Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my spare bedroom for, like, forever. It had this old, nasty carpet that was probably older than me. I finally decided to take the plunge and go with this “batten dancing hevea assembled wooden flooring” I saw. Sounded fancy, right?

Getting Started

First things first, I ripped out that ancient carpet. Oh man, the dust! Definitely wear a mask for that part. Underneath was just plain old plywood subfloor, which was in surprisingly good shape. I made sure to sweep and vacuum everything really well – you don’t want any little bits messing up your new floor.

Prepping the Subfloor

Next, I checked the subfloor to see if it was level. Used a long level (borrowed it from my neighbor, thanks, Bob!). It was mostly okay, but there were a couple of low spots. I got some self-leveling compound and filled those in. It’s like pouring pancake batter, but way less tasty. You just pour it on, and it kind of magically finds the low spots and makes everything smooth. Let that dry overnight, of course.

Laying the Flooring

Now for the fun part! This flooring is “assembled,” which basically means the smaller pieces are already stuck together into bigger planks. Makes it way easier than dealing with a million tiny pieces. I started in one corner of the room, leaving a little gap along the wall (expansion gap, they call it – wood expands and contracts with the weather, apparently).

• Clicked the first row of planks together. It’s like giant LEGOs, honestly.
• Kept going, row by row, making sure everything was snug and tight.
• For the edges, I used Tap to secure them together.
• When I got to the end of a row, I sometimes had to cut a plank to fit. I have borrow a jigsaw from my firend.

Finishing Touches

Once the whole floor was down, I installed some baseboards around the edges to cover up that expansion gap and make it look all nice and finished. Then, just a good sweep and mop, and bam! New floor! It totally transformed the room. I’m pretty proud of myself, not gonna lie. It’s a good feeling to do something with your own two hands, you know?