Starting the Volleyball Court Fix Journey

Our community volleyball court’s birch wood flooring looked like crap after last winter. Warped planks everywhere, gaps you could trip on, and splinters waiting to happen. Couldn’t let players wreck their knees on this mess.

First things first – gathering materials:

• Got solid birch planks from Joe’s Lumberyard (pricey but worth it)
• Snagged exterior-grade wood glue
• Dust masks and knee pads because nobody likes splinters
• Borrowed Frank’s power sander and heavy-duty crowbar

Ripping Out the Rotten Bits

Started at dawn before summer heat hit. Took that crowbar to the worst warped boards near the net post – they crumbled like stale crackers. Dug out nasty wet mulch underneath where water pooled last rainy season. Found three ant colonies living rent-free under there!

Cleared debris wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow. Took three trips to dump the rotten wood chunks. Sweated through my shirt before 9 AM, but the satisfaction of seeing clean groundwork? Priceless.

Laying Down New Bones

Measured twice before cutting any planks. Birch wood doesn’t cut clean if you rush – learned that the hard way when first board split diagonally. Had to recut. Marked nail points every 8 inches because old gaps caused that warping mess. Slathered glue like peanut butter on each plank’s edge before hammering. That sticky mess got everywhere!

Key move? Left pinky-finger gaps between boards – not too tight, not too loose. Summer heat makes wood swell, learned that lesson from last year’s disaster.

Sandstorm Central

Used 80-grit sandpaper first to flatten those pesky millimeter-height differences between boards. Got wood dust in places you wouldn’t believe – eyebrows, ears, even inside my socks! Switched to 120-grit for smoothing. Wiped down with damp rags between passes. Chest and arms felt like overcooked noodles after six hours of sanding.

Final Touches & Test Run

Waited overnight for dust to settle. Did barefoot test – no snags, no splinters, just smooth cool birch. Saw neighborhood kids eyeing the court, so grabbed a ball and yelled “First spike test!” Felt that sweet solid thump when the ball hit fresh wood. Even took a dramatic dive to test knee-slide friction – totally worth the grass stains.

Will it last? Ask me after next winter. For now? Grab your kneepads and come play.