I decided to tackle this shock-absorbing volleyball floor project after twisting my ankle on concrete courts last summer. Figured oak wood would last longer than cheap pine, so I drove to the lumber yard and got twenty bundles of those tongue-and-groove oak planks – the expensive ones with the “heavy duty” label. Grabbed fifty rubber shock pads too, about two inches thick each.

Started by clearing a patch in my backyard. Thought I had level ground until I poured water on it and watched it pool in the southeast corner. Spent half a Saturday shoveling dirt and stomping it flat with rental compactor that vibrated my teeth. Not fun.

Laid the rubber pads first like a grid, about two feet apart. Mistake number one: didn’t anchor them down. Next morning, found three pads floating in the neighbor’s koi pond after heavy rain. Dug shallow trenches for each pad, poured gravel underneath, and hammered plastic stakes through them. Lesson learned.

The Clicking Nightmare

First row of oak planks went smooth – just click click click along the edge. Felt like a genius until row five. Suddenly the boards wouldn’t lock. Pushed harder and heard that awful cracking sound. Split a plank right down the middle trying to force it. Turned out I’d laid them too tight against the fence with no expansion gap.

• Chopped the damaged plank out with a chisel
• Shaved ¼ inch off the fence side with circular saw
• Tested by leaving gaps every eight planks

Sweat poured down my back crawling on hands and knees checking level every three boards. Found a hump near the center where pads stacked weird, had to pry up twelve planks to fix it.

Weather Wars

Got halfway done when thunderstorms rolled in. Covered everything with tarps, but humidity made the oak swell. Next day the planks jammed so tight I needed a pry bar just to separate two boards. Waited three blazing hot days for everything to dry out. Started leaving bigger gaps after that mess.

Final stretch was brutal. Last row needed trimming to fit. Measured twice, cut once… still came up short by three inches. Had to sacrifice a fresh plank just for that sliver. Nearly threw my saw over the fence.

Two sweaty weekends later, I stomped on every square foot listening for creaks. The center bounced like a trampoline where I’d doubled up pads. Fixed it by cutting open small sections and yanking out extra pads with pliers.

First volleyball game on it: best damn feeling when my buddy spiked the ball and it bounced back like a spring. Knees didn’t ache afterward either. That oak’s holding up better than expected – just scrubbed bird poop off it yesterday without a scratch.