Okay, let me dump this basketball court saga on ya. So last month, I got obsessed with turning my crappy garage into a proper practice spot. Figured hardwood was the way to go – looked slick in pics online. Went down to the lumber yard, found some maple planks labeled “sports flooring.” Grabbed a hundred boards without measuring jack. Cost an arm and a leg, nearly cleared my savings.
The Demolition Disaster
First, ripped out that nasty old carpet in the garage. Underneath was cracked concrete looking like a dried-up riverbed. Grabbed a sander, thinking it’d smooth right out. Dust went everywhere – eyes, lungs, the neighbor’s white car parked outside. After two hours, looked worse than before. Quit when the sander started smoking. Patched craters with concrete filler like spackling a wall. Waited three days praying it’d dry flat. Spoiler: it didn’t.
Laying Boards Blues
Started laying planks left to right like a puzzle. Quickly ran out halfway across. Turns out garage ain’t rectangle. Corners were jagged, needed cutting. My jigsaw skills? Garbage. Board edges looked chewed up by beavers. Nailed ’em down anyways – some stuck proud, others sunk too deep. Felt like walking on broken piano keys. Had gaps big enough to lose marbles in. Tried forcing planks together with a crowbar. Snapped two clean in half.
- Blunder #1 Used rusty nails from a coffee can – left ugly stains on the wood.
- Blunder #2 Forgot spacers – all boards jammed together crooked by the far wall.
- Blunder #3 Ran out of maple – finished last row with random pine scraps.
The Sanding Nightmare
Rented this beast drum sander. Thing kicked like a donkey, ripped chunks off my “finish” row instantly. Whole floor looked like a topographic map. Burn marks near the door where I stopped too long. Three passes later, that pine patch felt like quicksand – ate the sandpaper. Polyurethane coat turned into sticky glue traps in humid corners. Dribbled a ball – bounced once then died. Wound up hand-scraping glue puddles with a putty knife at midnight.
Today? It’s functional-ish. Ball bounces okay if you avoid the dent near the toolbox. Sweat and tears are sealed into that finish forever. Moral? Should’ve just poured concrete and called it a day.
