Okay, so today I finally tackled assembling that rubber basketball flooring myself. Had these Hevea wooden tiles sitting in the garage for weeks, felt good to get it done.

First Things First

Dumped all the boxes near the backyard spot I cleared earlier. Swept the concrete pad real hard – no way I’m letting tiny rocks ruin my court. Grabbed a tape measure and chalk line, marked a big square exactly where the court should sit. Didn’t trust eyeballing it.

Unboxing Chaos

Cracked open the boxes expecting perfection… nope. Some tiles had wonky edges like they got squished in shipping. Sorted ‘em into three piles:

• Good ones (most looked alright)
• Slightly damaged (chipped corners, maybe hide near edges)
• Trash pile (two were straight-up cracked)

Took photos of the busted tiles and fired off an email to the seller right then. Learned that lesson before – do it fast or they ignore you.

Laying Down the Base

Started in the exact center like the manual said. Pressed that first tile down hard on my chalk line. Snapped the next tile right into its grooves – felt satisfying, like Lego for grown-ups. Worked outward row by row, kneeling on the already-laid bits to keep ‘em flat.

Weird thing: half the tiles had arrows printed underneath. Ignored ‘em at first, then noticed gaps forming when arrows faced random ways. Turned all arrows to point the same direction. Suddenly everything clicked tight. Should’ve read the tiny print on the box.

Cutting Corners

Hit the edge of my pad where full tiles wouldn’t fit. Measured twice, drew lines with a fat marker. Borrowed my neighbor’s circular saw – put a new blade in for clean cuts. Wear goggles! That rubber dust flies everywhere. Pro tip: cut 2mm bigger than you think – squishes into place better.

Locking It Down

My dog tried sprinting across halfway done. Nearly had a heart attack. Borrowed concrete adhesive tubes last minute. Lifted the perimeter tiles, squeezed snake lines of glue under ‘em. Threw heavy buckets on the edges overnight. Center tiles? Just let the interlock do its job.

Final Hurdles

Woke up to rain this morning. Ran outside like a maniac with a tarp. Should’ve checked weather apps. Waited till afternoon sun dried everything. That glue held though – no warped edges! Tossed my old hoop base back on top. Took a test dribble… perfect bounce. No more slippery drives on concrete.