Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my workshop for, like, forever. It was just this nasty, cracked concrete, and it was cold and awful to stand on. I finally decided to bite the bullet and do something about it. After looking at a ton of options, I settled on this “keel dancing plywood assembled wooden flooring” thing. Sounded fancy, but really it just meant it was plywood designed to interlock and sit on top of these wooden supports (the keels).

Getting Started

First thing I did was clean the heck out of that old concrete floor. Swept it, vacuumed it, even scrubbed it with some soapy water in a few spots. I wanted to make sure there was nothing that would mess with the new floor.

Next, I laid out the keels. These were just basic 2x4s, really. I spaced them out according to the instructions that came with the plywood – I think it was 16 inches apart. Making sure they were level was a bit of a pain. My floor definitely wasn’t perfectly flat, so I had to use some shims (little wedges of wood) to get everything even.

• Cleaned the concrete floor.
• Layed out the 2x4s.
• Used shims.

Putting Down the Plywood

Once the keels were all set, it was time for the plywood. This part was actually pretty satisfying. The sheets had these grooves on the edges that let them click together. Kind like giant puzzle pieces,and I started in one corner and just worked my way across the room.

I used a rubber mallet to tap the pieces together and make sure they were snug. For the edges, I had to cut some of the plywood sheets to fit. I just used a circular saw for that – nothing fancy. The important thing was to leave a little gap between the plywood and the walls, for expansion and contraction. I used some spacers which I bought for this.

• Started in one corner.
• Used a rubber mallet.
• Cut with circular saw.

The Finished Product

Honestly, it took me a couple of weekends to get it all done, but it was totally worth it. The floor looks so much better now. It’s way more comfortable to stand on, and it feels warmer, too. Plus, it just looks cleaner and more professional. I even added a coat of polyurethane to protect the plywood and give it a bit of a shine, and I’m super happy with how it turned out!

• It took a few weekends.
• It’s more comfortable to stand on.
• Added a coat of polyurethane.

I’m no expert carpenter, but this was definitely a doable project. If you’re thinking about redoing your floor, I’d say give this keel and plywood thing a shot. It’s not as scary as it sounds!