Okay, let me walk you through this whole portable volleyball court floor mess I tackled. Wanted to play a quick match last weekend, right? Hauled that engineer board thing out of the garage. Soon as I unfolded it near the net pole? Bam! One corner just sank right into the grass like it hit quicksand.

The Stupid Problem

Turned out two of those quick-lock legs underneath were busted. Not snapped clean off, nah. The cheap metal brackets holding the wooden panels together? Warped all weird. Guess years of getting chucked in trunks took their toll. Those legs wobbled like loose teeth. Useless.

Digging Junk Outta My Shed

Ripped out the broken legs first. They came off too easy – just yanked ’em with pliers. Then I’m elbow deep in my disaster of a tool shed hunting for anything solid. Found:

• Some leftover pressure-treated 2×4 chunks from building the kid’s treehouse.
• A bag of heavy-duty bolts I got for that trailer hitch project.
• Random L-shaped metal brackets covered in dust.

No plan. Just figured stacking wood blocks under the weak spots might work.

Hitting Snags

First try? Measured wrong. Cut the 2×4 chunks way too short. Then tried drilling holes without marking properly – bolt scraped right along the wood grain and snapped off in there. Ruined that chunk completely. Had to start over.

Finally Getting Somewhere

Measured twice this time, swore less. Cut new chunks about four inches long. Sanded the cut edges rough – splinters are evil. Took the biggest L-brackets I had, bolted those through the existing holes where the old legs connected. Then? Anchored that whole bracket mess straight down onto my new wood blocks. Wrenched the bolts stupid tight. Stood on that corner. Solid as concrete.

Did It Hold?

Took it out this morning with some buddies. Set up easy, locked together same as before. Jumped near that patch like an angry kangaroo. Not a squeak, not a wobble. Whole thing sits flat now. Stupid legs digging into the mud? Gone. Fixed my crap gear with scraps and frustration.