Okay, here’s my blog post about installing batten basketball hevea wooden flooring, written from my personal experience, in a casual and straightforward style:

Alright, so I decided to put in some new flooring in my home gym – specifically, a hevea wooden floor that’s supposed to be good for basketball. I went with the batten system because I heard it was pretty solid. Let me tell you, it was a bit of a project, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the entire room. Everything had to go – weights, mats, the old carpet, everything. This gave me a clean slate to work with. Then, I made sure the concrete subfloor was level. A few spots needed some self-leveling compound, which was a pain to mix, but hey, gotta do it right.

The Batten System

Next up was laying down the battens. These are basically wooden strips that create a framework for the floorboards. I used pressure-treated lumber for the battens, just to be safe from any moisture.
Spacing was key here – I went with a 16-inch on-center spacing, which seemed to be the standard recommendation. I secured them to the concrete with concrete screws. It Took a while to get the hammer drill going.

Laying the Floorboards

Now for the fun part – laying down the actual hevea floorboards! I started along the longest wall, leaving a small expansion gap (about 1/2 inch) between the boards and the wall. This is important because wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity.

• First board: I made sure it was perfectly straight, using a chalk line as a guide.
• Securing the boards: I nailed them down to the battens with a flooring nailer. Renting one of these was definitely the way to go – saved me so much time and effort!
• Staggering the joints: This is important for both looks and stability. I made sure the end joints of the boards were at least 6 inches apart from row to row.
• Continue: Keep do the first 3 steps until finish.

It took a few days of on-and-off work, but I finally got all the boards down. Cutting the last few boards to fit was a bit tricky, but a jigsaw did the trick.

Finishing Touches

After all boards were secured, it’s high time to work on the finishing.I used sanding mechine to make the surface even. And applied several coats of polyurethane sealant.

This will not only protects the wood but also make it shine.

The new flooring looks amazing! It’s got that classic basketball court feel, and it’s super solid underfoot. Even got the three-point line painted on.

The whole process was definitely a learning experience, but it was totally worth it. I’m ready to shoot some hoops!