Okay folks, grab a cold drink, ’cause assembling this removable volleyball court on wooden flooring was a whole thing. Always liked the idea of having a court ready whenever, without wrecking the living room floor. Heard about these rubber tree court tiles specifically, figured might as well give ’em a shot. Ordered a full set online. Picture looked slick.

Unboxing the Beast

Boxes arrived. Heavy boxes. Like, seriously heavy. Wrestled ’em inside, cursing the delivery guy silently. Opened ’em up and… wow. Just a sea of identical-looking black rubber tiles, connector bits, and border pieces. Looked like a toddler’s nightmare puzzle.

Clearing the Deck (Literally)

First job? Getting the space ready. Pushed the sofa into the corner. Shoved the coffee table against the wall. Even moved that stupidly heavy bookcase. Sweated buckets doing it. Floor needed to be clean. Like, eat-off-it clean. Got on my hands and knees with a damp cloth, chasing every speck of dust. No way I wanted grit grinding under the tiles later.

Laying the Base

Started figuring out the pattern. Supposedly these things lock together easy. Yeah right. Grabbed the first tile, plopped it down near a corner. Grabbed another. Now for the locking nubs and holes. Lined ’em up. Started tapping with the little rubber mallet that came with the kit. Tap… tap… TAP! Needed a proper whack. Felt a bit weird hammering away on my nice wood floor, even with a rubber mallet. First row clicked together after some sweating and a few mis-taps. Measured again. Didn’t want a crooked court.

The Domino Effect (Sort Of)

Kept going. Connectors snapped into place. Stood on the tiles already down. Solid feeling. Good sign. The repetitive nature kicked in. Grab tile. Line up nubs. Tap… TAP! Click. Repeat. Like giant Lego bricks. Arms started getting sore from hammering. Knees complained from crawling. The square began taking shape, which was oddly satisfying.

Cutting Corners and Edges

Got to the borders. Had to cut some of the outer tiles to fit the room shape perfectly. Grabbed a sharp utility knife like the instructions suggested. Measured twice, marked carefully on the back. Started scoring. Took more pressure than I thought to get through the thick rubber. Cut slowly. Snapped it along the score line. Clean-ish break. Slapped down the border pieces. Those snap onto the edges of the main field tiles. Again, mallet came in handy.

Rubber Tree? Where?

Thought about it the whole time. The tiles themselves feel like dense, recycled rubber. The connector bits? Also rubber. Seems like the “rubber tree” part comes from the idea of recycled rubber materials, maybe? Not literally tree parts. Glad about that.

The Final Stretch and Test

Last few tiles went in slow. Room getting tighter as the court filled the space. Took a breather to mentally curse the whole internet ordering idea. Last tile. Click. Done. Stood back. Black rectangle right there in my living room. Surreal.

Test drive? Grabbed the volleyball. Tossed it high. Dropped straight down onto the court. Perfect solid thud. Awesome! No bounce on the wood floor itself, just the satisfying hit on the rubber. Stepped onto it properly. Feet felt good. Grippy surface. Ran diagonally across it. Tiles stayed locked tight. No shifting, no gaps. Huge relief.

Rolling Up Shop (The Point!)

The real test? Taking it apart. Started at the corner. Got my fingers underneath, pulled hard upwards. POP! Connectors released. Picked up the first tile. Repeat. Honestly, disassembly was almost smoother than putting it together. Each tile came free. Stacked ’em against the wall. Wood floor underneath? Looked totally fine. No marks, no scratches. Wiped it down again out of habit. Moved the furniture back. Living room was back to normal, just like that.

Mission accomplished. Thing works. Not exactly a breezy afternoon project, but definitely doable. Court’s there when I want it, gone when I don’t. Perfect.