Alright folks, grab a coffee because this one took some figuring out. Remember that spare room I use as a mini studio sometimes? Wanted dance flooring that wouldn’t be permanent but also wouldn’t feel like dancing on cardboard. Found this stuff called “larch wood,” supposed to be tough but kinda rustic-looking. Sounded perfect.

First step was ordering. Found these click-together planks online marketed as ‘floating flooring’ – figured that meant removable, right? Got a decent sized box delivered, felt heavier than I expected. Hauled it all upstairs, already sweating.

Took everything out onto the bare subfloor. Laid down a thin foam underlay first – the type that rolls out like a yoga mat. Just cut it roughly to size with big scissors. Figured it would help with sound and feeling softer underfoot. Started clicking the planks together along the edges. Easy peasy… at first.

Halfway across the room, hit snag number one. Some planks were slightly warped, just enough that the clicking mechanism felt stiff. Had to wiggle it like mad and tap it firmly with a rubber mallet. My neighbor probably thought I was building a tank in here. A few planks had slightly chipped edges too right out of the box – annoying, but I sorted those to the ends or used a small wood filler stick.

Then came the walls. Needed to cut planks to fit. Measured… twice even. Used a jigsaw. Let me tell you, larch wood splinters like crazy on the cut edges! Fine, rough wood bits everywhere. Had to sand down every single cut edge with coarse sandpaper by hand. Took ages, my arms felt like jelly, and I was covered in this fine blonde wood dust – looked like I’d been rolling in flour.

Got the whole floor down – clickity-clack, tap-tap-tap – and it looked… surprisingly okay! Nice warm wood tone, slightly rough texture but felt good under bare feet. Definitely rustic, like a barn dance floor. Did my little test shuffle – solid, no weird flexing. Happy days!

Time for the ‘removable’ test. Wanted to store this thing eventually, right? Started unclicking from the last plank laid. Expected it to come apart like Lego. Nope. Some connections were stubborn, held tight. Needed the rubber mallet again, but backwards – gentle sideways taps on the seams to loosen them. Took way more effort than clicking it together. Had to carefully lift and angle each plank just right to unlock it.

Big lessons learned:

• Larch looks cool and feels tough, but man, it’s rough to work with. Splinters & dust are a pain.
• Click-together sounds easy, but warped boards make it frustrating.
• ‘Removable’ doesn’t mean ‘effortless to remove.’ You still need patience and gentle force.
• All the planks stack neatly against a wall in the garage now, bundled up. Looks like a huge wooden sandwich. Would I do it again? Yeah, for the look and feel. But next time, maybe less coffee and more deep breaths beforehand.