Alright, so the other day, I decided to take on this project – installing some LVL basketball flooring. It’s that “lvl larch assembly” type, which, let me tell you, sounded way fancier than it actually was to put together.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the area. This wasn’t some huge gym, just a decent-sized space in my basement I wanted to turn into a mini-court. So, I moved all the junk out, swept the concrete floor, and made sure it was মোটামুটি (that’s Bengali for “more or less”) level. No fancy laser levels here, just a good old-fashioned long level and some shims where needed.

The LVL Arrives

The flooring arrived, and it was a bunch of these long, engineered wood planks. “Larch,” they called it. Looked pretty, but honestly, it all looked the same to me. I laid out a few pieces to get a feel for how they’d fit together. It was a tongue-and-groove system, which is supposed to be easy, right?

The “Easy” Part (Spoiler: It Wasn’t)

The first few rows, I struggled. I tapped the planks together with a rubber mallet, like the instructions said. Some went in smooth, others… not so much. I bent a couple of tongues, which was super frustrating. Had to pry them out and start again. There may have been some colorful language involved, not gonna lie.

Finding My Rhythm (and My Knees)

After a while, though, I got the hang of it. I figured out the right angle to hold the planks, the right amount of force to use. My knees were killing me, but I was in the zone. I started using a tapping block, which helped protect the edges of the planks. That was a game-changer.

• Clear the space. Make it as bare as possible.
• Check the level. Shim where it’s needed.
• Lay out planks. See how it all lines up.
• Tongue-and-groove. It should be easy, in theory.
• Use mallet and tapping block. Saves you from damaging the planks.

The Home Stretch

As I got closer to the walls, I had to cut some planks to fit. No fancy power saws here, just a trusty old hand saw. Measured twice (okay, sometimes three times), cut once. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, it’s a basement basketball court, not the NBA finals.

The Finished Product (Almost)

Finally, I got the last plank in. I stood back and admired my handiwork. It wasn’t perfect, there were a few gaps here and there, but it looked pretty darn good. I still need to add some trim around the edges, but that’s a project for another day. For now, I’m calling it a win. Time to shoot some hoops!