So I decided to tackle this weird shock-absorbing floor thing yesterday. Got this crazy idea from some obscure forum thread about using wood in bouncy ways. Drove down to the lumber yard first thing, grabbed a pile of those larch planks they had stacked outside. Smelled like fresh-cut pine mixed with dirt. Heavy stuff too, almost dropped one on my foot loading the truck.

Figuring Out The Mess

Got home, dumped all the wood on my dusty garage floor. Measured my living room space again because last time I eyeballed it, disaster happened. Used this blue chalk line thing to snap some rough guides right on the concrete subfloor. Looked like a toddler’s scribble but hey, it worked. Had to rip-cut about half the planks with my janky circular saw – blades kept getting gummed up with larch sap. Sticky nightmare.

The So-Called “Shock Absorbing” Part

Here’s where it got stupid. Started laying down the first row tight against the wall. Used these rubbery spacers I stole from my kid’s old sneakers between the planks instead of wood wedges. Looked ridiculous, like I was building with gummy bears. My neighbor Mike walked by, gave me that “you’ve lost it” stare through the window. Whatever.

When I tapped the planks together with the mallet, they kinda… wiggled? Like they weren’t locking solid. Panicked for a second, then remembered that’s the whole “dancing level” crap – supposed to let the floor flex when you jump or something. Felt like assembling IKEA furniture after three beers.

Slapping It All Together

Midway through, discovered a huge problem:

• The plank tongues kept cracking when I hammered them
• Rubber spacers kept squishing flat under pressure
• My knees started screaming from crawling around

Switched to gorilla glue on the joints like a desperate animal. Held the seams together with duct tape while it dried – looked trashy but hey, functional. Sweat dripping into my eyes the whole time.

Testing The Madness

Finished around midnight, no patience left for trim pieces. Stomped right on that center plank. Whole section bounced like a dang trampoline. Did an awkward shuffle-jump – floor wobbled but nothing cracked. Actual shock absorption. Unreal. My coffee mug vibrated off the table though. Gotta fix that.

Would I recommend this method? Only if you enjoy pain and weird looks. But it’s holding… for now.