Alright, let me walk you through this whole athletic hardwood floor mess I tackled in my New York apartment. Started when I tripped over my own gym mat last winter – turns out that cheap laminate flooring got slick when I sweated during workouts. Nearly busted my elbow doing burpees. Decided right then I needed proper athletic hardwood.
The Hunt Begins
First step was Googling suppliers in the city. Called like six places pretending I knew what I was doing. One dude in Queens straight up laughed when I asked if regular hardwood would work for jump squats. Told me “Nah bro, you need that shock absorption” – turns out athletic flooring has extra bounce so your knees don’t hate you later.
Measuring Nightmares
Got the tape measure out thinking this would be simple. Yeah, right. My “rectangle” living room had SEVEN uneven corners. Sketching the layout took three tries because I kept forgetting to account for radiator pipes. Finally just took photos of every angle and drew crayon lines right on the subfloor.
Delivery Disaster
Ordered these fancy maple planks advertised as “professional gym grade”. Truck shows up during Manhattan rush hour – guy dumps eight crates on the sidewalk and peels out. Had to drag every single 50-pound bundle through the lobby while neighbors glared. Elevator broke halfway through, obviously. Got my steps in carrying planks up four flights.
The Actual Installation
Started hammering planks before realizing athletic flooring doesn’t nail down. Panic-searched YouTube – you’re supposed to glue these suckers! Ripped up my first two rows, scraped off wood dust mess, squeezed glue bottles till my hands cramped. Dropped the level three times trying to straighten the tongue-and-groove joints. Every time I stood up, another plank shifted outta place.
Surprise Problems
- Plank 52 had a giant knot that made it snap when I stepped on it
- Glue oozed up between cracks like toothpaste
- Cat jumped into the wet glue paw-first and tracked maple-flavored paw prints to my sofa
Finishing Touches
After wiping glue off everything for two days, I sanded the whole thing thinking it’d look glossy. Wrong again – athletic floors need that matte finish so your sneakers grip. Had to recoat with three layers of special non-slip sealant that smelled like rotten bananas. Left windows open in February while neighbors yelled about cold air.
Results? Survived six months of daily HIIT workouts without falling. Floor’s got dents and glue ghosts near the windows, but man does it feel good when I deadlift. Would I do it again? Hell no. But hey, at least my knees stopped popping.
