Okay, so yesterday I decided to tackle that pile of rubberwood flooring I had sitting in the garage. You know, the “hevea” stuff, supposedly eco-friendly and all that. The plan was to finally get it installed in the spare bedroom. I’d watched a few videos, figured, how hard could it be? Famous last words, right?

Getting Started

First, I cleared out the room. Moved all the furniture, rolled up the old rug – the whole nine yards. Then I swept and vacuumed the subfloor like crazy. You wouldn’t believe the dust bunnies that had colonized that space!

Next, I laid out the underlayment. This was that thin, foamy stuff supposed to help with sound and moisture. Taped the seams together, felt pretty professional, I gotta say. I’m no carpenter

The “Dancing” Begins

Now for the fun part – the actual flooring. I unpacked the first box of planks and started dry-fitting them. You know, just laying them out to see how they fit, figuring out the pattern. This is where the “dancing” came in. I was shuffling planks around, trying to get a nice, staggered look. Avoid those H-joints, they say. Easier said than done!

I spent a good hour just moving pieces around, stepping back, squinting, moving them again. My back started to ache, and I hadn’t even glued or nailed anything yet!

Assembly Time

Finally, I felt like I had a decent layout. Time to make it permanent. I grabbed my trusty wood glue and started applying it to the tongues and grooves of the planks. Let me tell you, that stuff is messy! I got it on my hands, on the floor, probably even in my hair.

Then came the nailing. I rented a flooring nailer, which was a lifesaver. Trying to hand-nail those things would have taken forever. Still, it was a bit of a workout. Bending over, positioning the nailer, firing it in… repeat, repeat, repeat.

I did make a mistake and broke one nail. It cost me a lot of time.

The Final Stretch

Slowly but surely, the floor started to take shape. I worked my way across the room, row by row, cutting planks to fit at the edges with a jigsaw. (Note to self: invest in a better saw next time.)

After several hours, I was finally done! Stepped back, admired my handiwork. It wasn’t perfect, a few gaps here and there, but hey, it was a floor! A real, solid, rubberwood floor that I installed myself.

I did it.

So, that’s my “rubber dancing hevea assembling wooden flooring” adventure. Exhausting, messy, but ultimately satisfying. Would I do it again? Maybe. But next time, I’m definitely wearing gloves and maybe hiring some help!