Hey guys, today I’m sharing how I tackled that rubber hardwood flooring project. Wanted something durable for my crazy active kids, so gave this hybrid material a shot.
Getting Stuff Ready
First I measured my living room – took me three tries cause I kept messing up the math. Then I bought 20 boxes of the rubber hardwood planks from the local store. Pro tip: get extra like I did because some pieces will look weird or have dings.
- Rented a big floor cutter machine – thing weighed a ton
- Cleared all furniture into the garage, even that heavy couch
- Bought sticky underlayment stuff for moisture
Prepping the Base
Ripped out the old nasty carpet myself. Found like fifty coins and a petrified sandwich underneath – nasty! Scraped the concrete slab clean then rolled out that black underlayment. Took forever cutting it around corners with my box cutter.
Cutting and Clicking
Started in the far corner. Measured each plank twice before cutting cause I ain’t wasting expensive materials. The rubber smell made my garage stink for days! Locked the tongues and grooves together by hand at first – hurt my palms so bad I had to borrow my neighbor’s rubber mallet.
- That mallet became my best friend – THUNK THUNK THUNK all day
- Used spacers against the walls for gaps
- Staggered ends like dominoes
Fitting the Tricky Parts
Oh man the vents gave me headaches! Traced their shape on planks, drilled holes, then filed edges smooth. Around door frames I used cardboard templates cause my freehand cuts sucked. Messed up three pieces trying to angle cut that hallway entrance.
Finishing Up
Popped in baseboards and stomped on every single plank to check for squeaks. Found four loose ones – fixed em with some wood glue injections. Threw rugs down and finally sat on the floor with a beer admiring my work. Kids instantly ran in and slid across it in socks!
Final Thoughts
Took me two full weekends instead of one. My back hurt like hell and I lost two fingernails, but zero regrets! Survived juice spills and toy crashes so far. Rubber hardwood is tougher than my dog’s chew toys.
