Okay, here’s my blog post about putting together that laminate basketball court floor:

So, I’ve been wanting to redo the floor in my basement for, like, forever. It was this ugly, old linoleum that was peeling up at the edges. Gross. I finally decided to go for it and do a laminate floor, but not just any laminate floor – I wanted that cool, basketball court look. You know, the kind with the light maple and the lines? Yeah, that’s what I was going for.

Prepping the Subfloor

First things first, I had to rip out that nasty old linoleum. That was a pain, let me tell you. Used a scraper and a lot of elbow grease. Underneath was just the concrete subfloor, which was thankfully pretty level. I did have a few low spots, so I got some self-leveling compound and filled those in. Gotta make sure it’s smooth, or your laminate will be all wonky.

After the leveler dried (took a whole day, ugh), I gave the whole floor a good sweep and vacuum. You don’t want any dust or debris under your new floor, or it’ll make these annoying crunching sounds when you walk on it.

Laying Down the Underlayment

Next up was the underlayment. I used this stuff that’s basically a thin foam sheet. It helps with sound dampening and makes the floor a little softer underfoot. I just rolled it out, cut it to size with a utility knife, and taped the seams together. Super easy.

The Fun Part: Installing the Laminate

Okay, this is where it got interesting. I bought these laminate planks that looked like light maple. They click together, which is supposed to make it easy, but… well, let’s just say it took some practice.

I started in one corner, laying down the first row. Important tip: Make sure you leave a gap around the edges of the room! Laminate expands and contracts with temperature changes, so you need that space. I used these little plastic spacers to keep the gap consistent.

The clicking together part was… fiddly. You have to get the angle just right, and sometimes it felt like I needed three hands. But, I got the hang of it eventually. It’s all about lining up the tongue and groove and then giving it a good tap with a rubber mallet and a tapping block. Don’t hit the laminate directly with the hammer, or you’ll damage it!

I kept going, row by row, making sure to stagger the joints. You don’t want all the seams to line up, it looks weird and it’s not as strong. I used a jigsaw to cut the planks to fit around doorways and stuff. That was a little tricky, but I managed.

The Key line is a different color of the * took me much time to figure it out, but I did it.

The Finishing Touches

Once all the laminate was down, I removed the spacers and installed the baseboards. That covered up the expansion gap and made everything look nice and finished. I added a transition strip where the laminate met the carpet in the hallway.

And… that’s it! It took me a couple of weekends, but I’m super happy with how it turned out. It looks so much better than that old linoleum, and the basketball court vibe is exactly what I wanted. Now I just need to get a hoop down there!