So today I’m sharing my journey tackling that rubber basketball plywood flooring project. Got inspired after seeing backyard courts online and figured I’d save cash doing it myself. Here’s exactly what went down.

Gathering Supplies

First thing, I made a Home Depot run shopping list in hand:

• Rubber plywood tiles (measured my space twice before ordering)
• Wood glue that specifically said FOR SPORTS FLOORING
• Mallet hammer thing with the rubber head
• Tape measure and carpenter square
• Box cutter with extra blades

Pro tip: buy 10% extra tiles than your math says – trust me on this.

Prepping the Space

Cleared out my garage completely – swept every speck of dust then mopped it twice. Found out my concrete floor wasn’t level near the door (thanks gravity). Mixed quick-leveling compound following package instructions and spread it like pancake batter. Waited two whole days for cure time even though it felt dry.

The Assembly Shuffle

Started from corner with two tiles. Slapped glue on first tile’s edge then jammed the interlocking part together. Used rubber mallet to tap-tap-tap them flush. Repeated this tile by tile like giant puzzle pieces.

Hit two problems fast:

• Tile edges weren’t perfectly straight? Had to shave bits with box cutter
• Middle tiles kept shifting when I walked on them – fixed by placing heavy toolboxes on edges while glue dried

The Final Stretch

When I got to last row near wall, tiles needed cutting. Measured gap with tape, drew line with sharpie, sliced along straight edge. Had one ugly crooked cut but guess what? That’s when the extra 10% tiles saved my butt.

Waited full 72 hours before testing bounce. Took my old basketball outside and did dribble test – sounded exactly like hardwood! Did victory dance right there in garage.

Real Talk Takeaways

This ain’t beginner level stuff. Took me 3 weekends start to finish and my knees still hurt from crawling around. Cheaper than pro installation? Yes. Easier than I thought? Hell no. But man that first three-pointer on home court? Absolute magic.

Would I do it again? Ask me after my knees recover.