My Court Flooring Nightmare Begins

Last summer, my kids begged for a backyard basketball court. I thought, “Easy peasy!” Went online searching. Saw fancy hardwood courts first – damn expensive. Then rubber options popped up. Cheap prices hooked me immediately. Bought the lowest-priced rubber flooring rolls off some random website. Didn’t ask questions.

Threw those rolls over my concrete slab. Didn’t prep anything. Just unrolled them like carpet. Looked decent for two weeks. Then heavy rain hit. Water seeped under the rubber. Whole thing bubbled up like pizza dough. Mold spots appeared like zombie freckles. Kids slipped and fell constantly.

Re-Research Phase Disaster

Tore that crap out. Went down research rabbit holes again. Learned rubber ain’t just rubber. Found terms like “indoor vs outdoor grade” and “compression levels”. Visited three local sports stores. One guy laughed at me: “You put dollar-store rubber on concrete? No wonder!” Felt like an idiot.

Tested samples this time. Tried bouncing balls on different thicknesses. Thin stuff felt like playing on cardboard boxes. Thick layers swallowed the ball. Needed middle ground. Also realized my concrete base had cracks causing the mold issue. Too broke to replace concrete, so learned about subfloor solutions.

Three Golden Rules Emerged

Through trial-and-error, three key things stick with me now. First, ignore price tags upfront. That cheap roll cost me double in redo work. Good outdoor rubber costs more but handles weather and jumps.

Second, thickness matters stupidly. Got free samples after my disaster. Tested them for bounce and foot feel. Settled on 12mm with diamond pattern tread. Thick enough to cushion jumps, thin enough for dribble response.

Third, base prep is non-negotiable. Ended up laying plywood sheets over cracked concrete. Sealed gaps with weatherproof tape. Used specialized court adhesive instead of just rolling it out. Did moisture tests for three days before install.

Current court’s survived snow and heat waves. Kids play daily. Ball bounces true. No slips. Learned hard way – don’t be lazy like me. Test thickness. Prep the base. Spend on quality upfront.