Okay, so today I decided to tackle installing those removable dancing hevea floors in our spare room. Always wanted a spot where I could shuffle without worrying about scuffing stuff up.

Unboxing & First Impressions

Carted the boxes upstairs – heavy as heck but manageable. Ripped open the packaging and pulled out a plank. Felt smooth, kinda rubbery? Knocked on it… made a solid thunk, not hollow like cheap laminate. Tongue-and-groove edges looked simple enough.

Clearing & Prepping Space

Dragged all the junk outta that room – old rug, boxes, random chair. Swept concrete like crazy ’cause dust is evil for floating floors. Unrolled that thin foam underlayment across the whole area. Cut it haphazardly with kitchen scissors where walls jutted out. Taped seams with duct tape ’cause I forgot masking tape.

The Actual Floor Fight

Started in left corner. Slid first plank’s groove against wall spacers. Second plank angled in, whacked it sideways with my palm till it clicked. Felt satisfying! Third plank… refused to lock. Turned out I’d gotten sawdust in the groove. Blew it out like birthday candles – worked fine after.

Hit my first wall obstacle hour in. Measured gap with tape, marked plank with pencil. Grabbed handsaw from garage – hacked at it unevenly. Fit like a crooked tooth but hid it under baseboard later. Midway, realized whole row was drifting crooked. Kicked planks apart in frustration. Restarted with laser level borrowed from neighbor.

Last row needed skinny strips. Traced wall shape on plank, jigsaw-grinded through it. Looked gnarly but shoved it in with crowbar leverage. Threw trim on edges to cover my massacre zones. Done!

Testing & Final Thoughts

Stomped around – solid, no squeaks! Spun in socks – decent slide, no stickiness. Kid sprinted in and belly-flopped on purpose – no damage. Big win: spilled water, wiped up easy, no swelling. Not perfectly straight under scrutiny, but hey, dances fine. Wouldn’t do it hungover again though.