Okay so last month my buddies wanted to play volleyball but our usual court was muddy mess after rain. I got this idea: why not make our own court? Like, a proper one we could set up anywhere. Saw online folks making portable floors. Figured, “I got tools, how hard can it be?” Famous last words, right?

The Whole Mess Starts Here

Went down to the lumber yard. Needed wood that wouldn’t buckle easy. Guy there pushes this “hard maple” stuff. Sounds tough, yeah? Grabbed a buncha planks, feeling optimistic. Got ’em home, laid ’em out in the garage. Big mistake. Like, three days later? Half the boards looked like bananas. Warped like crazy from the garage dampness. Cried a little inside. Had to scrap half that wood.

Back to Square One… Literally

Round two. Learned my lesson: store that maple INSIDE the house! Kept it in the living room near the heater for a week. Wife was thrilled. Measured and cut the boards this time, trying to make actual squares. Took forever. My saw blade started smoking halfway through. Good times.

Steps I took for assembly:

• Grinding Time: Edges were rough. Spent hours sanding. Sawdust everywhere. Couldn’t breathe.
• Hooking Up: Needed something so the panels lock together. Found these heavy-duty metal plates with hooks and loops. Like giant Lego. Bolted those suckers underneath each panel corner. Dropped a bolt on my foot. Yelled.
• Padding Stuff: Heard floors need bounce? Cut up some old yoga mats. Glued them under the maple boards. Wasn’t sure if it worked. Felt like I was just gluing my fingers together.
• Finishing Blurgh: Didn’t want splinters ruining the game. Slapped on wood stain, then clear coat. Went overboard. Drips everywhere. Panels stuck to my sawhorses. Peeling them off wrecked part of the finish. Had to redo two panels. Nearly gave up.

Making It Portable (Mostly)

The whole point was moving it, yeah? Cut panels smaller for easier carrying. Still heavy though. Built little wooden feet that screw off. Got these short leg things for underneath support. Realized the ground might not be flat. Genius moment: added shimmy stuff under the feet to level it out. Took like five tries to get that right. Kept wobbling.

Did It Actually Work?

Took weeks, lots of cursing, and my garage looked like a bomb site. Finally dragged it out to a park last weekend. Took us an hour just to set the darn thing up, clicking panels together. Sweating buckets. Leveling was a pain.

But then… we played. Ball bounced good! Way better than muddy grass. Floor felt solid underfoot, no twisting. We played for hours. Even had people wandering over asking where we bought it. Felt smug.

Stuff I Wish I Knew Before:

• Wood Sucks: Maple? Yeah, tough. Also fights you every step. Let it sit INSIDE first. Seriously.
• Leveling Nightmare: Flat ground is a fairy tale. The shims? Essential. Bring extras.
• Weight is Real: Portable? Kinda. Still need two people hauling each panel section. My arms ache thinking about it.
• Clear Coat Calamity: Less is more. Way less. Drips are evil.

Was it worth it? Cost more than I thought, took longer, nearly drove me nuts. But seeing my buddies diving on that homemade court? Smiles all round? Yeah. Totally worth the sweat and the splinters. Best volleyball ever.