Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the floors in my spare room for, like, forever. It had this old, nasty carpet that was just a magnet for dust and, honestly, who knows what else. I finally decided to take the plunge and go with this keel dancing soft maple assembled wooden flooring I saw. It looked amazing in the pictures, and I figured, “How hard could it be, right?” Famous last words, maybe.

Getting Started

First things first, I ripped out that old carpet. That was satisfying, I gotta say. Underneath was just plain old plywood subfloor, which was in decent shape, thankfully. No major repairs needed there, which was a relief.

Next up, I cleaned the heck out of the subfloor. Vacuumed it like crazy, then went over it with a damp mop to get any lingering dust or debris. Gotta have a clean slate, you know?

Laying the Underlayment

Now, this flooring I got recommended an underlayment, which is basically like a thin foam layer that goes between the subfloor and the actual wood. It’s supposed to help with sound dampening and make the floor feel a little softer underfoot. So, I rolled that out, making sure to overlap the seams and tape them down securely. Seemed easy enough.

The Fun Part (or So I Thought)

Then came the actual flooring. This stuff is “assembled,” meaning the individual planks are already connected in larger sections. Supposedly makes installation easier. I started laying the first row along the longest wall, making sure to leave a small gap between the flooring and the wall for expansion. They say wood expands and contracts with temperature changes, so you gotta account for that.

The “keel dancing” part of this flooring is some kind of locking system. The sections are supposed to just click together. And let me tell you, it was not as easy as the videos made it look. I struggled for a good hour just trying to get the first few sections to connect properly. Lots of wiggling, pushing, and a few choice words I won’t repeat here.

Getting the Hang of It

Eventually, I figured out a little rhythm. It involved a rubber mallet and a whole lot of patience. I tapped the sections together, making sure the seams were nice and tight. It was slow going, but I started to see the floor taking shape, and that was pretty motivating.

Cutting and Fitting

Of course, I ran into the inevitable issue of needing to cut pieces to fit around doorways and corners. I borrowed a friend’s jigsaw for this, and let’s just say I’m glad I practiced on some scrap pieces first. It wasn’t pretty, but I managed to get the cuts done without ruining too many planks.

The Final Stretch

After a few days of solid work (and a few sore muscles), I finally got all the flooring laid down. The last step was to install some baseboards around the edges to cover that expansion gap and give it a finished look. Picked up some simple white ones from the hardware store, cut them to size with a miter saw (which was surprisingly fun to use), and nailed them in place.

The finished floor

• I really like the assembled boards.
• I really like the color and the texture.
• My family and friends said the floor is beautiful.

And that was it! My new floor was done. It was definitely more work than I anticipated, but looking at the finished product, I’m pretty proud of myself. It completely transformed the room, and it feels so much nicer to walk on than that old carpet. Would I do it again? Maybe. But I’d definitely allow for more time (and maybe a few more breaks) next time.