Why I Decided to Tackle This Project

Got fed up seeing folks at our local club slipping and struggling on that old, hard concrete gym floor. Everyone complaining their knees hurt after practice. Heard good things about proper shock-absorbing maple floors, so I figured, “Why not try installing it myself?” Found some good quality shock pads and maple planks. Nerves kicked in big time, but decided to just jump in.

Gathering Stuff & Prepping the Base

First thing: cleared the whole space. Swept that old concrete floor like crazy, scraping up old glue patches. Dust flew everywhere, man. Absolutely needed a flat, clean base. Borrowed a massive laser level from my neighbor. That concrete floor was uneven alright – low spots all over. Mixed up some cement leveling compound, dumped it in the holes, smoothed it out with a big trowel. Left it overnight; nail didn’t stick the next morning, so mission accomplished.

Rolling Out The Magic Layer

Now for the secret sauce: the shock pads. Came in big rolls. Measured the gym and cut each strip roughly with a utility knife. Rolled ’em out flat side down, sticky side facing up. Overlapped the edges a couple inches like the instructions said. Smoothed it down with my hands and a clean roller to get rid of bubbles. Felt kinda like laying giant yoga mats.

• Main tools here: Utility knife, measuring tape, roller, sticky tape for seams.
• Biggest headache: Keeping that overlap straight. Used painter’s tape as a guide.

Locking Down The Maple Planks

Now the fun part: the wood! Carried in the bundles of maple planks, let them chill in the gym for a couple days beforehand. Started in one corner, aligning the first plank carefully with a chalk line I snapped. These planks had click-lock edges, thank goodness! Angled the next plank down, pushed it in, heard that satisfying “click”. Tapped it gently with a rubber mallet to make sure it locked tight. Continued row after row.

Cut the last plank in each row with a regular circular saw – safety glasses mandatory, dust flying! Made sure the end joints were staggered between rows. Kept checking for gaps or buckling with a straight edge and tapping planks down.

Trims and Touches

Reached the edges? Installed wall trims – nailed them to the skirting boards, not the floor! Left that tiny expansion gap all around. Ran a bead of silicone where the wood met the trims for a cleaner look. Finally, swept meticulously, then mopped gently with the special wood floor cleaner they recommended.

Standing Back & Breathing

Took my sweet time, felt like forever. Finally stood back. Damn. That rich maple color looked fantastic! But the real win? Grabbed a volleyball, bounced it hard near the net. Compared to the concrete side – HUGE difference. The bounce felt controlled, smooth, powerful. Jumped up and landed myself… knees didn’t scream! Saw the club players testing it later, huge grins all round. Best payoff ever.