Okay, here’s my blog post about setting up the volleyball court floor:

Man, setting up this volleyball court has been a JOURNEY. I wanted something solid, something that would feel good underfoot, and I definitely didn’t want some flimsy, bouncy thing. I went with a portable wooden floor, the kind with a keel system. Figured it’d be the best of both worlds – sturdy like a permanent court, but I could move it if I needed to.

The Prep Work

First things first, I had to clear the area. And let me tell you that there were rocks and other hard staff, I spent like a whole afternoon just picking up stuff and leveling the ground as best as I could. I mean, I used a shovel, a rake, the whole nine yards. It wasn’t perfectly flat, but I got it pretty darn close.

Laying Down the Keel

Next up, the keel! The keel is like the skeleton of the floor, the support structure. It’s a bunch of wooden beams that interlock.

• I started by laying out the perimeter pieces. These had these little notches that helped them fit together.
• The tricky is put all the inside keel parts. Those were a bit of a puzzle, had to figure out how they all connected. It’s like a giant jigsaw! There was a bit of trial and error, some banging with a rubber mallet (didn’t want to damage the wood), and a few “choice” words muttered under my breath.
• But hey, I eventually got all these prices together and it is a stable base now!

Putting on the Floor Panels

With the keel in place, it was time for the actual floor panels. These were bigger sections of wood, also with interlocking edges. This part went a lot faster than the keel, thankfully.

• I just start the first panel on the keel, that is easy.
• I put the second panel with the first, it had these grooves that slid right into the first panel. I used the rubber mallet to tap them together snugly.
• Then, repeat and repeat. I just kept adding panels, row by row, making sure everything was nice and tight.

The Finished Product

After a few hours of work, sweat, and maybe a little bit of frustration, it was DONE. And you know what? It looked (and felt) AMAZING. Seriously, it’s so solid, it feels like a professional court. I bounced a volleyball on it, and the rebound was perfect. I’m so happy with the way, and the important thing, I finally did it!

This whole project was definitely a learning experience. Would I do it again? Maybe. But right now, I’m just going to enjoy having an awesome volleyball court!