The Whole Messy Process

Okay, so I got this idea stuck in my head about making a portable volleyball court for my backyard. Thought it’d be super handy for barbecues and hangouts. Saw some fancy stuff online and said, “Hey, why not wood?” Went out and bought a bunch of soft maple boards, ’cause hey, it’s wood, feels nice, right? Plus, they weren’t the super expensive kind. Big mistake number one, probably.

First up: Planning. Or the lack of it. Measured out a rough patch in the yard – figured something like 10 by 10 meters would work. Didn’t really do precise drawings. Just eyeballed it. Went straight to cutting the maple boards. Got my circular saw buzzing away in the driveway, dust everywhere. Cut a whole bunch trying to match lengths. Turns out, eyeballing is bad. Got some uneven ends.

Then came the real puzzle: Making the floor “removable.” Had this grand vision of locking tiles. Used these connector plates I found at the hardware store – basically metal bits with screw holes at each corner. Took ages. Like, forever. Screwing each plate onto the end of one board, trying to get its neighbor to line up perfectly, then screwing that plate onto the neighbor. My back was killing me, crouched over these boards. And halfway through I realized the plates were actually buckling slightly under the boards. Uh oh.

Here’s where it got frustrating:

• The ground wasn’t flat.
  Yeah, I know. Should’ve prepped that first. Threw some sand down, tried to level it. Helped a bit, but some sections wobbled when you stepped on them.
• The soft maple started showing its true colors.
  Scratched super easy carrying them around. Like, really easy. Dropped one corner on gravel? Instant dent and scrape.
• Connecting them smoothly sucked.
  The plates kind of worked, but it wasn’t tight. You could feel a slight gap and a tiny lift between boards sometimes. Definitely not competition-grade!

Finally got it assembled. Sort of. Looked… rustic? It was flat enough to bounce a ball on, mostly. Tossed a volleyball out there. Bounced okay, felt okay under bare feet actually. We played a messy game. Spikes made a satisfying thump on the wood, surprisingly. But oh man, sweat? Water? Yeah, soft maple ain’t a fan. Some spots felt kinda slick, others a little rough after just one game.

Takeaways were messy too: I learned that “soft maple” and “portable floor you build yourself” is a recipe for splinters and sore muscles. It kinda worked? For a low-key backyard thing? But it’s heavy to move, scratches like crazy, requires flat ground (which my yard ain’t), and that connector plate method? Exhausting to build and not ideal. Should’ve maybe bought some plastic interlocking tiles instead! But hey, the smell of fresh-cut wood? That was nice. The thud of the ball? Satisfying. The realization that I maybe bit off more than I could chew? Also very strong.