Okay so here’s what went down with my volleyball court mess. That dirt patch behind our community center? We wanted to make it playable without spending a fortune. Cement was a no-go – too expensive, too permanent. Needed something we could pick up and move.

The Big Idea Hits

Started staring at pallets behind the supermarket. You know the heavy-duty wooden ones? Got a crazy thought: What if we turned a bunch of those into portable floor panels? Sounded simple enough in my head.

First mission: Scout for wood. Drove around town checking near warehouses and big stores. Took maybe five days to gather enough decent pallets. Hardest part was prying those buggers apart without splitting the wood! Smashed my thumb good once – swear words were flying, let me tell ya.

Chopping and Shaping

Alright, got the planks. Now what? Figured each panel should be step-sized, like around 4 feet by 4 feet. Grabbed a rusty old hand saw – power tools scared me a bit honestly. Measured rough rectangles with a pencil and just went for it. The cuts were… uh… let’s call them ‘rustic charm’. Lots of splinters. Lots.

Started building the frames on the ground. Used the thicker pallet stringers for that. Trying to get them square felt like wrestling greased pigs. Glue? Yeah, used wood glue. And it got everywhere. Fingers were sticky for a week. Clamps? Had about three that worked properly. Needed ten. Ended up using heavy rocks and random bricks to hold pieces together. Real high-tech solution.

The Floor Part

Cut the smaller planks to fit inside the frames. This bit actually went sorta okay. Found the smoothest sides and made sure they faced up. Nailed ’em down to the frame. My hammer aim improved real fast.

Portable? Kinda…

Here’s where it got tricky. Portability. We wanted handles. Drilled holes through the frame ends? Nah, wood split like crazy. Plan B: Tied ropes to the corners. Looked stupid, but hey, you could kinda drag them. Also tried putting those little plastic furniture feet on the bottom corners so scraping the panels along wouldn’t destroy them completely. Jury’s still out on how well those hold up.

Testing Time (Sweating Time)

Finally hauled the first few panels over to the dirt patch. Laid them out. Took a step… and the damn thing wobbled! Uneven ground underneath. Scooped out some dirt here, piled it there. Took ages.

Got my buddy Pete to help me test the bounce. Dropped a volleyball. Bounced higher than on dirt! Tried jumping. Felt solid. Then Pete stomped right near a join… and the panels shifted apart. Nearly ate dirt. Grabbed more rope, tied the panels together across the tops. Made it look like a bad bondage scene. But hey, they stayed put.

Was it Worth It?

Honestly? Looks janky as hell. But it works! We played three on three. Floor stayed put. Ball bounced decent. Feet didn’t slide too much. Biggest win? Cost basically nothing. All scrap wood, borrowed tools, leftover glue.

Room for Way More Improvement

• The wobble sucks. Need a better way to level dirt fast. Maybe small adjustable feet?
• Those ropes gotta go. Proper handles bolted on securely are a must.
• Rain is gonna destroy this thing. Didn’t weatherproof the wood. That was dumb.
• Bare feet? Splinter city. Sandpaper or some kinda sealant needed bad.

Overall? We got something playable for peanuts. It’s ugly and needs work, but volleyball is happening on dirt! Next up: Figure out how not to wreck these panels in the next thunderstorm.