Alright folks, today I messed around with this pad dancing beech flooring project. Got the idea after seeing some fancy home makeover video online and thought “hey I can do that”. Spoiler alert: it kicked my butt harder than I expected.

Getting Started

First I dragged all the boxes inside my garage. Took forever ’cause those wooden planks weigh a ton. Ripped open the packaging with my box cutter – beech wood smells kinda nice actually. Checked the instructions and immediately got confused. Diagrams looked like spaghetti drawings.

The Struggle Phase

Tried clicking boards together like they showed in the pictures. First three went okay. Then plank number four wouldn’t snap in no matter how hard I stomped. Got so pissed I almost threw my mallet through the window. Turned out I’d put the groove side facing wrong way. Had to pull everything apart again.

Major headache came with the pad system. You’re supposed to put foam underlay first. Mine kept rolling up like a stubborn yoga mat. Ended up using duct tape to hold corners down – not in the instructions but whatever works.

Finding Rhythm

Discovered my “dance” routine after wasting half the morning:

• Spread adhesive with notched trowel
• Plop plank on goo
• Wiggle it side-to-side like bad disco moves
• Smack edges gently with rubber mallet

Got glue everywhere – hands, pants, even in my hair somehow. Had to constantly wipe excess goop with wet rags before it dried. Messy as hell but that sticking method actually worked better than snapping.

Finishing Up

Last row near the wall was brutal. Had to measure and trim planks upside down. Sawdust flew everywhere – looked like a snowstorm in my garage. Forgot I needed spacers until the end, so had to pry up the first rows to jam those little wedges in. Sweat dripping like faucet.

Finally stomped on every single plank to check for squeaks. One spot near the middle still makes noise. Probably gonna come back to fix it tomorrow. Overall? Looks decent from standing height. Don’t look too close at the edges though.

Lessons learned:
1) Buy knee pads next time
2) Never trust “easy” DIY labels
3) Wood glue don’t come outta hair easy. Might rock this sticky hairstyle all week.