Okay folks, buckle up because installing that fancy soft maple volleyball floor pad kit wasn’t exactly the breeze I pictured from the marketing photos. Here’s how my Sunday afternoon actually went down.

The “Easy” Setup Begins

Dumped the big box in my garage like “How hard can this be?” Unpacked all the maple planks – looked real nice, gotta say. Felt smooth, smelled woody. Then I saw the baggie with fifty thousand tiny screws, nuts, and bolts. My mood kinda dipped. Read the instruction sheet they included. Paper felt thin, diagrams looked like someone drew them real quick after lunch. Already knew I was in for it.

Figuring Out The Frame Mess

Started trying to connect those metal frame pieces. Pushed rod A into slot B like it showed. One side clicked fine, but the other? Nope. Flipped it around three times, still nothing. Got my rubber mallet involved – gentle taps first. Useless. Ended up whacking it kinda hard and suddenly CLANK – oh, so that’s where it goes! Felt like I brute-forced every single joint. Sweat was building.

The Padding Puzzle

Thought the foam padding would be simple. Just roll it out under the frame, right? Wrong. The big roll was stubborn, kept curling up at the corners. Tried taping it down to the concrete – duct tape ripped off the foam like it was allergic. Had to weight it down with paint cans and my old dumbbell set. Looked ridiculous, but hey, it sorta stayed flat.

Plank Panic Time

Here came the maple planks. Instruction diagram showed them just dropping into the frame. Pure fantasy. Lined up the first plank real careful. Looked good! Went to connect plank number two… slight gap. Like a tiny sliver of light peeking through. Pushed harder. Nothing. Pulled it back out, checked the connection strip. Little wood sliver was stuck in it from the factory – picked it out with my fingernail. Second plank? Clicked okay. Third? Same gap problem! Turns out you gotta really thrust your weight down at a specific angle while pushing it forward. Got it on the fifth try. My back wasn’t happy.

Screwdriver Symphony

Needed to anchor the outer frame. Tiny pilot holes were marked on the planks. Held the bracket over the hole, grabbed a screw. First screwdriver was too fat. Second was too long. Found a stubby one buried in my toolbox. Tried turning it… screw slipped, left a nasty little scrape on that pretty maple surface. Ugh. Swore softly. Got the screw mostly in, but it didn’t feel flush. Left it alone before I made it worse. Did the other anchors the same way – not perfect, but functional. Probably.

The Final “Victory”

Stepped back after the last plank went in. Looked like an actual court! Pretty proud moment. Did my kid immediately test it? You bet. Rolled a volleyball across it… caught a little on one plank seam. Might need another whack tomorrow. Looks pro… as long as you don’t look too close.

So yeah, “easy” care tips? Maybe not so easy to build! My tip number one: Clear your entire afternoon and have patience (and extra tape) ready.