The Start: Why I Wanted This Floor

Okay so my backyard’s kinda small but I really wanted a volleyball court for weekend games with friends. Problem is, I gotta park my car there sometimes too. Permanent floor? No way. That’s when I thought: gotta build something removable.

Stuff I Grabbed First

Went shopping like a madman:

• Maple wood planks (real hard stuff)
• Interlocking plastic tiles (those puzzle-piece ones)
• Rubber mallet
• Measuring tape
• Wood glue

Total cost around $300 which hurt my wallet but cheaper than hiring someone.

Laying Down the Base Tiles

First I swept the concrete like crazy ’cause even tiny pebbles mess things up. Then started slamming down those plastic tiles with the rubber mallet. They kinda snap together like LEGO bricks but man, my fingers hurt after 20 minutes. Did a test jump – wobbly as hell. Had to redo the whole center section.

Cutting & Fitting the Maple

Here’s where things got messy. Measured each maple plank against the plastic base then chopped ’em with my saw. Sawdust everywhere – my garage looked like a flour factory exploded. Pro tip: cutting slightly bigger than you need saves headaches. Sanded all edges rough like sandpaper ’cause splinters suck.

Glue Wrestling Match

Slapped wood glue on the plastic tiles’ surface. Pressed each maple plank down hard and sat my old dumbbells on them overnight. Next morning? Half weren’t stuck properly. Turns out I missed spots when spreading glue. Had to scrape off glue blobs with a knife like a caveman. Re-glued while watching basketball highlights.

The Final Assembly Tango

When all planks finally stuck, I tried connecting the sections. Boom – they clipped together smooth! Did the stomp test again. Solid this time, no wobbles. Marked arrows on each section with paint so I’d remember how to reassemble them later. Took about three weekends total with all the screwups.

Using & Storing It

Played first game last Saturday – ball bounced nice, nobody ate dirt. Afterwards just unclipped the sections. Stacked ’em vertically against my garage wall. Takes maybe 5 minutes to setup or pack up now. Still sweeps dust off with a broom before games though. Zero regrets except maybe buying cheap glue first time.