So last weekend, I tackled installing that basketball court flooring in my garage. Thought it’d be straightforward – slap down the wood panels over foam cushions, done by lunch. Man, was I wrong. Here’s how I screwed up and learned the hard way.

The Leveling Disaster

First mistake? Assuming my concrete floor was flat. Just eyeballed it and started locking panels. Halfway through, boards started rocking like seesaws. Got down with my 4-foot level and whoa – found dips deep enough to hide golf balls. Had to rip everything out. Expert tip: grab chalk powder and dump it on the slab. Where it pools, that’s your low spot. Slapped self-leveling compound only in THOSE areas instead of wasting time/money coating the whole thing.

Crammed Like Sardines

When I started again, I got too enthusiastic pushing panels together. Hammered them so tight against the walls that when humidity spiked last Tuesday, the whole center bubbled up like a waterbed. Had to slice 1/2 inch gaps along all four walls with a circular saw. Pro trick: use plastic spacers every 4 feet as you go. Not just in corners – stick them along every single wall edge. Lets the wood breathe without looking gappy.

Underlayment Chaos

The worst? The foam cushion layer. I rolled it out like carpet, seams touching edge-to-edge. Big mistake – they overlapped in some spots and left voids elsewhere. When people jumped for rebounds, you could hear the planks smacking concrete. Solution? Cut foam pieces in brickwork pattern. Staggered every seam by at least 10 inches and taped them together with seam tape. Now you get consistent bounce without weird pressure points.

After redoing all three messes? Court plays like butter. Moral of the story: what takes 20 extra minutes during install saves you days of rework later. Trust me – I’ve got the sore knees to prove it.