Getting Started with the Court Mess

Our volleyball court looked like crap last month. Players were tripping on cracked wooden planks, and the ball bounced like a drunk kangaroo. Got tired of hearing complaints after every match, so I grabbed my toolbox and decided to layer plywood over the original floor. Figured it’d fix the bounce and make sliding easier.

The Disaster Phase

First attempt was pure chaos. Just slapped random plywood sheets down without measuring. Drilled holes like a maniac and screwed ’em straight into the old planks. Big mistake – ended up with humps and gaps everywhere. Ball rolled sideways like it hated us. Even saw a player faceplant during warmups.

Actually Learning This Time

Tore everything up and started fresh. Did three things smarter:

• Swept and scraped the original floor like crazy, removing every splinter and dust bunny.
• Measured diagonally across the court with chalk lines, not just straight edges. Marked drilling spots every 10 inches like a grid.
• Chose thinner plywood – ½ inch instead of ¾. Cut panels slightly smaller than court sections to avoid buckling.

Assembly Line Struggle

Laid panels in a brick pattern, staggering seams. Glued each sheet down first with construction adhesive – the sticky brown goop that smells like regret. Held panels tight for 10 minutes while the glue grabbed. Then drilled pilot holes smaller than screws to prevent splits. Drove screws slowly at an angle, sinking heads just below surface. Sweated through two shirts doing corners.

Finishing Pain

Sandpaper became my enemy. Spent three hours sanding seams flush with an orbital sander – sawdust in my ears, nose, coffee. Wiped everything with damp rags before rolling on three coats of polyurethane. Almost passed out waiting for layers to dry between coats. Re-painted boundary lines with masking tape and court paint at 2 AM.

Why This Sucked (But Worked)

Got blisters and a stiff neck, but holy hell – the difference! Ball bounces predictable now, no more weird skids. Players actually slide on dives instead of eating wood. Learned the hard way that rushing screws = disaster. Wanna know how I know? Caught my own kid testing the court yesterday. Usually hates volleyball – actually asked for another game. Worth every splinter.