Why Volleyball Pad Parquet? Let’s Do This!

Okay folks, so last month my garage floor looked like a dumpster fire – cracks everywhere from years of kids jumping around. Decided enough was enough, gotta build a proper volleyball pad. Ordered pre-cut parquet planks online cause screw cutting measurements myself.

The Gear Grab

First thing I did? Dug out my toolkit like an archeologist:

• Rubber mallet – gotta smack those planks without dents
• Tape measure obviously (mine’s older than my dog)
• Glue gun – cheap stuff from my kid’s craft bin
• Level – found it behind paint cans covered in dust
• Old yoga mats – doubled as subfloor padding!

Surprisingly didn’t need fancy stuff. Neighbor tried telling me about vapor barriers and crap – ignored that noise.

Floor Prep Disaster Zone

Swept concrete like a madman, still found pebbles stuck in corners. Washed it down and waited two days – concrete stayed damp! Said screw it, laid yoga mats anyway. That green foam looked like rotten lettuce but did the job.

The Assembly Shuffle

Started snapping planks together from corner like puzzle pieces. Mallet taps worked fine till plank 7 got stubborn. Smacked it harder and crack – corner split like a peanut shell. Total facepalm moment. Used extra glue on the next one. Pattern got confusing when hitting the wall edge – ended up with wonky V-shape but whatever.

Glue Gun Battle Royale

Here’s where things got sticky – literally. Glue strands kept sticking to my fingers like spiderwebs. Had to wipe hands on jeans every 5 minutes. Forgot the gap spacing rule until last row. Used broken pencil pieces as spacers – improvise baby! Bottom edge dried crooked but nobody’ll see it behind the couch.

Final Taps & Reality Check

Swept sawdust off the planks, poured water to check level. Half the water ran left – looks like that “rotten lettuce” yoga mat settled weird. Too late to fix now! Threw the ball around with my kid – bounced fine. Mission accomplished despite looking slightly drunk.

Lesson learned? DIY projects never go smooth but that’s the fun part. Next time maybe skip the yoga mat floor padding though…