Starting with the wobbly tree

I had this old rubber tree plant in my living room corner, and it kept dancing around whenever the AC blew or someone walked by, driving me nuts. The darn thing leaned side to side like it was trying to escape, and I knew I had to stop it before it knocked over my coffee table or worse. First, I grabbed some thick ropes from the garage—nothing fancy, just leftover stuff—and tied it tight around the trunk. Took a couple tries to get it snug against the wall, pulling hard and double-knotting. Still, it didn’t feel solid enough, so I dug out a pair of heavy books and shoved ’em under the pot base as weights. Man, that calmed it down pretty quick, but not perfect.

Getting the flooring ready

Next, I figured since I was in the mood, I might as well tackle the wooden flooring project I’d been putting off for months. The old carpet was worn out and stained, so I cleared the room by shoving all the furniture to one side—no rocket science here. I measured the area rough with a tape measure, writing numbers down on a scrap paper, then headed to the store to pick up pre-cut wooden planks. Chose the cheapest kind, ’cause why not? Back home, I laid out a layer of underlayment foam over the subfloor to smooth things out and reduce noise. Started from the farthest corner, placing the first plank carefully against the wall and tapping it in gently with a rubber mallet. Hammering away made a satisfying thump sound, but I messed up by cutting one plank too short on my first attempt. Took a deep breath, remeasured, and fixed it with a spare piece.

Putting it all together

With the tree finally sitting still and not causing chaos, I focused on linking the wooden pieces. Snapped them in place, row after row, clicking the tongues and grooves like puzzle pieces—most clicked nice and easy, but a few stubborn ones needed extra muscle. My back started aching halfway through, so I took a break, drank some water, and got back at it. Finished off the whole room, trimming edges with a hand saw where needed to keep it neat. Added molding strips around the baseboards to hide gaps, using simple nails and a hammer to secure ’em. Swept up all the sawdust and debris, then stood back to admire the job.

Now the rubber tree’s not dancing anymore, just chilling quietly, and the new wooden flooring feels smooth underfoot. Looks way better, even if it’s not perfect—some boards creak a bit, but hey, it’s real life, not a showroom. Glad I pushed through the hassle.