Alright, so I finally got around to installing that hardwood basketball floor in my garage. Been planning this for months, saved up cash bit by bit from side gigs. Let me walk you through how this whole mess went down.

Getting Materials

First thing, I drove to the lumberyard early Saturday morning. Pulled out my crumpled shopping list: maple planks, vapor barrier roll, adhesive buckets, and transition strips. Guy at the counter kept pushing fancy underlayment stuff – told him nope, keeping it simple and cheap. Loaded up my pickup till the suspension groaned.

Prep Chaos

Cleared out all the junk from the garage – old tools, bike parts, like ten cans of half-used paint. Found a mummified mouse behind the water heater, gross. Swept concrete till my back hurt, then used the leaf blower to dust bust every corner. Took two hours just to lay that plastic vapor barrier smooth without wrinkles – wind kept sneaking under it like a jerk.

Glue Nightmares

Started spreading adhesive with my notched trowel. That stuff smells like chemical death – had the garage door wide open in December. Halfway through Bucket #3, I realized I laid too thick. Panic-scraped globs off with a putty knife while yelling at myself. Felt like spreading peanut butter on hot pavement.

Plank Puzzle

Laying planks was pure madness. My “staggered pattern” looked drunk by row three. Ended up using pennies as spacers because I couldn’t find my actual spacers. When I cut the last piece with the circular saw, sawdust rained into my shirt collar – froze my neck off.

Final Stretch

After letting it cure overnight (and airing out the glue fumes), I rented a floor sander. That beast kicked like a mule! Had to make ten passes because I kept missing spots. Applied finish with a roller on my knees – looked like I crapped varnish all over my jeans. Whole garage smelled like a nail salon for a week.

Aftermath

Took four weekends total. Ball bounces nice now, but man… If I ever do this again? I’m hiring teenagers with stronger backs. Wife hasn’t parked her car in here since January – calls it my “midlife crisis court”. Worth every ache though.