Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my living room for, like, forever. It was this old, scuffed-up laminate that just looked sad. I finally decided to go for it and chose this “batten dancing maple assembled wooden flooring” I saw. Sounded fancy, looked beautiful in the pictures, and I was ready for a challenge!

First things first, I ripped out that old flooring. Let me tell you, that was a workout! Prying up those old planks, dealing with the dust and the staples… ugh. But, getting that nasty stuff out of there felt so good.

Next, I made sure the subfloor was clean and level. I swept, vacuumed, and even used a scraper to get any leftover adhesive off. I found a few dips, so I used some self-leveling compound to even things out. That stuff is kinda messy, but it did the trick. Gotta let it dry completely, of course, which took a day,maybe more.

Then came the underlayment. I rolled it out across the entire floor, overlapping the edges a bit and taping them down. This helps with sound insulation and gives the floor a little extra cushion.

Installing the Actual Floor

Now for the main event! I started in the longest, straightest wall, laying down the first row of planks. The “batten” part of this flooring means there are these little strips of wood (battens) that you connect the planks to. I was so focusing,I made the planks locked together, the next one down along the length. It’s kinda like a giant puzzle.

It took some time.I used a tapping block and a rubber mallet to gently tap the planks together, making sure they were nice and snug. No gaps allowed! I also used spacers along the walls to leave a small expansion gap – apparently, wood expands and contracts with temperature changes, and you don’t want your floor buckling.

• Cut some planks to fit at the ends of the rows. I borrowed my neighbor’s miter saw for this, which made things way easier.
• Continued laying down rows, connecting them to the battens and to each other. It was slow going at first, but I got into a rhythm after a while.
• Made sure to stagger the joints between rows – you don’t want all the end seams lining up. It looks better and makes the floor stronger.

Finally, after many hours of work, I finished laying all the planks! I installed some baseboards around the edges to cover the expansion gap and give it a finished look. I stood back and wow! It looks amazing! The maple has this beautiful, warm color, and the whole room feels brighter and more inviting. Totally worth the effort.

It wasn’t easy, and my back definitely felt it the next day, but I’m super proud of myself for tackling this project. And my living room? It’s finally got the floor it deserves!