We bought a router today! It is awesome. We love new tools. Especially when they are the correct tool for the task.
We also rented a larger chop saw from Home Depot, because our little guy couldn’t make a clean cut through the 6″ flooring boards. Which makes me want a kick-ass 12″ compound sliding miter saw with a laser. Or a table saw. Or even just a table. (We’re still cutting things on the floor. When do we get to be real adults and cut things on a workbench?)
Anyway…
We installed our hardwood floor today and it looks sweet. The flooring is bamboo from Cali Bamboo and is eco-friendly and dog-friendly. Apparently it’s so tough it won’t scratch even with a big dog running on it. However, Argus hates slippery surfaces and walks like a dainty dancer on hardwood floors. So I guess it’s a little over-spec’ed in that regard.
To “custom” fit the floor for our trailer, we first planned out how we would cut the boards and place the seams. After cutting the boards to length (following another alpha-numeric labeling system), we dry-fit them in place, marking out all the spots where we needed to route the underside to avoid a flange, nut, washer, carriage bolt, or particularly aggressive blob of epoxy. Made for a couple crazy looking boards.
Big thanks to Christian for helping us install the floor and giving us some pro tips! It’s all locked together and glued now, and will set-up over the next 24 hrs.
Yesterday, we also finished up wiring the trailer brakes and the battery. With the battery wired up, we hooked up the pump and after some troubleshooting (involving lots of wet rags), we got the pump and faucet working. Pretty awesome!
Time: 32 person-hours (over 2 days)
Dollars: $335
- Cali Bamboo flooring (1 box + stair edge) $150
- PL heavy-duty construction adhesive $25
- router $100
- router bits $20
- Irwin clamps $40
8 Legs and a Trailer 