Alright, so I decided to get my hands dirty with this portable wooden flooring thing for volleyball. I’ve always wanted a decent court, and the “keel, volleyball, lvl, larch” keywords kept popping up, so I figured, why not?

Getting Started

First, I had to figure out what all this meant. “Keel,” I guessed, was some kind of support structure. “LVL” sounded fancy, and “larch” is a type of wood, right? I did some digging, basically just browsing random forums and product listings, and yeah, that’s pretty much it. LVL is this engineered wood stuff, supposed to be strong.

The Messy Part

I ordered a bunch of larch planks and these LVL beams for the keel. When they arrived, my backyard looked like a lumber yard exploded. Seriously, wood everywhere. I started by laying out the keel beams. My plan was to make a simple rectangle, nothing too crazy. Getting them level was a pain. I used some shims, little pieces of wood, to prop up the low spots. It took forever, checking with a level, adjusting, checking again.

Putting it Together

Once the keel was (mostly) level, I started laying down the larch planks. I screwed them into the keel beams, making sure to leave a little gap between each plank. I heard somewhere that wood expands and contracts, so you need to give it some room. I don’t want my court to buckle up in the summer!

Screwing all those planks took ages. My back was killing me. I definitely recommend having a friend help with this part. Or, you know, maybe hire someone if you’re not into DIY torture.

The (Almost) Finished Product

After a few days of work, and a lot of sweat, I had something that resembled a volleyball court. It’s not perfect, some planks are a little uneven, and the lines aren’t painted yet. But, it’s functional! I can bounce a volleyball on it, and it feels pretty solid.

Final Touches

• I still need to paint the lines. I’m thinking of using some bright, outdoor paint.
• I might add some kind of border around the court, just to make it look a bit nicer.
• And of course, I need to get a net!

Overall, it was a bigger project than I expected, but it was kind of fun. Now I just need to get good at volleyball.