Alright, so I finally tackled that squeaky wooden volleyball court in my backyard today. Been putting this off for weeks honestly, since stepping on those loose boards felt like walking on bubble wrap during matches. Super annoying when you’re trying to spike or dive.

The disaster zone

First things first, I grabbed my hammer and walked around the whole court tapping every dang board. Found about twelve spots where nails had popped up or wood shrunk leaving gaps. Some planks wobbled like loose teeth – one even squirted dusty dirt at me when I jumped on it. Ugh.

Checked my shed inventory: wood glue, 2-inch nails, sandpaper, a crowbar, and some random wood scraps. Realized halfway I needed more nails though. Typical.

Operation nail-down

Started by jamming wood glue into the widest gaps using an old butter knife. Messy as heck – got glue all over my fingers and somehow on my ear? Then I stood on each wobbly board like I was stomping grapes while hammering nails diagonally through the edges. The sound was… violent. My neighbor peeked over the fence looking concerned.

• Problem: Three boards near the net were straight-up rotten underneath.
• Fix: Prybar time. Ripped ’em out like pulling bad teeth. Cut replacements from spare plywood – didn’t even measure properly. Just eyeballed it.
• Mistake: Hammered my thumb twice. Swore loudly. Dogs barked.

Sanded the whole surface afterwards with 80-grit paper attached to a brick (real professional). Sweat dripped everywhere. Sawdust coated my arms like powdered sugar.

Final stretch

Tested it by jumping around like a maniac. No squeaks! Well, except one spot near the baseline that still whispers. But whatever. Called over some buddies for a quick match – they tripped twice on my slightly uneven replacement boards. Whoops. Maybe should’ve measured.

Saw a splinter in my palm later. Worth it though. Now I’ve got sweaty footprints all over my masterpiece but it feels solid as rock! Well, solid-ish.