Getting Started with the Volleyball Floor Project

Alright, so I decided to tackle this shock-absorbing volleyball floor using soft maple wood. Figured it’d be good for the backyard. Opened up the delivery boxes first thing Friday morning. Man, the wood pieces looked nice – smooth finish, smelled kinda fresh. Also found these rubber shock pad thingies and a bag full of screws.

Planning & Prepping the Area

Started by clearing out a big patch on the garage floor, swept it real clean. Laid down some plastic sheeting my neighbor lent me – he said it’s for moisture, who knows. Measured the area twice ’cause I ain’t trusting my eyes anymore. Grabbed my drill, mallet, level, and that little wrench set collecting dust.

The Rubber Base Puzzle

Unrolled those shock-absorbing rubber pads first. They looked like puzzle pieces. Fit ‘em together on the plastic sheeting, pressing down hard to seal the edges. Had to redo a corner ’cause it kept buckling up. Sat on it awhile – seemed solid enough. Okay, foundation done.

Wood Assembly Headaches

Started placing the maple planks on top. They got these click-lock edges? Yeah, supposed to fit together easy. Ha! First row went smooth. Second row? Half the boards wouldn’t lock right. Got frustrated, hammered the edge too hard – split a tongue clean off. Big mistake. Fetched the wood glue, clamped it overnight like some sad little surgery. Next day, tried a different angle – pushed down AND sideways at the same time. Finally clicked! Sweat like a pig just figuring that trick out.

Locking It All Together

Kept going row by row, drilling starter holes before sinking screws along the edges. My back screamed after row three. Noticed I put one plank upside down – the grain pattern looked dumb. Had to unscrew five boards to flip it. Almost cried. Finally reached the last plank near the wall. Too wide! Measured the gap, marked the plank, sawed off the extra with my jigsaw. Bit rough on the cut, but eh, it fits.

Testing Out My Creation

Grabbed my son’s old volleyball – gave it a good whack onto the floor. Wow. That rubber base ate the bounce! Dropped it again from shoulder height – just a quiet thud, no loud smack. Made the kid jump on it like crazy. Saw barely any flex, and the noise? Way quieter than concrete. Felt legit. Gave it the stomp test too – solid underfoot, no creaks yet. Used a leftover wood piece as a ball ramp. Thing rolled straight – not perfect but flat enough.

So yeah, took forever, messed up twice, back’s still sore… but man, seeing that ball bounce quiet and soft? Totally worth the hassle. Might stick some grip tape near the edges later, though. Learned the hard way – put heavy weights on those rubber pads BEFORE adding wood, helps flatten bumps.