Alright folks, today I’m spilling the beans on this portable volleyball court floor thingy I built. Total backyard job, but hey, it works! Got tired of driving miles to play decent volleyball, figured why not make a patch at home? Saw these removable engineer boards online but man, the price! Decided to give it a whirl myself.

The Hunt for Stuff

First things first, needed wood. Not some fancy hardwood, just decent solid stuff. Wandered around the lumber yard, picked through their pile. Settled on these 2×4 pieces for the frame – felt sturdy enough. For the top part you actually jump on, I went with thick plywood sheets. Got the thicker ones, didn’t wanna risk cracking under someone stomping for a spike!

Besides the wood, hunted down:

• Box of decent screws (bigger ones!).
• A big pile of bolts, wingnuts, and washers – wanted things to come apart easy.
• A measuring tape that didn’t totally suck.
• Saw – borrowed my neighbor’s, mine’s rusty junk.
• Power drill, lifesaver.
• Wood glue, for a bit of extra holding power.
• Sandpaper, smoother is better.

Chopping and Fitting

Started by hacking up the 2x4s. Measured out the size for each panel I wanted – thought eight smaller sections would be easier to handle than four huge ones. Less likely to break my back hauling them, right? Measured like crazy, marked lines, then sawed. Let me tell you, sawing straight ain’t as easy as those YouTube dudes make it look! Got a few wonky cuts, had to trim ’em up.

Next, took the plywood sheets and sawed them down to fit onto my 2×4 frames. Left a little overhang on the edges. Made sure the plywood corners matched up with the frame corners mostly. Sanded down all the rough spots after sawing – nobody needs splinters in their knee!

Putting the Frame Together

Laid the cut 2x4s on the ground to make a square box shape for the base of each panel. Made sure they were square (ish), corners meeting properly. Drilled pilot holes through the ends first – stops the wood from splitting, big time. Slathered on some wood glue at the joints, then screwed them together tight. Let that glue dry solid.

Placed the plywood top onto the screwed-together frame. Traced where the frame sat underneath onto the plywood back. Took the plywood off, laid down beads of glue on the frame top, then plopped the plywood back on, lining up with the marks. Weighted it down with some bricks while the glue cured.

Making it Portable – The Engineer Board Trick

Here’s the cool removable part. For the frame pieces that would butt up against each other (the long sides of each panel), I attached sturdy metal plates right near the corners, underneath. Used bolts for these, not screws. Screws into the end grain of the wood aren’t strong enough for yanking on later.

On the panel next door, the one that would connect to that plate, I attached the matching plate bit. Drilled holes through both the plate on this panel and the plate sticking out from the neighboring panel. Here’s where those wingnuts shine! Just slip a bolt through both plate holes, slap a washer on, and twist the wingnut tight by hand. No tools needed! Undo the wingnut, pull the bolt, and bam – panels separate easy. Did this for all adjoining sides.

Finishing Touches and Testing

Gave everything another sanding, especially the edges where panels meet. Didn’t want a tripping lip between sections. Slapped on a coat of semi-transparent wood stain – partly for looks, partly to help it handle a bit of weather if I leave it out overnight after sweating buckets.

The Big Reveal

Hauled the panels out to the backyard. Laid ’em out on the grass, sorta level. Started hooking ’em together. Shoved the bolts through the plates, turned those wingnuts finger-tight. Took a few tries to get the panels sitting flush next to each other – one was stubborn! But eventually, clonked together a decent-sized court patch. Didn’t wiggle much at all when walking on it. Jumped around, did some fake spikes. Held up! Played a little match with some buddies later, surface felt good, firm, solid bounce for the ball. Best part? Packing up was a breeze. Unscrewed the wingnuts, pulled the bolts, lifted panels apart. Stacked ’em in the garage corner.

It ain’t perfect. It’s heavy. My back hated me later. The wood might warp over time. Grass underneath got a bit squashed. But it solved my problem: a volleyball spot that pops up and vanishes when I need it, without costing my whole paycheck. Worth every splinter! Maybe next time I’ll think about rubber feet or something…