Okay, let me walk you through this flooring project I just wrapped up. It was quite the task, putting down this larch wood floor, the kind you might want for a space that sees a bit of action, maybe even some light volleyball bouncing around, hence the thought about using a rubbery underlayment.

Getting Started – The Plan

So, the old floor in the back room was looking pretty sad. Scratched up, worn out, just time for a change. I decided on larch wood – love the look of it, really sturdy stuff. The plan was to lay it down myself. I figured, how hard can it be? Famous last words, right? I also picked up some rubber underlayment. Thought it would add a bit of cushion and maybe dampen the sound, good for bouncing a ball without driving everyone crazy.

Prep Work is Key

First things first, I had to completely clear out the room. Moved all the furniture, pulled up the old flooring, which was a job in itself. Then came the subfloor check. Made sure it was clean, dry, and most importantly, level. Found a few low spots, so I spent some time patching those up with leveling compound. You really don’t want to skip this part; a bumpy subfloor means a bumpy wood floor later.

• Cleared the room entirely.
• Removed the old, tired flooring.
• Cleaned the subfloor thoroughly.
• Checked for levelness and patched low spots.
• Let the patches cure properly.

Laying it Down – Step by Step

With the prep done, I rolled out the rubber underlayment. Taped the seams together nice and tight. This stuff really does feel good underfoot already.

Then came the larch planks. Wow, these things were solid. Started along the longest wall, like the instructions always say. Put down the first row, making sure to leave a small gap along the wall for expansion – wood moves, you know. Used spacers to keep that gap consistent. Getting that first row straight was crucial.

After that, it was mostly rinse and repeat:

• Measure the next plank needed.
• Cut it to size using my trusty chop saw. Made a LOT of sawdust.
• Slot the tongue into the groove of the previous row.
• Gave it a gentle tap with a mallet and tapping block to make sure it was snug.
• Staggered the joints between rows, so it looks better and is stronger.

Things got a bit tricky around the doorway. Had to carefully measure and cut the planks to fit around the frame. Took a few tries to get it just right, lots of going back and forth to the saw. Patience is your friend here, definitely.

Finishing Touches

Once all the main planks were down, it felt amazing. Like, wow, I actually did this. The last step was putting the baseboards back on, or rather, putting new ones on to cover the expansion gap around the edges. Cut the angles for the corners, nailed them in place. Filled the nail holes, did a bit of touch-up paint. Finally, gave the whole floor a good cleaning to get rid of all the dust.

The Final Result

And there it is! A beautiful, solid larch wood floor. It feels great underfoot, partly thanks to that rubber underlayment. The color of the larch is just fantastic, really warms up the room. It feels sturdy enough for pretty much anything, even a casual volleyball game, I reckon. Took a fair bit of sweat, and my knees were complaining a bit, but seeing the finished result? Totally worth it. Feels good to have done it myself.