Okay, here’s my blog post about assembling that volleyball court flooring:

Man, let me tell you about this weekend project. I decided it was finally time to put down that cushions volleyball birch assembled wooden flooring I’d had sitting in the garage. You know, the kind that’s supposed to make playing volleyball a little easier on the knees? Yeah, well, “easy” is a relative term.

Getting Started (and Immediately Hitting a Snag)

First, I cleared out the space. This involved moving a bunch of old boxes, some dusty sports equipment, and a surprisingly heavy weight bench. I thought I had prepped the concrete subfloor pretty well, but of course, I found a couple of spots that needed a little extra leveling. Out came the self-leveling compound, and another hour added to the project time.

The “Assembled” Part… Not So Assembled

The flooring was advertised as “assembled,” which I foolishly interpreted as “ready to go.” Nope. It came in these big panels, sure, but each panel was made up of smaller birch planks that needed to be interlocked. Think giant, heavy puzzle pieces.

I interlocked them according to the instruction.

• I laid out the first row of panels, making sure they were straight and aligned with the longest wall. This took some fiddling, I’m not gonna lie.
• Then, I started connecting the next row. The “cushions” part is this rubbery layer underneath the wood, which is supposed to provide some give. It also made it a bit tricky to get the planks to snap together perfectly.
• My back started to complain around row three. I took a break, stretched, and questioned all my life choices.
• I kept going, row by row, using a rubber mallet (gently!) to persuade the stubborn pieces into place.

The Finishing Touches (and the Relief)

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I got all the panels down. I had to trim a few pieces along the edges to fit the space, which involved a circular saw and a lot of sawdust. (Note to self: wear a better mask next time.)

I installed the transition strips where the wood met the other flooring in the room, just to make it look a little more professional. And then… I stood back and admired my handiwork. It wasn’t perfect, but it was done. And it actually looked pretty good!

My knees might not thank me immediately (all that kneeling!), but I’m hoping they’ll appreciate the extra cushioning during the next volleyball game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go ice my back.