Alright folks, let me tell ya about the absolute mission I tackled yesterday: putting down that fixed volleyball beech assembly wooden floor for my buddy’s garage setup. Wanted a proper court feel, ya know? Not that plastic stuff. Heard about this beech wood approach online and figured, how hard can it be? Spoiler: it was a proper workout.
Starting Point: The Messy Pile
Picture this: A massive truck dumps this huge pile of flat wooden planks – all smooth beech finish – right in my driveway. Plus a giant bag of weird metal connector bits and these thick plastic spacers. No instructions. None. Zip. Just stared at the pile, drank some coffee, and thought “Right, let’s sort this mess out.” Took me ages just to lay all the planks out roughly where they should go, flipping them over to find the grooves and tongues. Matching them felt like a giant, heavy puzzle.
Getting the First Row Down
Kicked things off by smacking down the starter planks along one wall. Sounds simple? Ha! Getting that first row perfectly straight felt like herding cats. Used a fat piece of chalk and my longest level to scratch a guideline on the concrete. Then came the fun part – those connector bits. Little metal angles that slot underneath the ends of the planks. Had to kneel down, shove my arm under, and wrestle these things into place. Cussed a few times when I pinched a finger. Bolted them tight into the concrete below with my trusty drill. Made sure they were dead flush with the wall before I locked ’em down.
Locking ‘Em In & That Tricky Gap
Next plank? Lift it up, angle it just right, and basically slam the little groove on its side onto the tongue of the plank I’d just secured. Felt like throwing a punch sometimes to get it clicked in. Made a satisfying ‘thunk’ noise when it sat right. But here’s the clever bit – there was this pile of thin plastic spacers. Had to stick one right smack in the gap between each plank. Every single time. Annoying? You bet. But apparently that tiny gap – we’re talking barely thicker than my phone case – was crucial. The dude who sold it kept saying “Stops the boards warping, lets ’em move when you jump, keeps you from wrecking your knees!” Guess it handles the sideways smashes when you dive for the ball.
Working Across the Grind
After the first row, it was rinse and repeat. More metal angle connectors underneath, lift plank, angle, slam down onto the row below, thunk!, stick the stupid spacer in the end gap. Moving across the floor felt slow. My back started yelling by row five. Found a rhythm though – kneel, connect below, lift plank, angle-slam, whack with a rubber mallet along the top edge to make sure it was really tight, jam spacer in. Move sideways. Kneel again. Felt like I did squats for three hours.
The Drainage Surprise (And Rain Test!)
Halfway through, noticed something cool. All those planks? They weren’t solid wood underneath. They had this crazy honeycomb pattern of holes underneath. At first I thought it was just to save weight – and yeah, the planks were heavy despite the holes. But the real kicker came later. We were almost done when the sky decided to laugh at us. Little summer drizzle turned into proper rain. Instead of becoming a swimming pool, the water just… vanished. It poured right through those tiny holes underneath! Didn’t sit on top at all. The court wasn’t finished, so we threw a tarp over it fast, but seeing that water disappear down into the gaps under the floor instead of pooling? That felt like a win. Remembered the dealer mumbling about “self-draining” – guess he wasn’t kidding.
Final Touches and That Pro Feel
Took way longer than planned (doesn’t it always?), but finally got the last plank locked in near the opposite wall. Yanked out all those little plastic spacers (felt weirdly good chucking them back in the box). Rolled out the volleyball, gave it a bounce right in the center. Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! Felt crisp. Firm. Solid. Exactly like bouncing it on that crazy expensive wooden court at the community center, honestly. Jumped around like an idiot, landed hard. Floor didn’t creak, didn’t shift, just felt… solid. Like it belonged there. Even my buddy’s heavy metal net posts sunk into place without making the wood dip or buckle underneath.
End of the day, sore as heck, but standing on that beech wood? Made the sweat and the pinched fingers worth it. Much better surface than plastic tiles. Weather doesn’t wreck it like soggy grass, and that bounce… money. Anyone thinking about it? Budget for beer and ibuprofen. You’ll need ’em.
