Okay, so today I decided to tackle that pile of wooden flooring I’ve had sitting in the garage. The project? Finally get the floor done in my little sleeper cabin. I’ve been putting it off, but with a free weekend, it was time to “keel dancing,” as I like to call it – basically getting down and dirty with some DIY.

Prepping the Space

First things first, I cleared everything out of the sleeper. It’s a small space, so that didn’t take too long. Then came the not-so-fun part: cleaning. I swept, vacuumed, and even mopped the old subfloor to make sure it was spotless. You don’t want any dust or debris messing with the new flooring.

Laying Down the Keel (Sleepers)

Next up was the keel, or as some folks call them, sleepers. These are basically wooden strips that create a framework and level platform under flooring. I measured the room carefully and cut the sleepers to size using my trusty circular saw. Always wear safety glasses, folks! I’ve had wood chips in my eyes before, and it’s zero fun.

Then, I laid out the sleepers, making sure they were evenly spaced. I used a level to check that everything was, well, level. If a sleeper was too high, I shimmed it with thin pieces of wood. If it was too low, I tried to find a thicker piece or doubled up on the shims. This part took a while, getting everything just right.

Assembling the Wooden Flooring

With the sleepers in place, I could finally start with the actual flooring. I’d chosen a nice, click-together wooden flooring. This stuff is pretty easy to work with, thank goodness.

• I started in one corner, laying down the first row of planks.
• I used spacers, those little plastic blocks to ensure space between the planks and wall.
• Then, it was just a matter of clicking the planks together, row by row. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle, but way more satisfying.

The trickiest part was cutting the planks to fit around the door frame and any awkward corners. For this, I used a jigsaw. Go slow and steady, that’s my motto. Measure twice, cut once, as they say.

The Finishing Touches

Once all the flooring was down, I removed the spacers and installed baseboards around the edges of the room. This hides the expansion gap and gives it a nice, finished look. I used a nail gun for the baseboards – super quick and easy.

Finally, I stood back and admired my handiwork. The sleeper cabin looks amazing! It’s so much cozier and more inviting with the new wooden flooring. And the best part? I did it all myself. Time to celebrate with a cold one!