Dreaded Flooring

It has certainly been a while since I’ve posted an update on Eremos’s progress. The main factor in my procrastination is just how much I disliked the last job we finished before our big trip–the flooring.

We used Bennett Valley Oak Waterproof Laminate Flooring. It uses a seemingly simple locking system and came with underlayment. Thomas made us some wonderful boxes to cover the wheel wells we hoped would help reduce the amount of cutting we would have to do by providing straight edges. In that respect we were actually correct, and thank goodness because every cut we actually had to make was a huge chore. I had to recut one piece with a crazy shape in the front of the van five times to get it right.

Ultimately, we spent two weeks getting this flooring in. We got the first row down without issue…all three times we restarted. It was once we got to the second and third rows we ran into issues. Thomas described it very aptly as “trying to work with the worst kind of Legos.” In our attempts to get one plank locked in, half the time it knocked another out of place. The final time I restarted with all of my planks cut and measured took me about three hours of methodical work with my mallet.

Our other issue was we were working in the hottest part of the Tucson summer. On average while we were working on our flooring, the temperature was around 108°F. Our insulation is good enough in the heat to keep pretty even with outside temperature. That is impressive considering internal temperatures in a car can reach upwards of 170°F on a hot day. However, that is still not a comfortable temperature to work in! Most of the days we brought out our battery and hooked up our fans to give us airflow which made it pretty close to bearable. Eventually, we finally decided it was worth the gas money to turn on the van for a while for the AC. Our insulation really shone then as we were able to get it down to 79°F in the back of the van which stuck for a good 15-20 minutes after the van was off.

I know I learned a lot about myself through this process as far as my work preferences…and how I need to work on my patience. The first week we were working on the flooring, there was a decent bit of fighting between Thomas and me. The heat of course didn’t help, but the big issue was that fitting the planks together was really a one-person job. When both of us were out in the van trying to work on it, it was always one of us actually doing something while the other stared and felt useless or in the way. Our second week of work went loads better when Thomas let my OCD side take control of actually laying the flooring and he was in charge of making any cuts I still needed. That way we were both doing something, working toward our strengths, and not getting in each other’s way.

Once we were finally done, Thomas drilled aluminum angle into both openings to secure the flooring and finish it off. I am so pleased with the way it looks and simply delighted to have that job finished.