Okay, so yesterday I decided to finally tackle that Allwoods Solvalla project I’d been putting off. Man, what a ride it turned out to be. Let me walk you through exactly what I did and what I learned the messy way.
Getting Started (And Stumbling Immediately)
First off, I grabbed the Solvalla kit from the shed. Looked simple enough in the pictures, right? Wrong. I opened the box and just kinda stared at all the pieces. Didn’t really know where to begin. So I just jumped in, trying to fit board A into slot B like the basic leaflet showed. Yeah… pieces weren’t lining up smooth at all. Got frustrated real quick, felt like I was forcing things. Knew this brute-force method wouldn’t end well.
Time for Some Research (The ‘Duh’ Moment)
Gave up wrestling with the wood and finally did what I should’ve done first: looked up real people talking about putting Solvalla together. Found a bunch of forum chats. First big tip slapped me in the face: Check Each Piece FIRST. Apparently, some pieces warp a tiny bit straight out the box. Went back, pulled every single plank and support beam out. Ran my hands along them, laid them flat. Sure enough, two planks had a slight curve. Put those aside to use later where it mattered less. Instant facepalm moment for skipping this.
The “Foundation” Key (Tip Two Rocks)
Started laying the base frame again. But this time, super focused on Tip Two: Get the Base Rock Solid Before ANYTHING Else. This meant using my level constantly, checking diagonals for squareness, adjusting those little leg feet millimeter by millimeter until it was dead level and didn’t have a hint of wobble. Took ages, but man, once that base sat firm, adding the first actual floor boards felt amazing. They clicked right in, no forcing. Huge difference from my first attempt.
Click, Don’t Hammer (Tip Three Saves Your Thumbs)
Putting the main floorboards together is supposed to be this slick click-system. My first go, I kinda bashed them with a mallet (gently!…ish). Saw scratches starting. Remembered Tip Three: Lay Planks Flat, Angle & Click, Don’t Pound. Next plank, I laid it totally flat on the installed piece, tipped the new end down towards it at an angle so the tongue slid under the groove, then pressed down firmly along the whole length. Heard this satisfying series of clicks as it locked itself in place. Smooth. No hammer needed, no damage. Learned my lesson about forcing things.
Corners and Edges (Tip Four FTW)
Things were cruising until I hit the corners. Tried forcing the end cap pieces straight on. Wouldn’t sit flush. Ugh. Time for Tip Four: Corners Need the ‘Snap & Slide’ Trick. Got the piece angled just right, got one locking edge started and clicked in, then slid the whole piece along that locked edge into place. Felt it engage properly with the adjoining side piece as I slid. Suddenly they snapped together perfectly. So much easier than trying to push straight down on the whole thing at once.
The Hidden Weapon (Tip Five Cleans Up)
Building looked great! But stepping back, I saw dust and tiny wood shavings from assembly nestled in the gaps between some boards. Ignore that, and it just looks dirty forever. Tip Five to the rescue: Vacuum Cracks and Grooves IMMEDIATELY. Grabbed the shop vac with the narrow nozzle attachment right then, before the project was even “done.” Went meticulously over every joint, every groove. Blew out what the vac didn’t get with compressed air. The difference? Night and day. It looked crisp, clean, professional.
The Payoff
Finished up the last bits – minor stuff like sealing the cuts I made. Stepped back. Boom. A fully assembled Allwoods Solvalla deck, looking sharp and solid as a rock. Took way longer than the box promised, sure. Made plenty of dumb mistakes early on. But honestly? Actually following those five key tips – checking pieces, nailing the base, clicking not pounding, mastering the slide, and cleaning as I went – turned a potential disaster into a success. Feels good. Still fixing coffee spills on the thing, though.
