The floor is done!
Jul. 21st, 2022 03:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unicorndukeI was busy at work all day yesterday, hot as heck and gross. I did my spraying at 1pm instead of 3 like normal because it was very gross.
I did a little bit of the floor last night, started fiddling with things and cutting them. I got maybe two full rows and the two partial rows out before I got tired and had to make dinner.
I took today off work and once F helped me move the furniture out of the way again before she left for work.
Then I laid planking.
I do like the click lock planking. It is extremely fast to lay and easy to cut. I hate the tiny tool needed to hammer them in. Since the click locks are tongue and groove, the way to attach the planks on the long side first, slide it to fit, then short side. So I pop the long side in, then use the flat rubber thing that has a small ledge on the side to hammer the long side to fully locked in where the seam is basically invisible. The flat rubber thing was so you could hammer it in since the planking is only 5mm thick total. But it frequently popped up over the plank and made it really easy to hit your hand with a hammer. At one point (probably mostly user error), I managed to hammer directly on my thumbnail. I'm not hammering hard in general so I'm hoping I won't lose the nail because it didn't hurt that bad.
Then after the long side is in, I hammer with a rubber mallet on the short side so it locks in. It can't be adjusted after the short side is in because it will break the groove on the one I hammer in.
Once I knew what I was doing, it went very smoothly. I wish they had been clearer about the importance of spacers. Obviously they didn't provide them, but the instructions said to leave a 1/4 inch gap around the whole outside. So the spacers (in my case, chunks of OSB) kept the whole floor in place until enough planks were laid to hold it all in place. Also if I cut around something like a baseboard heat pipe, I need to put a spacer in that will keep the next plank from moving as I hammer it in.
I used a jigsaw to cut things but also used the utility knife at times. The last row was difficult since it was tucked under the log but I applied a crowbar and got them popped in well enough.
I did a little bit of the floor last night, started fiddling with things and cutting them. I got maybe two full rows and the two partial rows out before I got tired and had to make dinner.
I took today off work and once F helped me move the furniture out of the way again before she left for work.
Then I laid planking.
I do like the click lock planking. It is extremely fast to lay and easy to cut. I hate the tiny tool needed to hammer them in. Since the click locks are tongue and groove, the way to attach the planks on the long side first, slide it to fit, then short side. So I pop the long side in, then use the flat rubber thing that has a small ledge on the side to hammer the long side to fully locked in where the seam is basically invisible. The flat rubber thing was so you could hammer it in since the planking is only 5mm thick total. But it frequently popped up over the plank and made it really easy to hit your hand with a hammer. At one point (probably mostly user error), I managed to hammer directly on my thumbnail. I'm not hammering hard in general so I'm hoping I won't lose the nail because it didn't hurt that bad.
Then after the long side is in, I hammer with a rubber mallet on the short side so it locks in. It can't be adjusted after the short side is in because it will break the groove on the one I hammer in.
Once I knew what I was doing, it went very smoothly. I wish they had been clearer about the importance of spacers. Obviously they didn't provide them, but the instructions said to leave a 1/4 inch gap around the whole outside. So the spacers (in my case, chunks of OSB) kept the whole floor in place until enough planks were laid to hold it all in place. Also if I cut around something like a baseboard heat pipe, I need to put a spacer in that will keep the next plank from moving as I hammer it in.
I used a jigsaw to cut things but also used the utility knife at times. The last row was difficult since it was tucked under the log but I applied a crowbar and got them popped in well enough.
Overall, would recommend. Looks nice and I didn't run out of planks. Finished just in time because my brother and his girlfriend are stopping in to visit tomorrow night into Saturday.
ta daa
