That Annoying Pine Floor Dance

So I have this portable wooden floor section, right? Made from pine. Looks fine on the porch, but man, whenever someone stepped near the middle – boom – it felt like doing the twist on a sponge cake. Total wobble zone. Super annoying, especially when I just wanna relax out there. Figured it needed fixing, simple as that. Didn’t wanna toss it though.

First thing I did was haul the thing into my workspace. Needed to see where it was flexing so bad. Put it on a couple of saw horses to get it off the ground. Pressed down in the middle. Saw it immediately sag like a tired hammock. Felt flimsy underneath. Yeah, the supports underneath weren’t cutting it anymore, probably dried out or shifted.

Alright, time to flip it over. Got my trusty claw hammer. Started carefully prying off the existing thin strips they use to hold the top boards together underneath. Old glue just crumbled away. Needed a fresh approach. Headed to my scrap wood pile – always have bits hanging around. Grabbed a piece of pine that felt sturdy, about an inch thick. Measured the length it needed to span across the wobbly spot underneath.

Whipped out my handsaw. Not the fanciest tool, but gets the job done. Sawed that support piece to fit perfectly right across the weak middle area. Then, slapped on some wood glue generously along both ends where it would touch the frame. Held it there firm for a minute while the glue grabbed. But glue alone? Nah, needed more muscle.

Reached for my drill and some good deck screws – thicker ones meant for holding stuff tight. Pre-drilled little pilot holes into my new support beam and through the frame edge underneath to stop it splitting. Drove those screws in deep. Four on each end for good measure. Felt solid. No give at all now.

Just to be extra sure? Hammered in a couple of sturdy finishing nails along the support beam where it touched the frame at the sides. Added a bit of extra bite. Didn’t want any shifting sneaking back in.

Right then, moment of truth. Flipped the whole thing back over. Placed it carefully flat on the concrete floor. Took a deep breath and stepped right into the dead center. No dip. Stepped on it again, harder this time. Rock solid! Walked all over it. This stupid thing that used to dance around now felt like it was bolted to bedrock. Super satisfying feeling.

So yeah, rescued that pine portable floor from the wobble zone. Went from annoying liability to solid spot again. Just took a bit of scrap wood, some glue, good screws, and time. Definitely staying on the porch now. Good outcome.