Okay, so the other day I decided to tackle a project I’ve been putting off – laying down some new wooden flooring in my living room. I went with this Larch stuff, and it came in these interlocking pieces. The whole thing was supposed to be “easy,” but let me tell you, there were a few bumps along the way!

Prepping the Space

First things first, I cleared out the entire room. Furniture, rugs, the whole nine yards. This gave me a nice, open space to work with. I did it with my bro, took us 1 hour, so exhausted.

Then came the REALLY important part – the underlayment. I’d read online that this was crucial for cushioning, sound dampening, and just making the floor feel better underfoot. I opted for some “cushions dancing” brand. Don’t ask me why I chose that name, it just sounded…fun? Anyway, I rolled that stuff out across the entire subfloor, taping the seams together to make sure it was all one solid layer. It feels really really good.

Laying the Floor

Next up, the actual flooring. I unboxed the Larch planks and let them sit in the room for a couple of days. Apparently, this is called “acclimating” and helps prevent the wood from expanding or contracting too much after it’s installed. The color is so good! I love it.

Then, the fun/frustrating part began. I started in one corner, clicking the first row of planks together. The “click” system was pretty straightforward, but getting that first row perfectly straight was a PAIN. I used a spacer along wall to keep the right expansion. My friend told me i need to do this.

• Row by Row: I worked my way across the room, row by row, clicking and tapping the planks together. A rubber mallet came in handy here to gently persuade some of the more stubborn pieces into place.
• Cutting Planks: Inevitably, I reached the end of a row and needed to cut a plank to fit. I used my hand saw for this. I don’t have electric saw, so tired.
• Staggering Seams: I made sure to stagger the seams between rows – you know, so it doesn’t look like a checkerboard. This also supposedly helps with the structural integrity of the floor.

Finishing Touches

Once the main field of flooring was down, I installed some baseboard trim around the perimeter of the room to cover the expansion gap and give it a polished look. I nailed those into place, and boom – project (mostly) done!

It took me most of the weekend, and my back was definitely feeling it by the end, but honestly, I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It’s not perfect, but it’s MY imperfect floor, and it feels pretty darn good to walk on that “cushions dancing” underlayment! Success!