Getting Started With This Crazy Floor Project

Alright, so I finally tackled that stupid flooring thing in my spare room. You know, the one that looked like a war zone? Yeah, that one. Figured I’d share how it went down, step by messy step. Buckle up.

First up: The Concrete Jungle Floor Prep

Turns out, the old concrete floor was all wonky. Got some weird foam pads – the squishy kind. Just threw ’em down, started walking all over them like some weird dance, pressing them flat against the concrete. Took forever and felt kinda dumb dancing on my basement floor. Made sure every inch had pad sticking to it. Sweaty work already.

Plywood Time: Cutting Chaos

Next day, hauled in big sheets of plywood. Heavy suckers! My back yelled at me. Measured the room roughly – it’s not square, nothing ever is. Used my circular saw right there in the dust. Made a TOTAL mess. Clouds of sawdust, man. Fit the plywood pieces over the pads like a giant, heavy puzzle. Left some breathing room around the edges with spacers – didn’t want it bulging later. Hammered the sheets together with these ring-shank nails I got. Tried to keep it flat, but had to wrestle a few spots. Definitely needed a hand lifting some pieces.

• Cut plywood sheets (sawdust EVERYWHERE).
• Laid them out tight(ish), used spacers near walls.
• Hammered nails down to hold it flat, sounded like gunshots.
• Checked for bumps with a long straight board – found two high spots, sanded them down brutally.

The Actual Flooring Fight

Now for the wooden planks. Looked nice in the box. Lies! Started clicking the tongue and groove pieces together on one end… and it immediately looked crooked. Like, REALLY crooked. Had to rip half the starter row out and start over. Twice. Used my mallet and a tapping block to smash them together. “Tap” is a strong word. More like “whack”. On my knees for hours, crawling backwards across the plywood, locking each plank into the last one. My knees are still mad. Had to cut planks to fit at the walls. Sawdust party round two. Ended up with a weird skinny piece near the door. Looks kinda stupid, but I’m leaving it.

Finishing Touches? Yeah, Right.

Trim went on last. Used that small finish nailer. Popped it into place around the edges, hiding the ugly gaps and the spacer spots. Didn’t go perfectly straight either, but hey, it covers the mess. Added some quarter-round at the bottom for good measure. Still had dusty footprints everywhere when I finished. Vacuumed like crazy, but pretty sure sawdust will appear magically forever now.

So How’d It Go?

It’s down. It’s flat(ish). I didn’t smash my thumb too bad. Floor feels solid when you walk on it, doesn’t squeak like the old one – yet. Looks decent from a distance! Up close? You can see where I messed up the starter row that second time, and that skinny plank by the door screams “amateur hour”. But it’s MY amateur floor now. Would I do it again? Ask my knees next week.