Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post, channeling that down-to-earth, experienced blogger vibe, about installing LVL volleyball hard maple assembly wooden flooring:

Alright, so I decided to tackle a pretty big project – putting in a new floor for my home volleyball practice area. I went with this LVL hard maple assembly, mainly ’cause it seemed tough and I liked the look. This wasn’t a quick weekend job, lemme tell ya!

Getting Started

First thing, I cleared out the entire space. EVERYTHING. Furniture, rugs, the old, sad-looking laminate… all gone. Then came the fun part – checking the subfloor. Gotta make sure that thing is level, or you’re gonna have a wonky floor, and nobody wants that.

I used a long level, I found some low spots. So out came the self-leveling compound. That stuff is messy, but pretty satisfying to work with. You just mix it up, pour it on, and let it do its thing. It finds the low spots and evens everything out. I waited for it to dry completely – like, a full day – before I even thought about touching it.

The Main Event: Laying the Floor

Next up, the underlayment. I used a basic foam underlayment, It’s supposed to help with sound dampening and a little bit of cushioning. Rolled that out, taped the seams, and it was ready to go.

• Unboxing: When the maple flooring arrived, I opened all the boxes and let the wood sit in the room for a few days. They say this “acclimation” thing helps prevent warping later.
• The First Row: This is the MOST IMPORTANT part. I spent a ton of time making sure the first row was perfectly straight and aligned. I used spacers to keep a gap around the edges of the room – expansion and contraction, you know? Wood moves!
• Clicking It In: This LVL stuff had a click-lock system. Some pieces went in super easy, others… not so much. I have a rubber mallet, I became very good friends. Tap, tap, tap… click!
• Cutting: There were cuts to be made, that’s for certain. Angles around doorways, fitting the last pieces in a row… I used a jigsaw for most of it, and a circular saw for the long, straight cuts. Measure twice, cut once! That’s what kept repeating in my head.

Finishing Touches

Once all the flooring was down, I installed the baseboards. It really finished off the look, covering up those expansion gaps. A little bit of caulk to fill in any tiny gaps, and it looked pretty darn professional, if I do say so myself.

Finally, I gave the whole floor a good cleaning. Got rid of all the sawdust and footprints. It was a LOT of work, but seeing the finished product? Totally worth it. Now I’ve got a solid, good-looking floor that can handle some serious volleyball action. My next project? Building the actual net support, time to get to work!