Honestly, this whole portable sports floor thing started ’cause I got sick of lugging around heavy mats or looking at muddy patches when the kids wanted a kickabout. Our yard is mostly uneven grass and gravel, total nightmare for anything with a ball. So yeah, figured I’d try building something myself that wasn’t a permanent eyesore.

Getting My Head Around It

First up, just thought about what I really needed. It had to be:

• Light enough for me and the missus to move without throwing our backs out.
• Tough enough to handle boots sliding and balls bouncing like mad.
• Dry quickly ’cause the weather here turns on a dime.
• Flat when put together – nobody wants to trip over wonky tiles.

Looked online for ages. Saw fancy interlocking foam tiles, but reviews said they ripped easily and blew away in wind. Nah. Plastic ones seemed okay, but way more cash than I wanted to drop. Kept coming back to wood – cheap, strong, could work.

The Actual Building Part

Alright, hit the local hardware store. Grabbed:

• Big sheets of exterior plywood – 18mm thick stuff, treated for weather.
• A bunch of straight 2x4s for the frame bits.
• Wood screws – long ones for the frame, shorter ones for fixings.
• Exterior wood glue (figured better safe than sorry).
• A load of non-slip rubber feet.

Got home, laid the plywood sheets in the garage. Measured out squares – went with 60cm x 60cm ’cause anything bigger would’ve been too heavy for lifting. Used a chalk line to snap straight cut lines. Cut them out with a circular saw. Messy business, dust everywhere. Kids complained like mad.

Then the frames. Cut the 2x4s to make a rectangle for the back of each tile. Used the wood glue and those long screws to fix ’em together tight. Let that glue dry overnight with weights piled on top. Next day, flipped the frames over, ran a bead of glue along the top edges, plonked a plywood panel onto each frame. Whacked in a load of those shorter screws all around the edges to hold it down solid.

Finally, screwed four of those rubber feet into each corner underneath the frame. Stops the tiles from scratching our patio and gives a tiny bit of cushion.

Testing the Damn Thing

Dragged the first four tiles out onto the patio. This was the nervous bit. Pushed two tiles together nice and tight. Stood on the join. Tried jumping on it. Felt solid! No wobble, no gap trying to open up. Honestly, chuffed to bits at that point. Made another jump, landed fine. Set all the tiles I’d made out – covered a decent space. Got the kids out. They started kicking a ball straight away, sliding tackles the lot. Tiles stayed put, didn’t slip, surface held up.

Tried moving one after. Yeah, they’ve got some weight, but I could carry one at a time okay. Missus could too. When it rained later, water just sat on top for a bit, then ran off. Wiped it down, bone dry underneath by the time the sun peeked out. Sorted!

Way It Ended Up

It ain’t professional gear, but it works a bloody treat for us. We stack ’em neatly against the shed wall when not using them. Takes two minutes to pull them out and snap ’em together. Surface feels good underfoot for kicks and sprints, doesn’t mark up balls. Kids play badminton on ’em too now. Cost me way less than buying a ready-made set. Definitely scratched that DIY itch. Just need to make a few more tiles to cover a bigger area!