Okay, here’s my blog post about assembling a hard maple basketball court floor, written in a casual, first-person style:

Man, let me tell you, putting together this hard maple basketball court flooring was a PROJECT. I thought, “Hey, it’s just wood, how hard can it be?” Famous last words, right?

First things first, I got all the materials. We’re talking a LOT of hard maple. It arrived on these huge pallets, and just getting it all off the truck and into the space was a workout in itself. I made sure there was enough space.

The Prep Work

Before I could even think about laying down the maple, I had to get the subfloor ready. This was probably the most crucial step. I made super sure it was level, clean, and dry. Any little bump or imperfection would show up in the finished floor, and nobody wants a wonky basketball court.

I spent a good amount of time with a level, shimming any low spots and sanding down any high spots. It was tedious, but I knew it had to be perfect.

Laying the Floor

Finally, it was time to start laying the actual maple. I started in the center of the room, and then the first row is the most important, need make sure to be straight. I used a chalk line to mark my starting point and made sure it was perfectly straight.

Then, it was all about fitting the pieces together. These planks had a tongue-and-groove system, so they interlocked. Sounds easy, but you need use tools.

• I used a mallet and a tapping block to gently nudge the pieces together without damaging the edges.
• And,I used flooring nailer, to secure the planks to the subfloor.

I worked my way out from the center, row by row. It was slow going, especially around the edges where I had to cut pieces to fit. I rented a power saw for that, which made life a lot easier. A regular saw would have taken forever.

The Finishing Touches

Once all the maple was down, it was time for sanding. This was another big job. I rented a big drum sander and went over the entire floor multiple times, using progressively finer grits of sandpaper. The goal was to get a super smooth, even surface.

After sanding, there’s the finishing. I applied several coats of polyurethane, letting each coat dry completely before applying the next. This protects the wood and gives it that nice, shiny basketball court look.

Finally, I can enjoy my project.