So yesterday I found a big problem with our volleyball court – that birch wood flooring was wobbling like crazy near the net post. Almost twisted my ankle during warmups! Grabbed my toolbox right after practice cause I couldn’t stand looking at that death trap anymore.

Step 1: Yanking Out the Mess

First thing – ripped up those wobbly planks with my crowbar. Man, the rot underneath smelled like wet dog! Saw why it failed though, the old screws were barely biting into the joists. Like trying to hold a tank with bandaids.

Step 2: Cutting New Pieces

Dragged out my spare birch planks from the shed. Measured the gap twice ’cause screw-ups cost money, right? Used my circular saw to cut three fresh boards. Pro tip: always cut slightly bigger – you can sand down but can’t stretch wood!

Step 3: Securing the Base

Reinforced the joists with 2x4s where they looked weak. Hammered those support beams in HARD – my neighbors probably thought I was building a bomb. Checked levelness with my trusty spirit level. Bubble’s gotta be dead center or your spikes go sideways.

Step 4: Locking Down the Floor

Laid the new boards with half-inch gaps for drainage. Drilled pilot holes first ’cause birch splits if you just ram screws in. Used marine-grade galvanized screws this time – these bad boys won’t rust even if we spill Gatorade daily. Countersunk every screw deep enough to hide from shoes.

Final Touch: Smooth Operator

Sandpaper time! Went 80-grit then 120-grit over the whole patch. Vacuumed up the dust before brushing on outdoor polyurethane. Three coats with drying time between – watched three volleyball matches on my phone while waiting.

Tested it this morning – solid as concrete! Jumped hard near the net post, even slid sideways. That sweet scraping sound? Pure satisfaction. Total cost under $40 and five hours work. Still got sawdust in my hair though!