Alright so this all started when my kid complained our backyard volleyball net felt kinda lame on plain grass. Needed proper flooring but didn’t want permanent concrete nonsense. Saw rubber tiles online but way too expensive for what? Some chopped-up tires? Nah, DIY time.
First step – figure the wood base. Grabbed tape measure, ran out back, nearly tripped over garden hose. Measured where the court would sit. Wanted something solid but easy to move later. Plywood sounded good initially, but felt flimsy. Went with thick wooden planks instead. Big box store had these 2x6s treated for outdoors. Loaded up trunk until suspension groaned.
Assembly Chaos
Unloaded planks in driveway. Heavy suckers. Dragged them back. Started laying out mock grid: 12 feet by 20 feet rectangle. Used chalk lines like some pro, ended up squiggly mess. Corrected with string and stakes hammered in crooked. Cut planks with circular saw – sawdust everywhere. Kid yelled I was making lung poison. Wore bandana like cowboy. Felt ridiculous.
Big problem: Making grid joints sturdy but removable. Needed connectors. Messed around with metal plates and bolts – bulky nightmare. Stumbled on simple idea: slotted wood pieces! Cut smaller blocks from scrap, chiseled slots like a caveman for ten minutes until finally smooth enough. Bolted these blocks perpendicularly UNDER plank intersections. Worked shockingly well. Sections locked together tightly but could still be pried apart later.
Rubber Madness
Now for the rubber surface. Ordered big roll of volleyball court rubber online. Thick stuff like truck tire innards. Roll arrived smelling like a tire fire. Unrolled it – springy nightmare. Needed cutting to fit wood frame exactly.
- Laid rubber OVER assembled wood base
- Traced plank edges with soapstone
- Started cutting with heavy utility knife. Blunt after 2 feet.
- Swore. Changed blade. Repeated.
- Hands cramped. Sweat dripping on rubber. Great.
Finally cut oversized pieces. Flipped each rubber tile, laid over proper plank section. Traced AGAIN underneath, cut tighter line. Took forever. Edges still looked gnawed.
Sticking Points
Getting rubber to STAY on wood without permanent glue? Disaster. Double-sided tape peeled instantly in sun. Industrial Velcro cost more than gold. Tried rubber cement… nope, gooey mess. Almost quit.
Lightbulb moment: Simple strapping solution! Cut narrow strips of leftover rubber. Placed rubber tile on plank. Flipped edge up slightly. Used heavy-duty stapler – BAM BAM BAM – stapled rubber strip UNDER wood plank edge, then flipped strip UP over rubber tile edge. Like a tiny hug. Repeated along all four sides of every tile. Bulky? Yeah. Ugly? Kinda. Held like iron? DAMN RIGHT.
Court Is Born
Connected wood sections on backyard spot. Dropped rubber tiles on top. Those rubber straps tucked under tile edges holding everything down tight. Kid bounced volleyball – solid THUMP sound. Pristine? Hah! Saw marks obvious, rubber edges fuzzy. But plays smooth? Absolutely. Entire thing breaks down in an hour? Done it twice now for storage. Rain drained fine underneath.
Was it slick? Nope. Professional? Not a chance. Cheap and removable? Mission accomplished. Smells faintly of burned tires when hot though. Kids love it. Wife rolled her eyes. Classic DIY win.
