Alright, let’s talk about my recent adventure in DIY: putting in a keel volleyball solid assembly wooden floor. It sounded intimidating at first, but honestly, it was a pretty fun project.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the entire room. Everything, and I mean everything, had to go. This gave me a blank canvas to work with and, more importantly, space to maneuver those long planks.

Next up, I inspected the subfloor. It was concrete, thankfully, and pretty level. I did find a few minor cracks, so I filled those in with some concrete patch. Better safe than sorry, right? I let that dry completely, which took a good day.

The Keel System

This is where it got interesting. Instead of laying the floor directly on the concrete, I used a keel system. Basically, it’s like a framework of wooden “sleepers” that create an air gap underneath the floor. This is supposed to be good for shock absorption – perfect for volleyball, I figured!

I laid out the keel pieces according to the instructions. This took some planning, making sure everything was spaced correctly and, most importantly, level. I used a long level and some shims to get it all perfectly even. This part was crucial; a wonky keel system would mean a wonky floor.

Laying the Floor

Once the keel was solid, it was time for the actual flooring. I started along the longest wall, leaving a small expansion gap (the instructions emphasized this!). I used a combination of glue and nails to secure the planks to the keel.

• Glue: I applied a bead of construction adhesive along the grooves of each plank.
• Nails: I used a flooring nailer (rented this bad boy) to drive nails through the tongues of the planks into the keel.

Plank by plank, I worked my way across the room. It was like a giant puzzle, making sure each piece fit snugly against the next. I used a tapping block and a rubber mallet to get them nice and tight. This part was actually pretty satisfying, seeing the floor take shape.

Finishing Touches

After all the planks were down, I installed the baseboards around the perimeter of the room. This covered up the expansion gap and gave it a nice, finished look. I used a miter saw to cut the corners at 45-degree angles – felt like a real carpenter there!

Finally, I gave the whole floor a good cleaning. There was sawdust everywhere. Once it was clean, I could really appreciate the finished product. It looked great, felt solid underfoot, and I was pretty darn proud of myself for pulling it off.

It was a lot of work, sure, but totally worth it. Now I’ve got a volleyball-ready floor, and I did it all myself! Time to break it in!