Okay, so the other day, I was trying to figure out a good setup for playing volleyball outside. We’ve got a rubber volleyball, which is great for all weather, but the ground is a real mixed bag – sometimes grass, sometimes dirt, sometimes who-knows-what.

I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to have a portable wooden floor?” Like, something we could just roll out and have a consistent, hard surface to play on. So, I started messing around with a few ideas.

My DIY Portable Volleyball Court Attempt

First, I grabbed some old plywood sheets I had lying around in the shed. They were pretty beat up, but I figured it was a start. I laid them out on the grass to get a sense of how big of an area I could cover. It wasn’t huge, but definitely enough for a small game.

Then, I tried to connect them. My first thought was just duct tape. Yeah, I know, not the most elegant solution. I taped a couple of sheets together, and… well, it kinda worked. It wasn’t super stable, and the tape kept peeling off, especially when we stepped on the seams.

Next, I thought about using some hinges. I had a few old door hinges in my toolbox. So, I screwed those onto the edges of two plywood sheets. This was a bit better. The sheets stayed connected, but they were all floppy and uneven. It was like playing on a wooden wave.

• Problem 1: Duct tape – Not strong enough, kept peeling.
• Problem 2: Hinges – Made the floor floppy and uneven.

I realized I needed something to keep the sheets flat and level. I went back to the shed and found some 2x4s. I cut them into shorter pieces and screwed them underneath the plywood, like a frame. This helped a lot! The floor was way more stable, and it didn’t feel like it was going to collapse under us.

But, it still wasn’t perfect. The whole thing was pretty heavy and awkward to move. Plus, the edges of the plywood were rough and splintery. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt.

So, to smooth things I did sanding on the sharp edges, I grabbed my sander and went to work on the edges and any rough spots on the surface. It took a while, but it made a big difference. The floor felt much safer and more… professional-ish, I guess.

It’s still a work in progress. I’m thinking about adding some kind of locking mechanism to make it easier to assemble and disassemble. And maybe some handles to make it easier to carry. But for now, it’s a pretty decent portable wooden floor for our rubber volleyball games. We can set it up, play a few rounds, and then pack it away. Not bad for a weekend project!