Alright, so I decided to tackle putting down some new flooring. Went with Hevea wood this time – you know, the stuff from rubber trees. Heard it’s pretty tough.

First thing, got all the planks delivered. Had to let them sit in the room for a few days, just to get used to the place. You know, acclimatize. Checked each box, made sure most planks looked okay. Always find a few wonky ones.

Next up was the subfloor. Had to make sure that thing was clean, dry, and super flat. Spent a good while sweeping, then checking levels. Found a low spot, had to patch it up. No fun doing it, but gotta be done right.

Gathered my tools. Saw for cutting, measuring tape, tapping block – used a hard rubber one, actually, worked pretty well – spacers, and the nailer. Decided to go with nailing it down.

Starting the Install

Okay, installation time. Picked the longest, straightest wall to start. Snapped a chalk line to keep things honest. You really need that first row perfect, or everything else goes sideways.

Put down the first row, using spacers against the wall for expansion. This Hevea wood is quite dense, nailing needed a bit of muscle. Had to pre-drill near the ends sometimes to avoid splitting, even though it’s supposed to be tough.

Then it was just row after row. Stagger the joints, you know the drill. Cut the last plank of a row, use the leftover piece to start the next one if it’s long enough. Saves waste.

• Measure twice, cut once. Still messed up a couple of cuts, happens.
• Tapping the planks together needed a firm whack. That rubber block saved the plank edges.
• Had to work around a doorway, that took some careful cutting. Made a template out of cardboard first.

Wrapping It Up

Last row is always tricky. Usually have to rip the planks lengthwise to fit. Took my time with those cuts.

Once all planks were down, pulled out the spacers. Installed the baseboards and transition strips to cover the expansion gaps. Makes it look finished, you know?

Gave the whole floor a good clean-up. Swept up all the sawdust, wiped it down. Stood back and looked. Not too bad! The Hevea wood has a nice grain. Feels solid underfoot.

Overall: It was decent work. Took a weekend. The Hevea planks were mostly good to work with, just needed that careful handling with nailing. Happy with how it turned out. Solid floor now.