Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my spare room for, like, forever. It had this old, nasty carpet that was probably older than me. I finally decided to go for it and install some batten dancing soft maple assembled wooden flooring. I’d seen some pictures online and loved the look, plus, you know, dancing room! Figured it’d be a fun project.

First thing I did was rip out that ancient carpet. Oh boy, that was a workout! And dusty. So, so dusty. I definitely recommend a good mask for that part. Underneath, I found the subfloor, which thankfully was in pretty decent shape. Just some minor leveling needed in a couple of spots.

Getting Started

• Ripped up old carpet.(Major dust alert!)
• Checked and leveled subfloor. (Lucky me, it was mostly okay.)

Next up, I measured the room – twice, because I’m paranoid like that – to figure out how much flooring I needed. I added a little extra, just in case of mistakes. Better safe than sorry, right? Then I ordered the soft maple flooring. I went with the pre-assembled panels because, honestly, I’m not that handy, and it seemed way easier.

Once the flooring arrived, I let it sit in the room for a few days. I read online that you’re supposed to do that to let it, like, acclimate to the room’s humidity or something. Sounded important, so I did it.

The Actual Installation

Then came the fun part – actually putting the floor down! I started in one corner, following the instructions that came with the flooring. It was basically like putting together a giant puzzle. The battens made it pretty straightforward, they kind of clicked together. I used a rubber mallet to gently tap them into place, making sure everything was nice and snug.

I worked my way across the room, row by row. It was slow going at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. The hardest part was cutting the panels to fit around the edges and the doorway. I borrowed a friend’s saw for that, which made things a lot easier.

• Let the flooring acclimate.(Apparently, this is important.)
• Started laying the panels.(Like a giant puzzle!)
• Used a rubber mallet. (Gentle tapping is key.)
• Cut panels to fit edges.(Borrowed a saw – lifesaver!)

Finishing Touches

After all the panels were down, I installed some baseboards around the edges to cover the gaps and give it a finished look. I’m not gonna lie, my cuts weren’t perfect, but that’s what caulk is for, right?

Finally, I gave the whole floor a good clean and stood back to admire my handiwork. It looked amazing! So much better than that old carpet. And yes, I did a little dance on it. Totally worth the effort!

Honestly. It’s pretty satisfying to do something like this yourself. Even if it takes a little longer and you make a few mistakes along the way.