Today I’m gonna share this crazy project I just finished – building a volleyball court in my backyard using removable birch wood flooring. Sounds fancy, right? It was a journey, let me tell you. Mostly sweat and a few curse words.

Why Birch and Why “Removable”?

So I saw these volleyball court tiles online. Looked slick but cost a fortune. Forget that. I decided to build my own using birch wood planks. Why birch? Because it’s tough, looks decent without needing fancy stains, and wasn’t the most expensive wood I could find. “Removable” sounded key – didn’t wanna pour concrete, wanted something I could pack away or rearrange later. Makes sense?

The Great Unpacking Disaster

Ordered the birch planks, fasteners, and all the little bits online. Boxes arrived looking a bit roughed up by the delivery guy. Opened the first box… timber spacers scattered EVERYWHERE. Little plastic bag ripped open. Spent like an hour crawling around the garage floor picking up these tiny plastic pieces. Not the best start. Found the instructions… just a single crumpled page. Great.

Laying It Out Like a Jigsaw Puzzle

Decided to tackle this piece by piece. Hauled everything out onto the patio space I cleared.

• Step 1: Make a Frame. Grabbed some longer birch beams for the outside edges. Measured the court size I wanted – a bit smaller than official, but big enough for fun. Used a square tool to get the corners kinda-sorta right. Screwed the corners together. Wobbled like crazy. Had to add extra braces underneath. Finally felt solid. Frame done.
• Step 2: Slats Galore. Started laying the shorter birch planks side-by-side across the frame. Seemed easy enough. Buttery smooth, looked nice. Reality hit: Keeping them perfectly straight and spaced evenly? Almost impossible by eyeball. Used the spacers I picked up off the floor. Still took constant adjusting. And the wood wasn’t perfectly straight! Had to fight some planks to lie flat.
• Step 3: The Securing Fiasco. Here’s where “removable” became tricky. Drilled pilot holes through each plank end into the frame, then used special bolts that tighten from underneath. Sounds simple. It wasn’t. Constantly dropping the small washers and nuts. Got the drill bit stuck a couple of times. Nearly drilled a hole right through my own thumb! Tightening those bolts evenly so nothing bulged or sagged? Pure frustration. My arms were noodles by the end.

Does It Actually Work?

After what felt like a month (really just two weekends), finally stood on it. Solid! No creaks. Bounced a ball – felt good! The real test? Grabbed a corner plank, used a wrench to loosen the bolts underneath. Took some muscle because I overtightened them (of course). But… it came off! Reattached it without too much fuss. So, yeah, it’s removable. Is it easy? Not really. Could I take down the whole court fast? No way. But I can swap out a damaged plank, or theoretically move sections. Mission sort-of accomplished.

Honest Thoughts & Scars

Look, it’s cheaper than buying a pre-made court system. And it looks surprisingly good. Birch weathers nicely, they say. But man, it was WORK. My thumb aches, my back is sore, and I have a newfound hatred for small bolts. Removable? Technically yes. User-friendly removal? Not so much. Was it worth it? Ask me again after a few summer volleyball games and maybe a beer. Right now, I’m just glad I didn’t drill through any more body parts.

Money saved? Probably. Patience tested? Absolutely. Functional homemade volleyball court? Done. Time for a nap.