Okay, so I decided to tackle putting in some new flooring. The stuff I picked was this rubber dancing hard maple assembled wooden flooring. Sounded interesting, right? Here’s how it went down.

Getting Started

First thing, had to clear out the room completely. Moved all the furniture, took down curtains, the whole nine yards. Just wanted a clean slate to work with. Then, I checked out the subfloor. Made sure it was clean, dry, and pretty level. Swept it up real good, got rid of any little bumps or leftover bits from the old flooring.

Laying Down the Base

Next up was the rubber part. This stuff came in rolls. I unrolled it across the floor, making sure the edges met up nicely without overlapping too much. Cut it to fit along the walls using a utility knife. It wasn’t too complicated, just had to be careful with the cuts to get them straight. This rubber layer is supposed to give it that bit of bounce, good for dancing or just easier on the feet, I guess.

Putting the Wood Together

Now for the main event – the hard maple planks. These were the ‘assembled’ type, meaning they had grooves and tongues, designed to click together. I started along the longest wall, like the instructions usually say. Laid down the first row, making sure it was straight. Used some spacers against the wall to leave a little gap for expansion.

The second row was where the assembly really happened. I angled the new plank into the groove of the first row plank, then pushed it down flat. Most of them clicked right into place. Sometimes I needed a little persuasion, so I used a tapping block and a rubber mallet, just gentle taps, to make sure the joint was tight and snug. Don’t bang on the wood directly, always use that tapping block.

I kept going row by row. Staggering the joints is key, so it doesn’t look like a grid. I just used the leftover piece from the end of one row to start the next one, as long as it wasn’t too short. Made the cuts for the end pieces with my saw. Measuring twice and cutting once definitely saved some headaches here.

• Cleared the room.
• Checked and cleaned the subfloor.
• Rolled out the rubber underlayment.
• Cut the rubber to fit.
• Started laying maple planks along the wall with spacers.
• Clicked planks together, angling them in.
• Used a tapping block and mallet for tight fits.
• Staggered the joints between rows.
• Cut planks for the ends of rows and around obstacles.

Finishing Touches

Once all the planks were down, I removed the spacers from around the edges. Then I installed the baseboards or trim around the room to cover that expansion gap. Gave the whole floor a good sweep and clean-up.

And that was pretty much it. Took some time, definitely a bit of work on the knees, but seeing that finished maple floor down, knowing the rubber underneath gives it that special feel? Yeah, felt pretty good. Looks solid, feels nice underfoot. Job done.