Okay, so yesterday I decided to tackle that pile of wooden flooring I had sitting in the garage. The project? “Keel dancing pine assembling wooden flooring.” Sounds fancy, right? It’s just laying down some floorboards, really. But hey, “keel dancing” makes it sound… adventurous.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the room. Moved all the furniture, rolled up the old rug – the whole nine yards. Then, I gave the concrete subfloor a good sweep and vacuum. You don’t want any little bits of anything messing with your nice, flat floor.

The Underlayment

Next up was the underlayment. I unrolled this foam stuff – it’s supposed to help with sound and a little bit of cushioning. I taped the seams together with some special underlayment tape. Make sure it’s all smooth and flat, no wrinkles!

Laying the First Row – The “Keel”

This is where the “keel” part comes in. I guess it’s like the foundation, the first line you set. I picked out some of the straightest boards and laid them down along the longest wall, leaving a little gap for expansion – about a quarter of an inch, using some spacers. This part was a bit tricky, getting it all perfectly straight. I used a long level and a tapping block to get them snug together.

• Check for straightness – crucial!
• Use spacers for the expansion gap.
• Tap gently to avoid damaging the edges.

Dancing with the Boards (Click-Lock System)

My flooring has this click-lock system, which is supposed to make things easier. “Dancing,” I guess, because you kind of have to angle the boards in and then they snap together. Honestly, it took a few tries to get the hang of it. I angled, I pushed, I clicked (sometimes more like clunked). It’s a bit like a puzzle. Some boards were easier than others. I did a bit of swearing, not gonna lie.

I used some special tools to hold the wood, and cut the wood to get the exact shape.

Keeping it Going

Once I got the rhythm down, it went a little faster. Stagger the joints, they say. It looks better and makes the floor stronger. So, I made sure not to have all the seams lining up in neat little rows. Think brickwork, not a grid.

The Tricky Bits

Getting around doorways and corners? That’s where the real fun began. I used a jigsaw to cut the boards to fit around the door frames. Measure twice, cut once – that’s the motto. I definitely messed up a couple of boards, but thankfully I had extras.

Finishing Up

After all the boards were down, I removed the spacers and installed the baseboards (also called skirting boards). These cover up that expansion gap and give it a nice, finished look. A little bit of caulk to fill in any gaps, and… done!

My “keel dancing pine assembling wooden flooring” adventure? Success! It took longer than I thought, my back is killing me, but hey, I did it. And the floor looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.