The Spark of This Idea

So yeah, I’ve been playing indoor volleyball in the community center basement for ages. Right? Fun, but man, my knees and ankles? They complain for days after. Concrete slab underneath that thin rubber court, brutal. Needed a fix at home for practice. Saw those fancy shock-absorbent wood floors in gyms online – beautiful, smooth play, gentle on the body. Price tag? Made my eyes water. No way. Thought, “I build stuff… surely I can figure out a basic, cheaper shock layer?” Level Larch wood was the target – decent local wood, not crazy expensive oak or maple. Larch has give.

Digging In – The Research Phase

Started simple. Went down rabbit holes online:

• Read forums until my eyes blurred. Lots of opinions on underlayments.
• Poked around hardware stores, feeling every foam pad, rubber sheet, and cork roll they had.
• Measured my tiny space about a hundred times. Every inch mattered.
• Budget check: Sticker shock on proper sports foam, nearly quit. Found a dense recycled rubber underlayment roll meant for gym equipment, surprisingly affordable.

Plan formed: Layer shock stuff under the wood. Concrete floor > foam/rubber layer > plywood > thin larch planks.

Grabbing the Stuff

Payday hit. Off to the big box store lumberyard.

• Bought: Thick plywood sheets (subfloor), that recycled rubber underlayment roll (felt heavy!), loads of thin Level Larch tongue-and-groove planks.
• Hauled it all home sweating. Plywood edges love attacking your knuckles.
• Tools ready: Circular saw, level (super important!), mallet, glue, nails, measuring tape, pencil. Safety glasses – learned that splinter lesson long ago!

Okay, Let’s Build This Thing

Took a deep breath. Work starts.

1. Rolled out the rubber. Unrolled that thick black recycled rubber mat right over the clean, dry concrete. Cut it to fit the area with a box cutter. Heavy stuff! Taped the seams tight with flooring tape. Felt bouncy already just walking on it.
2. Plywood down. Laid the plywood sheets down on top of the rubber. This is the solid base for the pretty wood. Used the level constantly – huge bumps here would mess up everything later. Drilled pilot holes, screwed the plywood sheets together and down into the concrete through the rubber. Not too tight, didn’t want to completely crush the shock layer below.
3. Larch time. Started laying the larch planks. Used construction glue on the plywood tongues and gently tapped each plank into place with the mallet. The ‘click’ of tongue-and-groove is satisfying. Measured, cut the end pieces with the circular saw when needed (outside! so much dust!). Had to use spacers against the walls for expansion. Took ages, kneeling, tapping, measuring. Knees hated me.

The Reality Check Moment

Hit some snobs.

• Uneven floor woes: One spot on the plywood wasn’t perfect. Had to add a thin shim under one plank section. Annoying.
• Plank gaps: A few stubborn planks didn’t want to sit tight together. Thought about forcing it… Nope. Sanded down the offending groove edge gently instead. Fixed it.
• “Is this even working?”: Halfway through, stood on it. Felt different than concrete, yeah. But was it volleyball different? Hard to tell. Just had to push through.

Finishing Touches (Simple)

Last plank finally clicked into place. Whew.

• Sanded it lightly just to smooth any tiny ridges or splinters.
• Clean sweep: Got rid of all the wood dust and shavings.
• Applied a simple clear matte polyurethane sealant, two thin coats. Gotta protect that larch! Dries clear, feels smooth.

The First Test – Volleyball!

Waited impatiently for the sealant to cure properly. Ball felt so different.

• Dribbling felt great – predictable bounce off the sealed wood.
• My landings! This is where the ‘aha!’ moment hit. Jumped. Landed. Normally that ‘jolt’ travels right up your legs on hard surfaces. Here? The landing felt noticeably softer. Like, the rubber and plywood layer absorbed a big chunk of the impact. Didn’t feel mushy, just… forgiving. Less jarring.
• Digging low balls: Scraped knee diving? Expected pain. Way less shock travelled through the floor into me. Played way longer than usual, no ‘ouch’ next morning. Success felt sweet!

Was It Worth the Sweat?

Oh heck yes. My wallet is happier than buying pro flooring. My knees and ankles are definitely happier. It ain’t perfect NBA arena level, but it’s a huge step up from concrete basement hell. You see the bounce? You feel the landing? That’s the proof. DIY Level Larch with some shock underneath? Absolutely works for this level of practice. If you got the time and the will for sore knees during install… highly recommend giving it a shot.