Okay, here’s my shot at a blog post, following all your instructions:

So, I had this crazy idea the other day. I’ve been wanting a dedicated space for volleyball practice, and what better way than to build it myself? And I’m not talking about just slapping some lines on the grass. Nope, I decided to go all out and install a proper wooden floor – the kind you see in actual gyms. Yeah, maybe a bit overkill for my backyard, but hey, go big or go home, right?

Getting Started – Finding the materials

First things first, I needed to get my hands on some timber. A friend, Mark, told me about local factory that could cut the floorboards for me, It took me three days to get all the timber back to my home.

I had to clear the space first, and then I needed to find the Batten, you know, the strips of wood that form the supporting frame for the floorboards.

The Process – Laying the Groundwork

After get my materials, I started by clearing the area where the “court” would be. This involved a lot of digging, pulling out weeds, and trying to level the ground as much as possible. Honestly, this was probably the least fun part. My back was killing me after just a few hours!

Once the ground was (somewhat) level, I laid down a layer of plastic sheeting. I think this is to prevent moisture from seeping up, or something like that. I’m not a builder, okay? I just followed some instructions I found on that.

Then came the battens. I arranged them in a grid pattern, making sure they were spaced evenly. This took some serious measuring and adjusting. Let me tell you, getting everything perfectly square and level is way harder than it looks. I used a spirit level (borrowed from my neighbor) and a lot of patience. Seriously, a LOT of patience.

Assembling the Floor

With the batten frame in place, it was time for the fun part – actually laying down the floorboards! I started at one corner and worked my way across, slotting the boards together. They had this tongue-and-groove thing going on, so they fit together pretty snugly.

I used a rubber mallet to tap them into place, making sure there were no gaps. It was actually pretty satisfying to see the floor taking shape. Every few rows, I’d check to make sure everything was still straight and level. A couple of times, I had to pull up a few boards and re-lay them because things had gotten a bit wonky. It’s all part of the learning process, I guess.

Finishing up – almost there!

After what felt like an eternity (probably about two full weekends), I finally got all the floorboards down. The last board was a bit tricky because I had to cut it to fit. I don’t have any fancy power tools, so I just used a handsaw. It wasn’t the prettiest cut, but it worked.

The floor looks… well, it looks like a wooden floor! It’s not perfect, but it’s mine. And it’s definitely good enough for some backyard volleyball. Next, I might sand it down and put some kind of finish on it, but for now, I’m just happy it’s done.

And today, my friends and I finished a great volleyball match on it, so I am proud of the floor.