Started this project last month after my old garage volleyball court’s rubber flooring peeled up. Wanted real wood this time – heard it’s better for jumps and dives. First thing I did? Measure the dang space. Used that old metal tape measure, nearly smacked my head standing up under the low ceiling.

Choosing the wood

Went down a rabbit hole online. Saw fancy exotic stuff? Way too pricey. Budget said nope. Found out maple’s the standard for volleyball courts – hard, light color shows ball better. Called three suppliers. First guy sounded shady, second quoted me double the third. Pulled the trigger on 3/4 inch thick maple planks. Mistake? Ordered tongue-and-groove before checking the subfloor underneath.

The Subfloor Mess

Pulled up the old rubber junk. Underneath? Concrete slab. Cracked. Not level. Like that old dirt road behind my barn. Had to rent a big floor grinder. Dust everywhere! Looked like a flour bomb went off. Wore my respirator mask – still coughed grey stuff for two days. Used that self-leveling concrete stuff after. Watched it flow like pancake batter. Took ages to dry proper.

Laying the Wood

Almost screwed up here. Had those nice maple planks. Started nailing them straight to the concrete? Thank goodness old Bob from the hardware store stopped me. He’s seen it all. “You gotta let the wood move, kid! It breathes!” He explained that floating floor thing – didn’t glue or nail tight. Used these special foam pads underneath. Set each plank in place, snug against the next. Used rubber mallets to tap ’em tight. Felt like playing a giant wooden xylophone.

Finishing Touches (& Lessons)

Sanding came next. Rented a beast of a machine. Three passes: rough, medium, fine. Dust nightmare again! Wiped everything down like crazy. Stains? Skipped it. Natural maple looks sharp. Now the sealer – three coats of this water-based stuff. Let it cure slower than a holiday ham. Finally painted the lines this week. Measured the court markings five times. Twitchy work with painter’s tape! Had one shaky moment putting down the attack line.

Why Bother?

Saw those pro courts using hardwood. They know their stuff – the maple surface absorbs shock way better than rubber. When you hit the floor during a dive, it kinda gives just enough – saves the knees. 53% shock thing Bob mentioned? Don’t know the science, but yeah, knees feel way happier now. Took weeks, cost more than I thought, messed up the garage good. But hear that volleyball thwack off real wood? Sounds… perfect. Worth every splinter and grey dust booger.