Okay, so I wanted to set up a little volleyball practice area in my basement. The problem? Cold, hard concrete floor. Not exactly ideal for diving for balls, you know? So, I started looking into options, and here’s what I did:

The Search Begins

First, I checked out some different kinds of padding. I knew I needed something that could take a beating and wouldn’t, like, disintegrate after a few uses. My initial thought was those interlocking foam tiles, you see them everywhere, right? But I wasn’t sure if they’d be thick enough.

Then I stumbled upon these “cushions” specifically designed for sports. They were advertised as being super shock-absorbent, which sounded perfect. Most of them were made from some kind of heavy-duty rubber or a mix of materials. Some were even labeled “hevea,” which I later learned is a type of rubber tree – who knew?

Wood Flooring? Maybe…

I also considered, briefly, putting down some kind of wooden flooring. Like, actual hardwood. It would look nice, sure, but it seemed like a HUGE project. Plus, I wasn’t sure how well it would actually cushion falls. It might be better than concrete, but still pretty hard. I quickly scratched that idea, at least for now. It was way too much work and probably too expensive.

Back to Cushions

So, I went back to researching the cushions. I looked at a ton of reviews, compared prices, and tried to figure out what thickness I needed. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. There were so many options!

• Some were thin and looked more like mats.
• Others were these thick, almost pillow-like things.
• And then there were all the different sizes and shapes!

Making a Decision

Finally, I decided to go with some medium-thickness cushions made from a blend of rubber materials. They weren’t the cheapest, but they seemed like they’d offer a good balance of cushioning and durability. I measured my basement area and figured out how many I needed to cover a decent-sized space.

The Setup

When the cushions arrived, it was time to get to work.

It turns out, I bought enough cushions to do the entire space I was planning to use.

It was so exciting!

I just laid them out on the floor. It was super easy, no tools or anything needed. They just kind of sit there, and the weight of them keeps them in place.

The Result

And that’s it! Now I have a pretty decent volleyball practice area in my basement. It’s not perfect, but it’s a whole lot better than diving onto concrete. I can actually practice without worrying about hurting myself, which is a huge win. I might add more cushions later, or maybe even look into some kind of border to keep them from sliding around too much, but for now, I’m pretty happy with it!