It wasn’t long after a very heavy and very long rainy season that I had noticed the rug in the den was saturated. I was in the mood to try something new so instead of laying another carpet I decided to check into replacing it with a wooden floating floor. I could had called a contractor to do this but I still had a bad taste in my mouth from having some other work done. This led me into doing it for myself and this was exactly the point in my life where I became a DIYer. .
I shopped around at the various big box stores but didn’t like the prices or what they had to offer so far for a floating floor. Eventually I found some good flooring with good prices at a smaller mom & pop. Although the directions included was a little less than desirable but supplemented with the vast knowledge of the Internet I did better than a passing job. It was fairly simple on first look but it is a little tricky when finalizing the project around the edges.
The first thing I did was to remove the carpeting down to the wood. In this case it was just a plywood floor. Next, I had made sure all the nails or flaws in the wood would be smooth as possible. In some places I used the electric sander. Next, I had to pop up the baseboard. This became a good time for me to seal any gaps which could leave in a draft or bugs. I hate bugs and I hate drafts. The next thing I did was to measure the room and head to the store. I bought extra boards because I was sure I would ruin some and I was right. I bought and needed a moisture barrier which would be laid down first.
Before I even had laid the barrier, I did a practice run with the boards. I practiced snapping them into place and looking at the layout. The boards need to be cut yet, making sure to leave a 1/4 inch space between the end of the board and the wall. This is why it is called a floating floor. It will contract and expand and leaving room is a must in order not to cause any damage to your wall. I found using a coping saw worked best for me. I measured the board making sure the end will fit into the other, ( their is a male & female) and marked where to cut. I did this outside where the mess didn’t matter. Piece by piece, board x board I measured, cut and brought the board back inside and prayed they fit.
I would like to say I had spent only a few hours laying this floating floor, but working alone it had taken 2 days. All in all it was fun to do, saved me some money and I loved the compliments on such an accomplishment. I am woman.
