Okay, so I’ve been wanting to set up a portable volleyball court for a while now. You know, something I can take to the park, the beach, wherever. I saw this idea online for using batten and engineer board, and figured I’d give it a shot. It seemed pretty straightforward… famous last words, right?

Getting Started

First things first, I needed the materials. I grabbed a bunch of 2x4s for the battens – those are the support pieces underneath. Then, I got some sheets of that engineered wood flooring, the kind that clicks together. I figured that would be easier than dealing with individual planks. I also picked up some heavy-duty tape, because, well, you always need tape.

Building the Base

I started by laying out the 2x4s. My plan was to create a grid, kind of like a really big, flat waffle. I measured out the space I wanted for the court and started cutting the wood. Let me tell you, sawing all those pieces took way longer than I thought! My arms were definitely feeling it.

Once the wood was cut, I started assembling the grid. I used screws to hold everything together. Important lesson here: pre-drilling the holes is a MUST. I skipped that step a couple of times and ended up splitting the wood. Oops.

The Flooring

With the base built, it was time for the flooring. This part was actually pretty satisfying. The engineered boards clicked together easily, just like they’re supposed to. I started from one corner and worked my way across, making sure everything was lined up nice and tight.

I soon discovered that when I walked on it, it had too much give, time to add more batten supports.

I had to unscrew the boards that I had already laid to add some more support, and it took much longer than the first round.

Securing Everything

Once all the flooring was down, I used the heavy-duty tape to secure the edges to the batten frame. I also ran tape along the seams of the boards, just to give it a little extra hold. I’m not sure how well that’s going to hold up in the long run, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The Finished Product (Sort Of)

So, there it is! My “portable” volleyball court. It’s definitely heavier than I anticipated. I might need to recruit some friends to help me move it around. I’m also a little worried about how it will handle uneven ground. I might need to come up with some kind of leveling system. We used some spare pieces of cut wood to put under the uneven spots.

All in all, it was a fun project, even with the hiccups. It definitely took longer than I expected, and it’s not perfect, but hey, it’s a start! Now, I just need to find some people to play volleyball with!