Getting Started

So yeah, finally bit the bullet and decided to lay down those pad dancing parquet wooden planks myself in the spare room. Figured if folks online could do it, so could I. Went and picked up the boxes from the hardware store – damn were they heavy. Hauled everything upstairs, nearly threw my back out. Floor was concrete underneath the old carpet, kinda gross honestly. Spent a solid hour just vacuuming like crazy, sweeping up every speck of dust and grit. Messy job, but gotta have a clean base, right?

Next up was the dreaded underlayment roll. Unrolled that black foam stuff across the whole floor. Trying to line it up perfectly against the walls was a pain in the butt. Ended up crawling around on my knees, cutting it roughly with scissors, and taping the seams together with that shiny duct tape. Made sure it was smooth, no bumps. Didn’t want any annoying squeaks later.

The Actual Flooring Part

Cracked open the first box of planks. They looked nice, kinda reddish brown. The whole “pad dancing parquet” thing meant they snapped together sideways and down, not just tapping along the long edge. Started in the far corner, along the straightest wall I could find. Laid the first plank groove-side against the wall. Put in those plastic spacers to leave a little gap for the floor to breathe.

Okay, here goes nothing. Picked up the next plank. Had to angle it a bit, line up the tongue with the groove of the first one. Dropped it down… and CLICK. Oh man, that satisfying sound! It worked! Gave it a little shove with my hand and knee. Snug fit. Kept going down that first row, plank after plank. Some clicked in easy, others needed a good whack with my rubber mallet. Started finding a rhythm.

Got to the end of the first row. Needed to cut the last plank to size. Measured carefully (measured twice, cut once!), marked it, and hauled out the jigsaw. Man, that thing vibrates! Cut it a tiny bit long at first, had to trim it again. Slid the cut end tight against the wall spacer.

Started the second row. This is where the “dancing” part kicked in. Couldn’t just slide the plank straight in. Had to hook the short end tongue at a 45-degree angle into the groove of the first row’s plank, then gently lower the other end while kind of wiggling it forward until CLICK-CLICK, both edges snapped home. Took a few tries to get the motion right – angle it, drop one corner, slide, push down. Felt a bit silly doing it, but hey, whatever works!

Things went okay until halfway through. Hit a spot where the concrete underneath seemed a tiny bit low. When I stepped on the plank, it dipped slightly. Oh hell no. Didn’t want a weak spot. Had to pull up a few planks. Grabbed that bag of leveling compound I wisely bought ‘just in case’. Mixed some up – messy powder everywhere – poured it carefully into the low dip, smoothed it out flat with the concrete scraper. Waited ages for it to set hard.

The Final Stretch

After the leveling mess was dry, got back to snapping planks. The rhythm came back. Row after row, click after click, mallet taps here and there. Did that awkward dance for each new plank. Knees started screaming. Back joined the chorus. But pushed through.

Finally reached the last row against the opposite wall. The gap was super narrow. Had to rip planks down their length to fit. More careful measuring, more jigsaw action. Squeezing those last thin strips in was tough. Had to really leverage the pry bar to get them close enough to lock into place.

All Done!

Pulled out all those plastic spacers. Swept all the wood dust and foam bits away. Stepped back… and damn. Looked good! The pattern flowed across the room. It actually felt solid underfoot, no hollow spots except that one I fixed. Whole room felt warmer and just… nicer. Big difference from that old gross carpet.

• Biggest Learnings:
• Base prep is EVERYTHING. Clean and level is mandatory. Those little dips matter.
• The “pad dancing” click is weird but works. Takes practice.
• Measuring accurately for cuts saves so much hassle later.
• Rubber mallet and pry bar are lifesavers.
• Knee pads. Seriously. Get knee pads.

Body aches like crazy now, but honestly? Totally worth it. Feels great seeing the whole floor finished and knowing I did it myself. Time for a beer! Cheers.