Okay, so I’ve got this volleyball engineer board project for our local community center. Needed to install wooden flooring that could handle jumps and dives without cracking after six months. Thought it’d be simple woodwork – ha! Six planks split and three trips to Home Depot later, here’s what actually worked.

Started with the foundation mess

First mistake? Didn’t prep the base right. Slapped planks straight onto concrete like an idiot. Moisture warped everything in two weeks. Dug out the ruined boards, swept like crazy, then rolled out this rubber underlayment I found. Looks like thick bubble wrap but bouncy. Laid it like carpet edge-to-edge before even touching wood. That cushion stopped the sweat problems underneath.

Cutting without killing planks

Tried saving time with power saws – splintered oak everywhere. Switched to this hand tool called a Japanese pull saw. Thing cuts slower than my grandma but cleaner than surgical scissors. Marked lines with blue painter’s tape first so the wood wouldn’t chip. Saved three planks I’d have ruined otherwise.

Nailing nightmare solutions

Regular hammer + nails? Bent half of them. Bought a pneumatic floor nailer after watching some contractor’s TikTok demo. Loud as heck but shoots nails diagonally through the plank tongue. Trick: stomped on each board HARD before nailing. Used a scrap wood buffer block so the nail gun wouldn’t dent the surface. Suddenly rows clicked together snug.

Glue wars

The gap filling was brutal. Squeezed liquid wood filler like frosting – dried lumpy and stained the wood. Switched to mixing sawdust with wood glue into paste. Stuffed it into cracks with an old gift card. Sanded smooth after 24 hours. Looks seamless now.

Sealing disasters

First coat of polyurethane went on thick with a paint roller. Sticky spots never dried properly. Nearly cried. Rented a floor buffer, sanded everything again lightly. Used a foam brush for the next three thin coats, waiting a day between each. That patience made it shine without bubbles or peel marks.

Final court held up for eight months now – no splits even after tournaments. What saved my sanity? Those five things: underlayment armor, that slow saw, stomp-nail ritual, glue-dust putty, and the tortoise-paced sealing. Would’ve saved weeks knowing this earlier.