Starting This Mess
Wanted to play volleyball indoors without wrecking my garage floor forever. Saw expensive sport floors online – nah, too much money. Figured wood planks could work if I made ’em removable.
Garbage Hunting
Rummaged through my shed junk pile first:
- Found warped plywood sheets from old shelving
- Some crusty 2×4 scraps behind lawnmower
- Half-rusted screws in a coffee tin
Bought cheap pine boards from hardware store – cheaper than oak but probably gonna splinter like crazy.
Sweating in Garage
Measured my garage space – 20 feet by 30 feet. Cut boards with circular saw wearing safety googles. Sawdust got everywhere even though I put down tarps. Big mistake.
Made these rectangle panels, each about 4×8 feet:
- Screwed plywood to frame real crooked first try
- Panels wobbled worse than my uncle after whiskey
- Added extra corner braces – waste of Saturday morning
Connector Nightmare
This part sucked. Tried:
Metal brackets? Too stiff, cracked wood when panels shifted.
Bungee cords? Stretched weird during jumps.
Finally used simple hooks and rope loops – kinda like shoelaces for wood. Looks trashy but holds when we play.
First Disaster Match
Friends came over Tuesday night. Three minutes in:
- Maria tripped on loose hook, almost ate floor
- Panel edges rose up like shark teeth
- Ball bounced all wrong off uneven seams
Had to stop game, hammer down nails sticking out. Embarrassing.
Making It Work
Sanded rough spots next day. Took forever with handheld sander – arms felt like noodles. Painted lines with stencil and white spray paint. Overspray ruined my favorite jeans, obviously.
Added non-slip tape strips where people jump most. Still slides a bit when someone dives but nobody broke bones yet.
Final Thoughts
Takes 45 minutes to lay down before games, 20 minutes to stack after. Wood warping in humidity – have to flip panels every month. Cheaper than professional floor though. Works for beer-league volleyball, wouldn’t trust it for real competition.
