floorboards.

Spacing is key here. I went for a pretty standard spacing, I think I used 16 inches between each one but I think different spacing could work.

I used a spirit level to try to get them as even as possible. And I made sure to leave a little gap around the edges of the room – you know, for expansion and contraction.

• Measured and cut the battens.
• Laid them out, checking for level.
• Added small wooden spacers to keep the distance even.

Securing Everything

Once I was happy with the layout, I needed to secure those battens to the concrete. This was a little tricky. I ended up using some heavy-duty construction adhesive, because it makes the securing more easily. I put down a good amount of adhesive on the bottom of each batten and pressed it firmly onto the concrete. That stuff is pretty strong!

Laying the Floorboards

With the batten “sleeper” system all set, it was time for the actual floorboards. I’d chosen a nice, light-colored wood. I started laying them down, one by one, perpendicular to the battens. I used a nail gun to secure them to the battens, it works very quickly.

I used a nail at the top of each plank in order to hide it with the skirting board, and one at the bottom and hammered it in at an angle.

It’s important to stagger the joints – you don’t want all the ends of the boards lining up. It looks better and it’s stronger that way. I had to cut some of the boards to fit around the edges of the room, but that wasn’t too bad with a circular saw.

The Finishing Touches

Once all the floorboards were down, it was just a matter of adding some trim around the edges to cover up that expansion gap. I used some simple wooden trim and nailed it to the wall.

And… that’s it! Seriously, it looks amazing. The floor has that slight “bounce” to it because of the battens, which is exactly what I wanted. It feels solid, but also a little bit… springy. I might even try a little dance on it later!

It was a bit of work, but totally worth it. My “dancing sleeper assembly” wooden floor is a success!

Now I can find some funiture to fill it.