Alright friends, today I gotta tell you about my crazy idea for a removable volleyball court using wood flooring. Buckle up, because this was a ride!
The “Why Even Try This” Part
It started simple enough. My buddy Mike wanted a volleyball net in his huge backyard for summer BBQs, but didn’t wanna wreck his grass permanently. Cement or asphalt? Way too pricey and messy. Then I saw some cheap wooden floor pallets at the local hardware dump spot. Lightbulb moment! What if I could slap together portable wood flooring just for volleyball nights?
Hunting and Gathering Stuff
First things first, needed wood. Scoured around and grabbed:
- A bunch of those wooden pallets – freebies are my favorite kind
- Strong hinges, like the heavy-duty ones for gates
- Wood screws – loads of ’em
- Sandpaper sheets, rougher grit
- Outdoor wood sealant from under the sink
No fancy tools either. Just my trusty saw, drill, tape measure, and a sander borrowed from my neighbor Gary.
Making It Happen (Slowly!)
Alright, time for action:
- Chopping Time: Measured a volleyball court size roughly – 10 meters by 6 meters? Good enough. Started hacking those pallets apart with the saw. Sweat city! Lots of uneven boards.
- Smooth Moves: Grabbed the sander and went to town on every single board. Got sawdust everywhere. Looked like a blizzard in my garage. My back hated me.
- Staining Mess: Slapped on that sealant outside. Wind blew some onto my jeans. Permanent reminder now.
- Puzzle Mode: Laid out all the sanded boards on Mike’s lawn. Looked like a giant jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Some fit nice, others had big gaps. Had to shuffle boards around for ages.
- Connecting Bits: Started linking the boards together side-by-side using those hinges. Drilled holes, screwed hinges onto the long edges. Made big square sections about 2 meters by 1.5 meters each. Hard to line everything up straight. Lots of muttering happened.
- Portable Test: Got Mike to help me fold one section up. It worked! Heavy as heck but foldable. Carried it a few feet. Seemed okay.
Did It Work? Mostly!
Finally, BBQ day came. We rolled out all our sections and snapped ’em together. Threw the net up. Not perfectly flat – few bumps and gaps here and there – but seriously, no one tripped! Ball bounced reasonably well. Everyone cheered. Best part? When the rain started, we folded it all up, stacked it in Mike’s shed faster than you can say “mud pit”. Felt pretty darn proud of those creaky hinges holding up!
Lessons? Sanding takes forever, free wood ain’t perfect, and everything is heavier than you think. But making something that worked for a backyard game night? Totally worth the sawdust and stained jeans.
