So yesterday I had this idea rattling around in my brain – my daughter loves volleyball but we don’t got space for a permanent court. Plus the grass outside gets muddy after rain. What if I made a floor I could just roll out and pack away? Something with bounce for jumps and grip for shoes. After staring at my toolshed, here’s how it went down.

Getting Started & Major Screwups

First things first, I dragged all my leftover plywood sheets into the driveway. Measured the volleyball court dimensions on my phone – whole thing looked bigger than I figured. Big mistake number one: I eyeballed the cuts. Grabbed my circular saw and started slicing panels smaller. Ended up with uneven shapes like some abstract art project. Totally messed up. Had to borrow my neighbor’s truck later to get more plywood. Ugh.

Next was the underlayer. I remembered those rubber floor tiles they use in gyms – bouncy and protects the wood, right? Ordered a bunch of thick rubber strips online. When they showed up, I just slapped ’em straight onto the plywood sheets with heavy-duty glue. Big mistake number two: Didn’t let the glue cure. Soon as I stepped on it, the rubber slid around like butter in a hot pan. Total failure. Had to scrape off that sticky mess – took hours and my back was killing me.

Figuring It Out (The Hard Way)

Alright, back to the damn drawing board. Needed something to connect these panels and hold the rubber secure. Bought a bunch of those heavy-duty strap hinges – the kind you see on barn doors. This time:

• Laid the plywood panels flat on sawhorses, careful like.
• Measured twice, cut once (finally learned!). Drilled pilot holes for the hinges along the edges where panels meet.
• Bolted the hinges down real tight with big washers – no way these were shifting.

For the rubber? Forget glue. Snagged several cans of strong-as-hell rubber adhesive spray. Laid the strips down on a single panel, sprayed the underside real good, and pressed them on hard. Did one panel at a time. Let each one dry overnight with bricks piled on top to keep pressure. Way more patience than I usually got!

The Grand Assembly & First Test

Day three, time to see if this Frankenstein’s monster would stand up. Connected all the hinged plywood panels in the driveway. It unfolded kinda like those picnic tables! Had my daughter grab her volleyball. Here’s the crucial part:

• The wood surface needed grip but couldn’t be slippery. Grabbed my orbital sander and went over the whole top surface rough – not polished, just enough texture.
• Sealed it quick with two coats of water-based outdoor polyurethane. Let it dry good in the sun.
• Rolled it up? Yeah, that was the plan. Found these massive Velcro straps in the garage. Strapped it around the bundle tight.

Unrolled it again. Daughter bounced the ball – solid thump. Took a running dive for a pretend dig – knee didn’t bruise! The rubber underneath gave just enough cushion. Sand on the surface made stopping easy. She played for an hour solid. We folded the whole thing up afterward and slid it into the shed corner. Done and dusted.

Still heavy as all get-out though. Maybe wheels next time.