Alright folks, buckle up because this one was a ride. I finally tackled that shock-absorbing volleyball floor project I’d been eyeing for my garage space. Messy, satisfying, and honestly, way more sweat than I anticipated.

Grabbing the Stuff & Initial Headaches

First things first, I needed wood. After poking around online and visiting a couple of local places, I landed on decent quality plywood sheets. “Shock absorbing” meant I had to get that rubber padding too – picked up some of those interlocking rubber tiles everyone uses for gyms. Easy, right? Ha!

Getting it all home was step one. Unloading those heavy plywood sheets by myself? Big mistake. Nearly tweaked my back. Lesson learned: recruit a buddy or rent a cart, seriously. Laid everything out in the garage just to stare at the space and realize… the measurements I scribbled down weeks ago? Probably made when I was half-asleep. Needed fresh ones, obviously.

The Great Cutting Conundrum

Here’s where the fun really started. Garage ain’t a perfect rectangle, floor ain’t perfectly level. Joy. Marked the plywood based on my new measurements. Fired up the circular saw. Simple straight lines? Nope. Trying to guide that saw perfectly straight on the huge sheets while they’re kinda… wobbly? Nerve-wracking.

First cut. Measured twice, cut once? Felt like I measured twice then still hoped for the best. Ended up with a piece about half an inch too short. Dang it. Re-adjusted, took it slower, focused real hard this time. Got the rest cut mostly okay, though the edges weren’t winning any beauty contests. Spent a stupid amount of time sanding those rough bits down so nobody gets splinters.

Laying the Foundation – Literally

Prep work: swept the garage floor obsessively. Like, twice. Didn’t want any grit screwing up the rubber underneath or causing creaks later. Laid down the rubber tiles first. That part was legit satisfying. Snapped them together like giant puzzle pieces over the whole area. Instant cushiony feel underfoot. Nice!

The Plywood Puzzle (with Swearing)

Then came the plywood. Plopped the first piece down on the rubber… looked okay. Plopped the second one next to it. Gaps? Oh yeah. The cuts weren’t perfectly parallel, surprise surprise. Had to nudge, shimmy, and wrestle each dang sheet into place. Ended up with a couple of slightly wider gaps than I wanted. Cue the frustration.

Connect the pieces? Using wooden cleats underneath. Marked where they should go across the seams. Screwed them into the edges of the plywood. Sounds easy. Wasn’t. Keeping the cleats straight while drilling? Challenging. Hand-drilling pilot holes? Arm workout I didn’t sign up for. Actually sinking the screws in tight without them going wonky? Focus mode: engaged. My drill battery died halfway through, obviously. More coffee, more cuss-free struggle.

Final Touches and Hoping for the Best

Finally, all sheets were down, screwed together via those cleats. Swept it clean again like crazy. Time for the moment of truth: the bounce test. Dropped the volleyball. It landed with a nice, solid thump, not a hollow bang, and bounced back predictably. Did a little stomp-test. Felt firm, but definitely had that subtle give underneath from the rubber padding. No weird squeaks! Victory dance? You bet.

Is it NBA-regulation perfection? Nah. My edges aren’t pristine. There might be the tiniest bit of unevenness if you’re super picky. But for a garage setup? Feels amazing. Durable. Absorbs the impact like a champ. Player reviews so far: two thumbs up. Sweaty, covered in sawdust, and nursing a minor drill-induced blister? Worth every second. Next time, maybe I bribe a friend with pizza for the heavy lifting part.