Why I Went With This Flooring

Okay folks, so my old backyard volleyball pad? Total mess. Cracks everywhere, trip hazards you wouldn’t believe. Time for a serious upgrade. After digging around online and pestering a few friends who’ve done similar stuff, I landed on this Best Pad Volleyball Oak Assembled Flooring kit. Sounded pretty solid, promised easy assembly, and the oak finish looked darn good in the pictures.

Getting My Gear Together

First things first, gotta clear the battleground. Shoved all the old broken bits into the dumpster – felt good! Swept the concrete slab underneath super clean. You do NOT wanna leave pebbles or dirt down there, trust me. Then, I checked the kit parts:

• The tiles themselves: Heavy duty plastic things with fake oak glued on top. Weird to call it ‘assembled’ flooring when it clicks together, but whatever.
• Edging trim: These plastic strips to go around the outside.
• Stupid little connectors: Small plastic bits for joining pieces.

Grabbed my tools: rubber mallet (essential!), tape measure, chalk line, utility knife, and a level. Might as well wear gloves too, the plastic edges can be sharp.

The Click-Clack Struggle Begins

Laid out the first row super carefully. Measured twice, chalked a straight line on the concrete. Plunked the first tile down near one corner. Okay, feeling confident! Went to slap the next tile onto its side. The connectors underneath weren’t having it. Fiddled with the angle for a good ten minutes, cursing quietly. Finally figured out you gotta lift it slightly while pushing, then slam it down hard with the mallet. CLUNK – satisfying!

Kept going row by row. Sometimes the tiles didn’t want to sit perfectly flat. Had to whack them relentlessly with the mallet. Level kept showing slight dips or bumps. On the third row, realized one tile was slightly twisted. Had to disconnect the entire dang row and swap that one tile out. Minor panic attack!

Edges & Trims: The Finishing Touches

Got the main playing area clicked together after a few sweaty hours. Looked pretty awesome already. Time for the edging trim. These pieces just click onto the sides of the tiles. Sounds easy? Ha! Getting them to click all the way around smoothly was another wrestle. Some spots needed serious mallet persuasion. Trimmed the ends of the trim pieces with the utility knife to fit – measure thrice, cut once!

Stomping On It & Calling It Done

Finally, gave the whole pad a really thorough stomp test. Walked all over it, jumped on the seams. Everything felt solid, no clicks or shifts. Used the level again – good enough for government work! Not perfectly flat like glass, but darn close and way better than anything I’ve done before. Swept it off, stood back, and admired my work. Took most of a Saturday, but hey, no more cracked concrete and twisted ankles!

What I Learned (The Hard Way)

Main takeaways? Patience is key. That clicking system isn’t always intuitive. Don’t be afraid to hit it hard with the mallet – seriously. Check level as you go – way easier to fix one wonky tile early than a whole section later. And clear and level your base like crazy before even touching the tiles. Overall, super happy with how it turned out. Feels like a real mini volleyball court now! Just gotta break it in properly with a game soon.