So this fiba sports floor thing started when I needed to resurface my old driveway basketball hoop setup. Figured I might as well make it legit like the pros use.
Getting the Materials Right
First I called up five different lumber yards because fiba ain’t normal wood. One guy straight up laughed saying “nobody stocks that special springy stuff for driveways.” Finally found this sketchy supplier three states over who claimed they had the real deal. Paid double what normal wood costs and prayed.
Foundation Mess
Dug up my whole driveway thinking it was level. Ha! My neighbor Pete came over laughing at my “potato field” foundation. We spent two whole weekends hauling gravel and sand:
- Rented a compactor that broke on day one
- Spilled two tons of leveling sand when the wheelbarrow tipped
- Got fined by the HOA for dust clouds blowing into Mrs. Henderson’s pool
The Rain Disaster
Finally started laying planks when the sky just opened up. Storm flooded my whole setup. All that expensive wood floated like sticks in a river. Had to pull every soaked plank off the wet concrete while lightning was still cracking nearby. Nearly got fried like cheap bacon that night.
Working Through the Pain
Two days later my back gives out carrying replacement planks. Could barely move but kept gluing and nailing through tears. Screwed up the pattern twice because I was high on painkillers. Whole thing looked crooked as a politician until Pete came back to help straighten the lines.
Finishing Touch Surprise
Went to buy the special varnish last week. Cashier rings it up and says “that’ll be four hundred bucks.” Almost choked. Turned out fiba requires sixteen coats! Took four days applying that junk while mosquitoes ate me alive. But man when that last coat dried – felt smoother than ice cream under those new sneakers.
Still not sure if it’s truly fiba regulation but the neighborhood kids are treating it like the NBA finals out there. Worth every drop of sweat and dollar gone forever.
