Okay, here’s my blog post about installing that volleyball court flooring:

Alright, so the other day I took on this project – installing some new flooring for a volleyball court. It was that “batten” type, made of soft maple, and it’s the kind you assemble yourself. Let me tell you, it was a bit of a process, but pretty satisfying in the end.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the entire space. This wasn’t just a quick sweep-up; I moved everything out, gave the old floor a good scrub, and made sure it was totally level. I even used a leveler in a few spots where it was a little uneven. That’s super important, or your new floor will be all wonky.

The Underlayment

Next, I rolled out this underlayment. It’s like a thin, foamy layer that goes between the concrete and the wood. It helps with sound dampening and gives the floor a little bit of “give,” which is nice for playing sports on. I made sure to overlap the edges and taped them down securely.

Laying the Battens

Now for the battens. These are basically long strips of wood that create the framework for the floor. I laid them out according to the instructions, making sure they were evenly spaced and running perpendicular to the direction the floorboards would go. I used a chalk line to keep everything straight – that’s a lifesaver!

Then use the nail fixed them to the ground.

Assembling the Floorboards

This is where it got a little tedious. Each floorboard has these little grooves on the sides, and they fit together like puzzle pieces. I started in one corner and worked my way across, tapping each board into place with a rubber mallet. You gotta be careful not to damage the edges, but you also want them to fit snugly.

• Line up the grooves.
• Tap gently with the mallet.
• Check for gaps.
• Repeat a million times.

It is very important to check for gaps.

The Finishing Touches

Once all the floorboards were down, I installed the baseboards around the edges to cover up the expansion gap. (You need that gap because wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity.) Then I gave the whole floor a good cleaning.

Finally, I stood back and admired my handiwork. It looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. Now there’s a brand-new, beautiful volleyball court ready for some * I fell pretty good.