Okay, folks, let’s dive into this little project I tackled: putting in a batten basketball court floor – larch wood, assembled. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

First things first, I cleared out the space. This was a garage, so, you know, typical garage stuff everywhere. Bikes, tools, random boxes… the whole nine yards. Got it all out of there so I had a nice, clean area to work with.

Next up, I laid down a vapor barrier. Just some thick plastic sheeting, really. This is super important, especially in a garage, to keep moisture from the concrete seeping up into the wood. Taped the seams together – nothing fancy, just making sure it was all sealed up.

Then came the battens. These are just strips of wood that create a framework for the flooring. I used some pressure-treated lumber for this, since it’s going to be in contact with the concrete. Spaced them out evenly – used a measuring tape and everything! – and secured them to the concrete with concrete screws. That was a bit of a workout, I’ll admit.

Assembling the Floor

• Started laying the larch planks. These were tongue-and-groove, so they fit together pretty easily.
• Used a rubber mallet to tap them into place snugly. Didn’t want any gaps!
• Staggered the joints, like you do with any wood floor, to make it look nice and be more stable.
• Left a little expansion gap around the edges, because wood expands and contracts with temperature changes.

Once all the planks were down, I gave it a good sweeping. Then it was time to put the basketball’s mark. Stick those lines, very exciting!

And… that’s pretty much it! Took me a couple of days, working on and off, but it was totally worth it. The floor looks great, feels solid underfoot, and it’s ready for some serious hoops action. My kids are already loving it!