Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea for a portable volleyball court. You know, something you could set up in a park or maybe even a big backyard. The main thing was figuring out the flooring, and I think I’ve got something pretty cool.

I started by thinking about what I didn’t want. No way was I dealing with heavy concrete slabs or anything permanent. I needed something I could move around, something that wouldn’t kill my back after setting it up. And it had to be somewhat… bouncy. Volleyball on straight-up hard wood? No thanks.

The Cushion Idea

That’s where the cushions came in. I remembered those interlocking foam tiles you see in gyms or kids’ play areas. They’re lightweight, easy to connect, and they’ve got some give. But, they’re not exactly… durable. So, that was problem number one.

My next thought was to put some kind of tougher surface on top of the foam. Plywood seemed like the obvious choice. It’s relatively cheap, you can get it at any hardware store, and it’s strong enough to take a beating.

Building the Modules

So, here’s what I did. I bought a bunch of those foam tiles and a few sheets of plywood. I decided to make modular sections, basically squares, that would be easy to handle.

• First, I cut the plywood into squares. I went with 3 feet by 3 feet, just because that seemed like a manageable size.
• Then, I cut the foam tiles to the same size as the plywood.
• Next, I used some heavy-duty construction adhesive to glue the foam to the underside of the plywood. I used a ton of glue, just to be sure it would hold up. I let that dry for a good 24 hours, making sure to put some weight on top to help it stick.

Once the glue was dry, I had these nice, cushioned panels! The plywood top is solid, and the foam underneath gives it that nice bouncy feel. It’s not exactly like a real indoor court, but it’s way better than playing on grass or concrete.

Putting It All Together

To set up the court, I just lay out these panels and connect them. The foam tiles have those interlocking edges, so they kind of “snap” together. The plywood, I made just slightly overlap, so they dont easly get apart. It’s not perfect, but it works! You could probably figure out a better way to secure them, maybe with some kind of clips or something, but this works for a quick setup.

The whole thing is surprisingly portable. I can stack the panels in my car, drive to the park, and have a decent playing surface ready in like 20 minutes. It’s not going to win any awards for engineering, but it’s a fun project, and it gets the job done! I have been playing with some friends and it feels great!.

I’m still messing around with it. Maybe I’ll add some kind of edging to make it look nicer, or find a better way to connect the panels. But for now, it’s a pretty sweet portable volleyball court, and I’m pretty stoked about it!