Alright so this removable volleyball flooring project – man, it didn’t turn out how I thought it would at first. Wanted something cheap, easy to put down for practice sessions in the garage, and easy to stash away after. Simple, right? Yeah, no.

Getting Started & Buying Wood

First step, obviously, get the wood. Saw online this stuff called “hevea” wood flooring. People said it was shock-absorbent, good for sports. Sounded perfect. Figured I’d grab some planks. Went to a few local hardware places. Nada. Zero clue what I was asking for. Kept trying to sell me oak decking or laminate. No thanks. Ended up ordering online. Pictures looked fine. Clicked buy.

Delivery Surprise and Initial Headache

Big delivery truck drops off a pallet. Dude looks confused. “This for outside?” Nah man, garage project. Opened it up… surprise! This “hevea” wood? Came in these interlocking squares, like giant parquet tiles, not separate planks. Totally not what I pictured. Each panel was way heavier and bigger than expected. Wood felt… well, fresh. Like, kinda damp still? Maybe it’s just humid? Smelled weird too. Strong, kinda rubbery? Guess that’s the “hevea” smell. Okay, Plan B time. Need to make these tiles removable.

Mocking Up the Floor

Cleared the whole garage first. Swept, vacuumed, the works. Measured the space – roughly 9m x 8m. Then just started laying the tiles down. Clicked them together like puzzle pieces. Easy enough. They do lock tight. Covered the whole area I needed for the court markings. Lined up the edges decently. Stood back. Looked… pretty decent actually! Nice smooth surface, felt good underfoot. Bounced a ball. Nice give. Felt legit. Okay, good surface. Now, how to keep it from wandering?

The “Removable” Part Got Messy

Here’s where the wheels kinda fell off. My brilliant idea? Industrial-strength double-sided tape around the border. Big mistake. Bought the thick, heavy-duty stuff meant for carpets. Stuck it down around the entire perimeter on the concrete floor. Peeled the top, carefully lowered the outside tiles onto it. Felt secure. Next morning? Panic. Whole floor was buckled like crazy, huge air bubbles in the middle. The damn wood was wet. It must have shrunk as it dried overnight, pulling the taped edges in. Warped everything. Total mess. Yanked it all up, ripped off the tape. Sticky concrete nightmare. So much time wasted.

Needed a fix, fast. Stumbled on this idea online: painter’s tape. Figured, worst case, it peels off clean.

• Taped ONLY the seams between tiles.
• Ran a single strip along the concrete border.
• Pressed it down really hard.

Wasn’t super sticky, but held the panels together pretty well. Put the border fence posts back. Guess what? The panels pushed against each other and the walls… it actually stayed put! No more warping.

Final Result & Reality Check

Played a few games on it. Ball bounce is great. Surface grip is nice. Doesn’t slide around during dives. Looks surprisingly professional laid out. Taking it down? Unplug the posts, peel up the painter’s tape along the border and seams. It takes maybe 30 minutes to lift, stack, and store the panels. Tape residue? Nothing a damp rag couldn’t wipe off the concrete. Is it perfect? Nah. Heavy to lug around. Still smells faintly rubbery after weeks. Not sure how long the click-locks will hold up with constant assembly/disassembly. But it works! It’s a legit removable volleyball court floor in my garage. For a hack job, can’t complain.