Okay, here’s my blog post about assembling that hard maple wooden flooring, written like a regular person who just did a DIY project:

Alright, so I decided to tackle this project – putting in a new floor in my basement. I wanted something that would look good, but also be tough enough to handle, well, anything. I’ve got kids, a dog… you get the idea. Plus, I’m kinda thinking of setting up a little workout area down there, so it needed to be something solid.

After doing some browsing, I ended up going with this keel-style hard maple flooring. I liked the “keel” thing because it sounds strong, and the maple, well, that’s supposed to be super durable, right? It showed up in a bunch of boxes, looking all neat and stacked. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little intimidated at first.

Getting Started

First things first, I had to clear out the basement. That was a whole project in itself! Furniture, old boxes of who-knows-what… It took a whole weekend just to get the space empty and swept clean.

Then came the underlayment. I used some simple stuff – made the floor feel a bit softer, plus, I think it’s supposed to help with sound, which is good because my kids love to bounce around down there.

Putting Down the Floor

Now for the actual flooring. The keel part is basically like a little wooden framework that goes under the floorboards. It’s supposed to make everything super stable. So, I started laying out those keel pieces, making sure they were all lined up and spaced evenly. I used a measuring tape and a level – lots of checking and double-checking.

• Measuring and Cutting: I used a circular saw to cut the pieces.
• Screwing them into place: The keel is really solid.
• The first few rows were the trickiest: Getting everything straight and square is super important, otherwise, you’ll end up with a wonky floor.

Once the keel framework was down, I started laying the actual maple floorboards. These things are tongue-and-groove, so they kinda click together. I used a rubber mallet to tap them into place, making sure they were nice and snug. It’s actually kinda satisfying, hearing that little “thunk” as they lock together.

Finishing Touches

I worked my way across the room, row by row. It took time, a lot of time, I was working my butt off!

After all the boards were down, I had to put in some trim around the edges to cover up the gaps. Nothing fancy, just some basic baseboard molding. I used a nail gun for that, which was way faster than hammering everything by hand.

Finally, I gave the whole floor a good cleaning. There was sawdust everywhere! I used a shop vac to get up all the dust and debris, then I mopped it with some wood floor cleaner.

It took some effort and time, it turned out pretty darn good! It’s solid, it looks great, and I’m pretty proud of myself for doing it. Now, if you don’t mind I am tired and I will get some rest.