I gotta tell you about this weekend’s project. Remember how our backyard volleyball court got all messed up after last winter? That cheap plastic turf turned into a wrinkled disaster. So I decided to switch to real wood.
Digging Up the Old Mess
Started Saturday morning with coffee and gloves. Ripped up that fake grass like pulling bad teeth – took two hours just tearing and rolling it up. Found uneven dirt underneath with random holes everywhere.
The Wood Lottery
Went to the lumber store thinking “how hard can pine be?” Boy was I wrong. First batch had knots bigger than my fist! Had to hand-pick every single plank:
- Dumped 20 warped boards right there in the reject pile
- Measured thickness with my kid’s school ruler
- Checked EVERY piece for cracks in daylight
Groundwork Blues
This part sucked. Spent Sunday morning leveling dirt with a shovel like some medieval peasant:
- Laid down weed blocker fabric – stupid thorns kept poking through
- Dumped three bags of gravel for drainage
- Screamed when the wheelbarrow tipped over (twice!)
Pro tip: Wear knee pads. My joints still hate me.
Assembly Line Comedy
Thought the tongue-and-groove planks would snap together easy. Nope! Had to:
- Hammer each connection like driving nails with mittens
- Use C-clamps when gaps showed up
- Cut end pieces with a handsaw because my power saw died
Sweat literally dripped into my eyes when installing the border trim. That pine sap got everywhere – my jeans are ruined!
Final Stretch Disasters
Ran out of wood with two feet left uncovered. Cursed at the sky. Had to drive back to the store looking like a swamp monster. Then it started drizzling while I was sanding! Wrapped the whole thing in tarp and waited like an idiot for two hours.
Volleyball Victory
Finished after sunset with phone flashlight. Next morning? Kids were spiking balls before I even had coffee. That solid THUMP sound when the ball hits proper wood? Magic. Worth every splinter.
Still finding sawdust in my hair though.
