Okay, here’s my blog post about assembling a wooden floor with batten dancing engineer boards:

Alright, folks, let’s dive into this flooring project I tackled. The goal? Laying down some sweet engineered wood flooring using a batten system. Sounds fancy, but it’s really just about creating a solid, level base.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the room. Everything had to go – furniture, rugs, the whole nine yards. Then I gave the subfloor a good sweeping and vacuuming. You want that surface as clean as possible, no dust bunnies or stray screws messing things up.

The Battens

Next up, the battens. These are basically just strips of wood that I used to create a frame, a level the floor and give me a good support. I measured out the room carefully, figuring out the spacing for the battens. I wanted them close enough to support the flooring properly, but not so close that it’d be overkill. There’s a lot of “it depends” in this, based on your flooring and subfloor, so don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.

I laid down the battens, making sure they were nice and level. This is crucial, people! A wonky batten means a wonky floor. I used a long spirit level and some shims (thin wedges of wood) to get everything perfect. Took some patience, I tell you, but it’s worth it in the end.

Once I was happy with the level, I screwed the battens down to the subfloor. Make sure you use the right screws for your subfloor – concrete needs different screws than wood, for example.

The Engineered Boards

Now for the stars of the show – the engineered wood boards! I let them acclimate in the room for a few days. This is important because wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. You want the boards to be at the same moisture level as the room before you install them, or you might end up with gaps or buckling later on.

I started laying the boards, working my way across the room. I used a “dancing” method, which just means I staggered the joints between the boards. It looks better and makes the floor stronger. Think of it like bricklaying – you don’t want all the seams to line up.

I clicked and locked the boards together – most engineered flooring has a tongue-and-groove system that makes this pretty easy. Some boards needed a little tap with a rubber mallet to get them snug, but nothing too forceful. It’s like a puzzle and all the pieces has to be in the right place!

Finishing Touches

Once all the boards were down, I installed some trim around the edges of the room to cover the expansion gap. This gap is necessary to allow the floor to move a bit with changes in temperature and humidity.

Finally, I gave the floor a good cleaning and stood back to admire my handiwork. It’s a pretty satisfying feeling, taking a pile of wood and turning it into a beautiful, functional floor. It will looks gorgeous!

So, that’s the story of my batten-dancing engineered wood floor adventure! It was a bit of work, but definitely doable for a DIYer with some patience and the right tools. Hope this helps anyone out there thinking of tackling a similar project. Happy flooring!