After Caleb went to bed last night, Ryan showed me how to use a circular saw and turned me loose. After an hour's worth of work I had half of the first room's flooring laid. It really is a pain in the butt to do by yourself.
The first thing to decide is which way you want your wood to run. Then you have to lay the underlayment (the white and blue foam stuff in this photo). It runs the opposite way you're going to run your boards. This ensures that none of your seams match up and no moisture finds its way through to your hardwood. The underlayment has a plastic barrier to prevent moisture since we're laying this on a concrete floor. Ryan and I did tape the seams together for extreme measure. We're not re-doing this stuff down the road!
You need to have a few 1/4" spacers to surround your room perimeter. By doing this, you make sure the wood has room to expand and contract. This is a super important step! Don't miss it. Don't worry about the small gap. Trim will cover it perfectly.
The most patience testing part is getting the hang of putting the floating floor together and getting the first two rows done. We chose a floating floor because it seemed like it was more user friendly to us. There is no glue, nails, or hammer needed. The pieces are designed to lock into each other easily. It took a while to get the hang of it to make sure your seams match up correctly. You shouldn't be able to see any gaps.
After an hour, this is as far as I got.
Then my patience got the best of me!
I called for Hubby!
In thirty minutes, we had the other half of the room done!
With two people, it goes so much better!
And there it is!
I am really pleased with the way it turned out. The color is just perfect for us.
I'm also very proud I can do this project myself. It leaves you with such a feeling of accomplishment.
Before this I had never used a power tool! Ha! And I was afraid for no reason.
I do like how the flooring and the wall color looks together.
Now we have to finish out the window and put down trim and the office/scrapbook room will be finished!
When we get to the family room, I will try to get pictures of assembling the floor. It's helpful to see how it all fits together.
you did a really good job! I love the look it gives. You make me want to learn how to do use a power tool...I've never used any kind of power tool. The thought of trying to lay down a floor myself is very overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice and rustic floor! The boards look perfectly snug and fit. I agree. The wall color and the floor combine well to make a cozy room. DIY truly has no way out through this project! I must say I love your blog and each post helps me develop my DIY interest. Thanks a lot for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking floor! What is even greater is that it is safe from the moisture that it could get from the concrete floor. The time you spent doing this is also amazing, your project just makes me want to go to the hardware store and get myself a power tool and make something like this! Great post! Thank you!
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