Alright, so today I’m spillin’ all the deets about that gym floor project. Started months ago when our rec center gym flooring looked like a dumpster fire – scratched up, splinter city, total hazard for the kids. Budget meeting happened and we all agreed: hardwood or bust.
The Ripping Out Part
First thing? Demo day. Grabbed crowbars and saws with three buddies last Thursday. Ripped up them old rotten boards inch by inch – nasty work! Found three layers underneath like some freaky flooring lasagna. Took us two full days just clearing that mess, sweatin’ buckets. Weirdest find? Some 1982 newspaper stuck under the glue. Wild!
Prepping The Ground
Subfloor looked rough. Fixed dips with leveling compound like frosting a cake – messy but satisfying. Measured everything twice after last time’s measuring fail. My guy Mark dropped a whole case of planks ’cause we didn’t check moisture levels first. Lesson learned: always acclimate wood! Left bundles stacked in the gym for a solid week this time.
- Used laser levels for once instead of eyeballin’ it
- Swept like crazy before any install
- Added vapor barrier even though boss said skip it
Laying Boards Down
Started at center court after watchin’ twelve YouTube tutorials. First row took four hours – kept messin’ up tongue-and-groove angles. Nearly tossed the nail gun through a window! By day three we got rhythm though. Staggered seams random-like to avoid patterns. Used the warped planks near walls where nobody steps. Cheated? Maybe. Smart? For sure.
The Final Stretch
Sandin’ felt like forever. Three passes with different grits – still find dust in my ears! Stain came out darker than expected but whatever. Polyurethane coats? Did four thin layers instead of two thick ones after that bubbly disaster at my cousin’s place. Worth the extra days drying time though – finish feels like glass now.
So yeah. Project took three weeks longer than planned, blew the budget by 15%, and I broke two fingers. But stepping back seeing them free-throw lines crisp? Priceless. Kids already scuffing it up yesterday – music to my ears. Next project? Bleacher repairs… pray for me.
