Okay, so I spent a good chunk of my day putting together this little project: a sort of practice dance floor thing. Needed something with a bit of give but also a solid top. It involved rubber, some engineer board, and those wooden floor planks.

Gathering the Stuff

First step was getting everything in one place. Had to dig out:

• The roll of rubber underlayment. It’s pretty dense, good for shock absorption I figured.
• Sheets of engineer board. Basically sturdy, flat pressed wood panels. These form the main structure.
• The wooden flooring planks. Went with the click-together kind, makes life easier.

Also made sure I had my trusty saw for cutting the planks, a tape measure, and cleared a decent space in the garage to work.

Laying the Base

Started by rolling out the rubber sheeting. Just covered the area I planned for the floor. Didn’t stick it down or anything, just let its weight hold it in place. It felt pretty springy underfoot already, which was the goal. Cut off the excess with a utility knife to get a clean rectangle.

Next up were the engineer boards. Heavy things. I carefully laid them down right on top of the rubber. Lined them up edge to edge as neatly as possible. Didn’t screw them together or anything, figured the top layer would hold them pretty well in place on the rubber base. Just wanted a solid, flat surface sitting on the bouncy rubber.

Putting Down the Wood Floor

This was the main event. Took the wooden flooring planks and started laying them on the engineer board. Began along one long edge. These planks just click into each other, which is handy. You angle one into the groove of the previous one and push down – click! Worked my way across, row by row.

Naturally, when I got to the end of a row, the last plank was usually too long. So, out came the saw. Measured the gap, marked the plank, made the cut, and clicked it into place. The leftover piece often started the next row, which helps stagger the joints and makes it look better, more stable too.

It took a bit of time, especially the cutting bits. Had to be careful with measurements. But slowly, the wooden surface started covering the engineer board.

Finishing Up

Once all the planks were down, I walked around on it, gave it a few test jumps. Feels pretty good! It’s got that solid wood surface but you can feel the slight cushion from the rubber underneath. Didn’t bother with edge trim for this, it’s just a functional practice board, not aiming for perfection here.

Overall, pretty straightforward assembly. Just layers, really. Rubber base, solid board middle, nice wood top. Happy with how it turned out. Now to actually use it!