Man, let me tell you about installing hardwood sports flooring here in NY. What a ride. Started simple – needed a proper floor for the basement, wanted that classic gym feel, something that could take a beating.
First Steps Were Rough
Woke up early Saturday, all pumped. Looked at the old concrete floor. Ugly. Cracked. Cold as heck. Knew I needed that proper hardwood sports stuff, thick planks that could bounce a ball right, you know? Started searching local spots.
- Big mistake.
- First place wanted crazy money. Like, “buy a small car” money.
- Second place had it, but delivery took forever. Called ’em. Ghosted twice.
- Third spot? Planks looked sad. Color uneven. Felt cheap. Nuh-uh.
Took almost three dang weekends just to FIND the right stuff at a price that didn’t make my wallet cry. Finally scored some solid maple tongue-and-groove planks rated for sports. Felt like winning the lottery.
The Real Mess Began
Got the wood home. Happy dance. Then looked at the concrete again. Crap. Gotta prep this beast.
- Cleared everything out. Dust bunnies the size of cats.
- Checked for level. Hah! Found dips. Big ones. Had to pour this leveling goop. Took a whole day just waiting for that junk to dry. Stunk up the whole house.
- Laid the vapor barrier next. Plastic sheeting. Slipped on it twice. Almost wiped out hard. Good times.
Putting It Down: Blood, Sweat, Swears
Time to lay planks. Measured once. Cut. Wrong. Measured twice. Cut again. Still too dang short. Felt like an idiot. Finally got the hang of it.
- First row went okay-ish. Used the spacers for the wall gap. Easy.
- Second row? Bang bang bang with the mallet. Tap the tongue into the groove. Sounds satisfying, right? Mostly just frustrating. Some planks just fought back. Had to pull ’em up, shave a tiny bit off, try again. Took hours.
- Middle of the room? Oh man. Had to cut lots of weird shapes near the support beam. Jigsaw time. Sawdust everywhere. Looked like a blizzard hit indoors. Cats were thrilled. I was not.
Neighbor knocked halfway through. Old man. Said the banging sounded like a war. Said it was 7:30 PM on a Tuesday. He wasn’t wrong. Felt bad. Still finished that row.
Finally Seeing the Light
Got the last plank in. Fit. Finally. Sweaty. Back hurting. But that floor… man. Smooth. Golden maple. Solid. Dropped my basketball. Thump. Perfect bounce. Music.
Took forever. Was messy. Almost lost it a few times. But walking on it now? Hearing the ball bounce true? Knowing I put it down, crooked cuts and all? Worth every swear word. Solid hardwood sports flooring in NY? It’s a beast to do. But man, when it works? Pure gold.
