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

Alright, so I finally got around to tackling that project I’ve been putting off – laying down the flooring for my indoor basketball “court” (it’s really more of a practice area, but hey, a guy can dream!). It’s that keel, basketball, oak assembly, wooden type. Sounds fancy, huh? It wasn’t as bad as I thought, though.

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the entire space. This was probably the most annoying part, honestly. Moving all the junk I’d accumulated in there took forever. Once it was empty, I gave the concrete subfloor a good sweeping and vacuuming. Gotta make sure it’s spotless, you know?

Laying Down the Keel

Next up was the keel. That is basically the supporting framework. I picked up a bunch pre-made.
Unpacked all the keel parts, and then, referencing the layout plan I’d sketched out (super rough, nothing fancy), I started placing the keel pieces.

Made sure that they are level, Then, fixed them.

The Main Event: The Oak Flooring

Now for the fun part – the actual oak flooring! I chose oak because, well, it’s classic, looks good, and should hold up pretty well to some serious dribbling action. I unboxed all the planks, letting them sit in the room for a few days to acclimatize. My buddy told me to do that, something about preventing warping later on. I just followed his advice.

I started laying the planks, working my way from one end of the room to the other. It’s like a giant puzzle. I used a rubber mallet to gently tap them into place. Don’t whack them too hard, or you’ll end up with dents. Trust me, I learned that the hard way. Also, make sure you get them flooring tools.

The assembly part was pretty straightforward. The planks had this tongue-and-groove system, so they just clicked together. It was actually kind of satisfying, hearing that little click each time.

Once the flooring were all connected, I screwed and nailed them down on to the keel.

Finishing Touches

Once the whole floor was down, I felt a sense of accomplishment wash over me.

So, yeah, that’s the story of my basketball court flooring adventure. It took some time and effort, but it was definitely worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go shoot some hoops!