Okay, so the other day I decided to tackle this project – installing “keel dancing hevea wooden flooring.” Sounds fancy, right? It’s basically just wood flooring, but the “keel dancing” part refers to the way the planks interlock, and “hevea” is the type of wood (rubberwood, which is pretty sustainable, by the way!).

First things first, I cleared out the room. This was probably the most annoying part, honestly. Moving furniture is never fun. I made sure everything was out, and then I gave the old floor a good sweep and vacuum. You want a clean slate, you know?

Prep Work is Key!

Next up was the underlayment. I used a simple foam underlayment – nothing too crazy. I rolled it out, making sure to overlap the seams a bit, and then taped them down with some strong tape. This helps with sound dampening and gives the floor a little bit of cushion.

• Clear the room. Completely.
• Clean the subfloor. Sweep, vacuum, the works.
• Roll out the underlayment. Overlap the seams.
• Tape the seams. Securely!

Now for the actual flooring! I started in one corner, laying down the first plank. The “keel dancing” system is pretty cool – it’s like a tongue-and-groove thing, but with an extra little lip that really locks the planks together. I clicked the first row into place, making sure it was straight against the wall (using spacers, of course – you need that expansion gap!).

Then it was just a matter of repeating the process. Click, tap, click, tap. I used a tapping block and a rubber mallet to make sure everything was snug. I also made use of a pull bar in order to connect the end pieces on each row. It got a little tricky around the door frames – I had to measure and cut some planks to fit. That’s where a good saw comes in handy. I used a simple handsaw, and took it nice and slow. Measure twice, cut once, as they say!

The hevea wood is pretty easy to work with. It’s not super hard, so cutting it wasn’t a huge pain. The main thing was just making sure I kept everything aligned and that the seams were tight. I staggered the joints between rows, just like you’re supposed to, to make it look more natural and for structural stability.

After a few hours of work (and a few breaks, let’s be honest), I was done! I removed the spacers, installed the baseboards (which I just nailed in), and then stood back to admire my work. It looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. The floor felt solid, the color was great, and it totally transformed the room.

So, that’s my “keel dancing hevea wooden flooring” adventure. It was a bit of work, but definitely doable for a DIY project. And now I have a beautiful new floor!