Alright, let me walk you through how I tackled assembling that wooden flooring for my homemade volleyball court plywood setup. Started this whole thing ’cause the kids wanted a proper playing spot in the backyard without spending crazy money.
Getting Stuff Together
First off, grabbed some cheap plywood sheets from the lumber yard sale – the warped ones they practically gave away. Figured I could flatten ’em out later. Rummaged through my garage stash for pressure-treated 2x4s I’d salvaged from that old shed demo last spring. Tools? Just my rusty circular saw, hammer, deck screws, and a busted level that kinda worked if I squinted real hard.
Sizing things up was messy. Measured the backyard space with a tape measure that kept retracting halfway. Did rough cuts on the plywood right there on the driveway grass, kneeling so much my jeans got stained green. Stacked ’em unevenly – big mistake, they slid everywhere when the neighbor’s dog bumped the pile chasing squirrels.
Joining the Boards
Slapped the first two plywood sheets together on the ground. Drilled pilot holes crooked, split the wood edge on one piece. Cursed, flipped it over, and tried again on the other side. Smacked my thumb with the hammer driving the screws in. Got four sheets connected before realizing they bowed upward like a dang skate ramp.
Flipped the whole mess over and laid bricks on the humps overnight. Rain messed that up – woke up to warped plywood soup. Dried ’em out with a space heater, scorched one corner black. Shoved the support beams underneath anyway, screwed through the plywood into the 2x4s while kneeling in mud. Lost three screws in the grass. Found ’em later when I stepped on ’em barefoot.
Finishing Touches & Lessons
Slapped wood filler over the screw holes and gaps. Stuff cracked when the kids immediately started jumping on it. Sanded the splintery patches with rough-grit sandpaper – got dust in my eyes and mouth. Whole thing wobbled like a Jenga tower near the seams. Ended up nailing scrap wood chunks diagonally underneath as makeshift braces. Not pretty, but the wobbling stopped.
Final result’s lumpier than oatmeal and looks like Frankenstein’s porch, but hey – the ball bounces okay. Kids love it, even though they trip on the uneven seams sometimes. Learned that next time I’ll:
- Not cheap out on plywood
- Use a dang straight edge for cuts
- Check weather reports BEFORE leaving wood outside
- Buy knee pads. Seriously.
Total cost? Maybe $80 including the bandaids. Beats paying thousands for premade courts. Just don’t expect it in any home design magazines.
