Okay so here’s how that annoying patch job went down on my beat-up volleyball court flooring. Honestly, those larch planks took a pounding last season – especially right near the net. Found one spot looking real sad, all dented and scratched up, probably from someone diving like crazy. Couldn’t leave it like that, stuff starts splintering.

Finding the Trouble Spot & Getting Ready

First thing, I dragged my rusty wheelbarrow over to the storage shed. Dug out the leftover larch planks from last year’s install – thank goodness I kept some! Grabbed a claw hammer, my old circular saw, that fancy Kreg jig I barely understand, some wood glue, and the bag of deck screws. Almost forgot the moisture meter! Stuck it into the dodgy plank and the good ones nearby. Readings were close enough – phew, no sneaky dampness underneath.

Marked out the bad section real careful with a fat carpenter’s pencil and a metal yardstick. Wanted straight lines, not some wobbly mess. Went outside the damage, about an inch into solid wood on both ends. Took my circular saw, set it to the plank’s depth – felt that familiar sawdust spray. Cut along the lines slowly. Tried prying the middle piece out with the claw hammer… wouldn’t budge. Stupid adhesive! Ended up cutting it into smaller chunks with a jab saw just to rip it out piece by piece. Took forever. Sweaty mess already.

Fitting the Patch Like a Puzzle

Measured the hole like ten times. Went back to the leftover planks. Found one that looked decent, similar grain, not too many knots. Measured again, marked my cut lines, said a little prayer. Fired up the saw. Cut the new piece slightly bigger, just a hair. Had to shave the edges down with a belt sander later to get it to actually drop into the hole without forcing it. Sanded and sanded, little bits at a time, checking fit constantly. Felt like forever. Finally… thunk… it settled in. Little gaps, but acceptable. Level felt good across the top.

Making It Stay Put (Hopefully!)

Figured pocket holes were the way to go underneath. Didn’t wanna see screws on top. Set the Kreg jig for the plank thickness – that instruction sheet confuses me every time. Clamped the dang thing onto the side of the new piece near the ends. Drilled the angled holes. Felt like my shoulder was gonna fall off – that drill kicked hard. Squirted wood glue on the tongues and grooves, rubbed it in messy. Dropped the piece back in. Wiped off the excess glue that oozed out like snot. Got underneath the deck with my impact driver, lined up the deck screws into those pocket holes, and cranked them in tight. Good solid bite.

Final Touch-Ups & Cleanup Chaos

Had a little dip near one end. Mixed up some wood filler paste, glopped it in, smoothed it down like spackle. Sanded the whole patch area smooth with 120 grit, then again with 220. Felt like butter. Blew off all the dust with my compressor – ended up coated head to toe, looked ridiculous. Applied my usual outdoor tung oil finish to the patch and a bit onto the surrounding planks for color match. Left it alone for a full day to cure. Looked at it yesterday – seems solid. Gotta see how it holds up when the kids smash a ball into it next week.

Honestly? Took way longer than planned. That old adhesive nearly broke me. But hey, saved myself a chunk of cash, and that worn spot ain’t gonna cause injuries now. Worth the dust bath.