Why I Fixed My Floppy Floorboards

So I’ve had this wooden dance floor in my garage for like two years. Every time I’d practice salsa steps, damn boards would shift and clack like crazy. Super annoying when trying to nail that triple spin. Finally got sick of it last weekend and decided: today’s the day to lock these suckers down.

Tools & Stuff I Grabbed

• My old electric drill (battery barely holding charge)
• Box of 3-inch wood screws left from last project
• Clamps from Ikea that keep pinching my fingers
• Cheap wood glue bottle with crusty nozzle
• Half-bent measuring tape
• Random pencil found in junk drawer

Doing the Actual Fixing

Started by clearing all junk off the floor – found two missing socks under there! Swept like hell because sawdust gets everywhere. Then I just plopped down on my knees and eyeballed which boards were wobbling worst. Pushed them flush with my palms and marked screw spots along the edges where they connect.

Dumped this sticky wood glue between the grooves while shoving boards together. Pro tip: wipe excess quick or it durns into concrete. Used those annoying clamps every three feet to hold things tight while glue set. Waited about twenty minutes drinking coffee and scratching my head.

Drilled pilot holes real slow cause splitting wood sucks. My stupid drill kept dying so I’d screw in five screws, wait ten minutes charging, repeat. By the end I’d sunk like forty screws across the whole floor – extra near the corners where dancers pivot hardest.

Surprise Problems

Almost cracked a board when my drill slipped sideways! Had to dig out an old putty stick to fill that ugly dent. Also realized too late I ran out of screws halfway through. Dug in my toolbox and found some rusty ones – tossed those in where nobody would step.

How It Turned Out

Let everything dry overnight and tested next morning. Did some cha-cha-chas and heel stomps – not a single squeak! Boards feel rock solid underfoot now. Still some cosmetic issues where I screwed too deep, but hey – it’s a garage dance floor not Buckingham Palace. Whole project took five hours including snack breaks. Just glad I won’t eat floor during spins anymore!