Getting My Hands Dirty with Floor Puzzle

Okay, here’s how my weird little floor project actually went down. Seriously underestimated how much time this would chew up.

First, dragged all the wood flooring boxes inside. Left ’em stacked flat on the floor for a few days like everyone says, letting the wood get used to my house. Felt weird just staring at them.

Then, cleared the heck outta the room. Swept, vacuumed, even wiped the concrete down. Found a ton of weird dust bunnies hiding near the baseboard. Started laying down the underlayment stuff – that foam pad stuff that crinkles loud. Unrolled it over the whole floor, cutting it kinda messy around pipes and edges with my utility knife. Taped the seams with some thick tape I had lying around.

Opened the flooring boxes next. Got the puzzle pieces out. Measured the dang room width, divided it roughly by the plank width to plan my rows. Realized fast I’d need to cut pieces at the ends. Set my chop saw up in the garage, already hating the dust.

First row was nerve-wracking, man. Laid the foam mats cut down to thickness under where the rubber feet of my chairs would go. Then placed the starter planks against the wall, groove side facing out. Had to shimmy them around forever with a scrap wood block to get that perfect small gap against the wall. Hammered ’em gently with my rubber mallet and that tapping block tool. So scared I’d crack them. Went slow.

Second row onwards, it got both faster and trickier. Lift new plank at an angle, slide its tongue into the groove of the row below. Wiggle it side-to-side a bit to lock it snug. Feel it click together tight. So satisfying. Repeat. Hammer any stubborn gaps. Every few rows, get down on my hands and knees to shove the whole floating section tighter against the previous ones. Muscle work.

Hit the wall… literally. Cut the planks to fit around the door frames and closets. Got out the jigsaw and chop saw, measured a million times (still messed up once or twice), cursed at the sawdust plastering my garage floor. Got the end pieces jammed into place with the help of my pry bar.

Final stretch sucked the most. Dealing with the last row against the far wall. Space was barely big enough to squeeze the planks in. Had to cut the planks much narrower lengthwise to fit. Wrestled that last piece under the door trim for what felt like an hour. Sore knees, aching back.

Done! Pulled out all my spacer wedges. Went around the whole room banging any slightly raised edges back down with my mallet and tapping block. Swept the whole thing again. Stepped back. Looked uneven near the closet at first, but after I shoved heavy stuff on it, it settled flat. Honestly? Looks pretty alright. Feels solid underfoot even around the rubber mats. Total project took two sweaty weekends. Was it perfect? Nah. Was it cheaper than hiring someone? You bet.