Alright, so I got this random itch last week. Watching some park volleyball, thinking, man, wouldn’t it be cool to have a real court feel anywhere? But permanent? Nah. I move stuff around too much. So, removable volleyball parquet? Portable wooden flooring? Yeah, let’s try that.
The Idea & Messing Up Measurements
First thought was simple: wooden squares, hook them together, pack them up. Easy, right? Nope. Rushed out to the lumber yard, bought a bunch of those cheap pine panels they sell for DIY stuff. Like 2 feet by 2 feet squares? Seemed fine. Dragged them home, eager. Tried laying a few down on my garage floor just to see. Bam. Uneven mess. Turns out my garage floor ain’t flat AT ALL. Plus, when I stepped on the seam between two? Almost ate concrete. So much for instant court. Learned quick: floor needs to be flat underneath, and the squares need locking edges, not just sitting next to each other.
Back to the Drawing Board (& Store)
Scrapped the flimsy panels. Needed something tougher. Back to the store I go. Found thicker plywood sheets – heavier, but feels solid. Bought a big sheet, 4 feet by 8 feet. How to get it home? Strapped it stupidly to the roof of my sedan. Picture that. So sketchy. Barely made it without it flying off. Got it in the garage. Now, how to make it portable? Can’t move a 4×8 sheet easily. Who has space for that?
Grabbed my saw. Started cutting it up into smaller squares. Ended up with eight squares total, each about 2×2 feet. Heavy, but manageable. Sanded the edges rough as hell after cutting.
Figuring Out the Lock & Storage
Okay, panels are manageable. But how to lock them? Plain panels next to each other was a disaster. Saw online people using cam locks? Too fancy and expensive for this test. Wandering the hardware aisles, feeling lost. Then, saw these simple metal strap hinges. You know, like small door hinges? Lightbulb moment. Bought a bunch.
- Laid two panels flat, edges touching.
- Screwed one half of the hinge onto the bottom face of the first panel, right near the edge.
- Screwed the other half onto the bottom face of the second panel.
Folded them together – now they “locked” side-by-side. They could unfold flat! Did this for each connecting edge. Not perfect, needed careful alignment, but it worked! It held together when I stepped on the seam! Huge win.
Storage? Had an old tarp gathering dust. Rolled up the hinged panels together. Strapped it tight with ratchet straps. Looked like a weird log. Fine. It fits in the trunk.
The Test Run (Mostly Success!)
Took my awkward plywood bundle down to the park. Unrolled it on a flat bit of grass this time. Sweating buckets trying to unfold it all correctly. Eventually got the 8 panels hooked together in a roughly 8×8 foot area. Taped down the outermost edges with heavy duct tape onto the grass – just enough to stop sliding. Not regulation size, but way better than dirt.
Played a quick game. Feet felt SO much better! Real wood bounce! Obvious flaws: hinges on the bottom snag a little if you drag foot, corners lift slightly without weight. Definitely loud “thumps.” But it stayed together! Didn’t collapse! Packing up was actually easier than setting up. Folded the whole thing like a weird accordion, rolled it back up.
Did it look pro? Hell no. Is it portable? Yeah, surprisingly. Is it perfect? Nope. Would I play on it again? For sure. Maybe try thinner plywood next time, work on the hinge thing more… but the proof of concept? Solid win.
