Fargo, North Dakota.

So this week’s feature can be called “Untravel Tuesday.” While COVID-19 is upticking through much of the country, it has been trending downward in North Dakota. One of the things I missed most over the last few months is daily attendance at the fitness center for my cardio and weight classes. The center I regularly use in Fargo is Total Balance. They offer physical therapy, a workout area, and exercise classes. I’ve been a member since 2008. Though their physical therapists have been available by appointment, the center was closed to members until recently. The instructors, however, like many around the country, are offering online classes. Now that they’ve reopened, class sizes are severely restricted, with online sign-ups on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, they are broadcast on Facebook Live for those who prefer to continue working out from home.

During their closure to members, though, I needed something at home to continue my workouts. Unlike most centers, the owners of Total Balance offered to loan members any weight equipment they wished to use at home until the center reopened. For the cost of a held check that would be shredded upon the equipment’s return, I borrowed a bench and a barbell set. I didn’t want to subject the carpet in our spare bedroom/office to the wear and tear of daily exercise for Lynn and me. I had some boxes of engineered hardwood flooring left over from a remodeling project a few years ago.  I put one box of flooring together, and that worked for a while, but since I didn’t glue the floor (hoping we wouldn’t have it long), it would slip apart at the joints during exercise. I finally decided it was time for a project.

The opening photo shows off the completed floor, built for about $20 using flooring I already had. Looking online, 20 sq feet (1 box) of laminate flooring is available for $20-25 or so. The photo below shows the underside and lists the tools and parts needed to complete the project. Your mileage may vary. Regular hardwood flooring might work, but it is usually much thicker and heavier, making the floor far less portable. Also, finding J-channel or other border material would be more challenging.

Supplies:
1 box (approximately 20 sq ft) of laminate or engineered hardwood flooring
1 bottle of wood glue (to secure each plank of flooring together)
1/2-inch J-channel to trim around the edge of the floor
1/2- to 1-inch composite trim to reinforce the floor underneath
Duct tape (because you can’t build anything without duct tape)

Tools:
Tape measure
A multi-tool or a small hand saw to cut the J-channel and trim
Hot glue gun and glue sticks to fasten the trim and J-channel to the flooring
A putty knife is only needed if you get messy with the hot glue gun and need to scrape up glue after it hardens (don’t get any on the carpet).

I probably over-engineered the trim support. They had only 1/2-inch flat composite trim, so I doubled up each row. An 8-foot section was only $2.47, so I figured more was better. The purpose of the trim isn’t to support the floor or keep it from bending like a floor joist system would. It’s simply insurance that the stresses on the floor as it’s being used don’t cause the floor joints to separate. Using several rows distributes the support across the floor span, making the floor section more stable when picked up and moved.

I installed the J-channel around the border after installing the support trim pieces. When you cut the trim, be sure to cut it short enough to allow the bottom of the J-channel to fully slide onto the edges of the floor. I finished the project by applying a couple of layers of duct tape to each trim piece to keep carpet fibers from slipping under the trim and being pulled out when we lifted or moved the floor. If you have any questions about the project, leave them in the comments section. It took longer to visit the store and find the trim pieces than to put the project together.

When the Total Balance re-opened and I knew I’d be returning the bench and weight set, I went online and ordered my own set. Now I have the option to work out at home with online training or head to the center to use the machines. I’m not ready to attend classes in person again, but I am going at least twice a week to work out on machines, carefully wiping down each piece of equipment with disinfectant before and after I use it. The workout areas haven’t been crowded at all, allowing me to choose equipment thatis more than “socially distant” from other members working out.

I know this topic is pretty far away from the usual Travel Tuesday or even my typical digression, but these are unusual times. Stay safe and follow your jurisdiction’s guidance for your own health and safety.

John Steiner