Alright, let me tell you about this little adventure I had with some flooring. Had this room, see, floor was all over the place, definitely not level. But I got my heart set on putting down some nice larch wooden flooring. Looks great, that larch.

Getting Started – The Idea

So, the floor’s uneven. First thought, maybe some of that leveling compound stuff. But then, wandering the aisles, I spotted this really thick rubber underlayment. Like, seriously thick. And a lightbulb went off, maybe not the brightest one, looking back. I thought, hey, maybe this rubber thing can soak up the bumps and make the floor comfy underfoot. Kill two birds with one stone, right? Save me the mess of pouring concrete smoother.

Bought the larch planks – lovely tongue and groove ones – and a big roll of that chunky rubber. Got home, all excited to get started. Emptied the room, swept the old floor clean, ready for action.

Laying it Down – The “Dancing” Part

Rolled out the rubber first. It covered the floor, yeah, but you could still feel the dips underneath, just… softer dips now. Didn’t worry too much, thought the wood on top would sort it. Started laying the larch planks. Click, click, click. Going pretty smooth at first. Got about halfway across the room.

Then I stood up and walked on the bit I’d laid. Whoa. It felt… bouncy. Especially where the floor dipped underneath. It wasn’t solid. It moved when I stepped. Like walking on a very, very firm mattress or something. My kid came in, jumped on it a bit, and said it was like a tiny trampoline. A “dancing floor,” she called it. Not exactly the solid, dependable wood floor feel I was aiming for.

Realization Hits

Okay, panic didn’t set in, but frustration sure did. I realized that super thick rubber was the problem. It was just too soft, too squishy. Wood flooring needs a firm base. Solid. Flat. This rubber thing, especially over the uneven parts, just compressed differently everywhere. No wonder the planks felt loose and springy. They weren’t properly supported. That larch wasn’t happy sitting on a sponge.

The Fix – Doing it Right (Mostly)

Deep breath. Had to undo my work. Carefully pried up all those beautiful larch planks I’d just laid. Stacked them safely out of the way. Rolled up the bouncy rubber underlayment. Back to square one, basically, but with a lesson learned.

This time, I did what I probably should have done first. Got the proper self-leveling compound. Mixed it up, poured it out, smoothed it across the low spots. Let it cure properly. Hard as a rock and finally level. That felt better.

Then, I put down a standard, thin underlayment – the kind actually recommended for wood flooring. Not the trampoline stuff.

Started laying the larch planks again. Click, click, click. This time, it felt different. Solid. Firm underfoot. No bounce. No “dancing”. Just a proper wooden floor.

Finished the whole room. Took way longer than planned, thanks to my rubber shortcut idea. But walking on it now, feels right. Solid, looks great. The larch is finally happy on its firm, level base. Learned my lesson – sometimes the easy way ends up being the hard way. Stick to the basics for prep work, especially with flooring!