So, I got this wild idea the other day – I wanted to build a porcelain tennis court. Yeah, you heard that right, a tennis court made out of porcelain. Sounds crazy, right? But I was determined to see if I could pull it off. I mean, how cool would it be to play tennis on a shiny, smooth porcelain surface?
First things first, I needed to find a space. My backyard is pretty spacious, so I figured that would be the perfect spot. I cleared out the area where the old garden used to be, getting rid of all the weeds and rocks. It was a lot of work, but I was pumped to get started.
Next up, I had to figure out how to lay down the porcelain. I’m no expert in this, so I did a bunch of reading online. Turns out, you need a solid base, like concrete, before you can even think about putting down porcelain tiles. So, I rented a cement mixer and got to work pouring a concrete slab. It was messy, and I definitely underestimated how much concrete I needed, but after a few trips to the hardware store, I managed to get it done.
Once the concrete was set, which took forever, by the way, it was time for the fun part – laying the tiles. I ordered a ton of white porcelain tiles, the kind you usually see in bathrooms, but bigger. I wanted that classic, clean look. Laying those tiles was a real pain. I had to make sure they were perfectly aligned, and let me tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks. My knees and back were killing me by the end of each day.
- Measured out the court dimensions.
- Applied thin-set mortar to the concrete.
- Carefully placed each tile, using spacers to keep them even.
- Waited for the mortar to dry.
Grouting those tiles
After the tiles were down, I had to grout them. I chose a light gray grout to make the white tiles pop. Grouting was messy too, but kind of satisfying, like I was putting the finishing touches on a giant puzzle. It took me a couple of days to get it all done, and I had to be super careful not to step on the wet grout.
Then came the lines. I wanted the court to look legit, so I bought some special paint made for marking sports courts. Painting those lines was tricky. I had to use a lot of tape to make sure they were straight and even. It took a lot of patience, but I finally got it done.
And there you have it, my very own porcelain tennis court. It’s definitely not perfect, there were some tiles that are not perfectly align, but it’s unique, and I built it myself. Now, I just need to find someone brave enough to play tennis with me on it!
It is a crazy project, but it was so worth it. I learned a lot, and now I have the most unique tennis court in the neighborhood. So if you are feeling adventurous give it a try, who knows, you might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.
