Okay, here’s my blog post about assembling the wooden flooring, written from a personal, hands-on perspective, using simple language and basic HTML tags:

Man, what a day! Decided to finally tackle that pile of wooden flooring I’ve had sitting in the garage. It’s for a keel volleyball court, level “larch” – fancy, huh? I’m no carpenter, but how hard could it be, right? Famous last words.

First, I cleared the area. Moved all the junk that seems to magically accumulate in the garage. Swept the concrete slab like a madman, got rid of all the dust and pebbles. You want a super clean surface for this, or else it’ll be all wobbly and uneven.

Prepping the Underlayment

• Then came the underlayment.
• I rolled that stuff out. Looks kinda like thick paper, supposed to help with sound and moisture.
• I taped the seams together with some heavy-duty tape.
• Make sure it’s all flat and smooth!

Laying the First Boards

Okay, time for the actual wood. I picked out a few straight boards to start with – this is important, apparently. I Started in a corner, leaving a little gap around the edges for expansion. They call it an “expansion gap.” Makes sense, wood moves with the weather, I guess.

I used one of special tool and fit the tongue of one board into the groove of the next. They kinda clicked together. Had to give it a few good whacks with a rubber mallet to get them snug. My arm was already starting to ache, and I was only a few boards in!

The Bulk of the Work

Once I got the first row down, it got a little easier. Just kept clicking and whacking, row after row. My knees were killing me, though. Should’ve gotten some knee pads. Note to self for next time.

Had to cut a few boards to fit around the edges and corners. Used a jigsaw. Man, that thing is loud! And dusty. Definitely wear a mask for that part.

I had to make sure everything stayed aligned, so I used a long level and a chalk line. Made a few adjustments here and there. It’s not perfect, but hey, it’s my first time!

The Finish Line

Finally, after hours of sweat and maybe a few curse words, I got the last board in. Stepped back, wiped my forehead, and admired my handiwork. It actually looked pretty good! A few gaps here and there, but overall, not bad for a DIY job.

I still need to put on the baseboards to cover up those expansion gaps, but that’s a project for another day. For now, I’m just gonna sit back, crack open a cold one, and enjoy my slightly-less-empty garage.