Okay folks, let me tell you about this whole larch flooring adventure. Always wanted real wood floors, you know? Not that fake plastic stuff. Saw some pics of larch online, loved the look – warm but kinda rugged – and heard it was tough, so I jumped in. Big mistake? Maybe? Let’s see.

First, Getting the Wood

First thing after coffee, drove out to this lumberyard folks kept talking about. Place was huge, smelled amazing, like fresh-cut wood. Told the guy I wanted unfinished larch tongue-and-groove planks for flooring. He nodded, led me to a massive stack. Man, holding those rough planks… felt heavy, solid. Fingers could feel the grain, some knots here and there. Honestly, it looked even better raw than in the pictures online. Paid up, loaded the planks carefully into the truck. They needed to sit inside my place for a week or so anyway, let them get used to the air before laying them down.

Then, the Big Rip Up

Week later, time to get dirty. My old carpet? Gross. Yanked it all up, rolled it out in the driveway. Underneath? Plywood subfloor, thankfully mostly flat. Spent a whole afternoon pulling up a million staples and little tack strips around the edges. Sweat city. Swept, vacuumed, swept again. Couldn’t have any crud underneath the new wood.

Laying It Down: The Grind Begins

Alright, game day. Cleared the whole room out. Measured, found the straightest wall, drew a chalk line parallel to it as my starting point. First row is make or break, so I was sweating bullets.

• Nailed the first plank down: Lined it up perfectly on the chalk line. Used a nail gun – BAM BAM BAM – right through the tongue at an angle into the subfloor. Felt good.
• Second plank: Fit the tongue into the groove of the first one, tapped it nice and tight with a mallet and a scrap wood block. More nails. Okay, this isn’t so bad?
• Kept going: Row after row. Had to measure and cut the last plank of each row to fit. Table saw screaming in the garage. Dust everywhere. Wearing goggles felt dumb, but hey, eyesight is useful.
• End cuts suck: The ends, where the wall isn’t straight or something? That was fiddly. Marking weird angles, cutting carefully.
• Nail gun tantrums: Sometimes the gun just wouldn’t sink the nail flush. Jammed. Had to pry it out. Cursed. Learned exactly what depth and pressure it needed. Stupid tool.
• Around doorways: Had to undercut the door jambs so the planks could slide under. Used the jamb saw. Terrifying, spraying sawdust everywhere nearby. Looks pro though!

By the end of day two, my knees were toast, hands were sore from hammering, and the room… it was covered in planks! It actually looked like a real floor! Still raw wood, but it was there.

The Finishing Touches: Sanding and Sealing

Now for the pretty part? Or the insanely messy part. Rented a big drum sander. That beast is intimidating. Started with coarse paper, went with the grain, slowly slowly. Tried to keep it flat. Dust collector working overtime – still, fine dust got EVERYWHERE. Mask essential.

Sanded edges with a smaller hand-held sander. Corners? Nightmare. Got on hands and knees for some spots. Took way longer than the big sander. Then switched to finer grits on the big machine. Three passes total, dust flying like snow. Room looked like a disaster zone.

Vacuumed. Then vacuumed again. Wiped every plank down with mineral spirits to get rid of the last dust. Spent hours doing that. Couldn’t skip it.

Time to seal. Chose a water-based polyurethane – clear, low smell. Started in the far corner, worked my way out. Used a good brush and a lambswool applicator for the main areas. Went thin, very thin coats. Waited hours for it to dry, then lightly sanded in between coats with super fine sandpaper. Did this three times. Third coat felt like glass.

Finally Done… (Mostly)

Left it alone for two whole days, let that last coat cure hard. Walked on it in clean socks… amazing. Smooth, warm, the grain and knots popped. Smelled like… wood finish. Put the baseboards back on, plugged the holes, touched up the paint.

So, larch? It’s beautiful. Tough as nails, feels great underfoot. But man, the work? Chewed more than I could swallow sometimes. Ugly gaps appeared between a couple of planks later – damn wood shrinking – maybe needed longer acclimation? Sanding is brutal. Finishing needs patience. Would I do it myself again? Probably only for a small room. Big room? Might hire a dude. But look at this beauty now? Yeah, I’d freakin’ love it, aches and all.