Why I Decided to Fix My Volleyball Court Floor

So last Tuesday I went to play volleyball with my buddies, and man, that court was rough. Every time I jumped, the wooden boards creaked like crazy under my feet. Some planks were wobbling worse than a loose tooth, and I almost twisted my ankle landing on a gap. Right then I thought – enough’s enough, gonna fix this myself.

What I Gathered First

Before doing anything, I checked that old maple flooring real close. Found 4 rotten planks near the net pole where rain always puddles. Grabbed my toolbox and went shopping:

• 6 identical maple boards from the hardware store
• Two tubes of exterior wood glue
• Box of rust-proof nails
• Sandpaper sheets – medium and fine grit
• Outdoor wood stain leftover from my shed project

The Actual Fixing Process

Started real early Saturday morning while the dew was still wet. First yanked out those busted boards with a crowbar – they came up like butter ’cause the ends were mush. Cleaned out all the dirt and dead bugs wedged in the joints with a wire brush. Cut the new boards to size using my neighbor’s table saw – measured three times just to be safe.

Slathered wood glue on the support beams like frosting a cake, then slammed each board in place. Hammered nails at an angle every foot or so, wiping off glue splurges with a rag. Next came the annoying part – sanding every inch until my arm felt like jelly. Finally slapped on two coats of that honey-colored stain using an old sock, drying between coats with beer breaks.

What Actually Worked (And Didn’t)

Let me tell ya, those rust-proof nails? Total win – no reddish streaks after rain. But I screwed up the wood color match big time. The new boards stuck out like bandaged fingers ’cause I forgot maple darkens with age. Also should’ve bought extra boards – snapped one trying to curve it around the pole base. Had to make another hardware store run dripping sweat in my work boots.

The real test came Sunday when the team showed up. We jumped and stomped on that patched area like crazy people. Felt solid as concrete! Only thing? Forgot to sand one board edge smooth – poor Mike got a splinter diving for a ball. Gotta fix that tomorrow.

Final Thoughts

Total cost was about 75 bucks and 12 hours of work. Beats paying some contractor hundreds to wait weeks. That satisfying “thump” when the ball bounces on solid wood? Priceless. Though next time I’m mixing stain with coffee grounds to age the new boards faster. Lesson learned – beer and power tools don’t mix. Almost nailed my sneaker to the court!