Okay, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my little home gym for, like, forever. It was just bare concrete, and honestly, it was kinda depressing. Plus, you know, not great for jumping around on. I was dreaming of a real basketball court feel, something that would make me actually want to work out.

So I started looking into options. Real hardwood seemed crazy expensive and maybe a bit overkill for a home gym. Then I stumbled across this “LVL Basketball soft maple wooden flooring” stuff. Sounded promising, right?

Digging In and Ordering

I did some poking around, reading reviews, you know, the usual. It seemed like LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) was supposed to be pretty strong and stable, good for areas that might get some impact. And the “soft maple” part made it sound, well, softer than concrete!

I found a place that sold it, and I spent a good chunk of time just figuring out how much I needed. Measuring the room, double-checking, triple-checking… you know how it is. I definitely didn’t want to end up short. Finally placed the order, and then it was just the waiting game.

The Arrival and the Prep Work

When the flooring finally arrived, it was a lot of boxes. I think there were big heavy planks. Thank goodness I had a buddy help me unload everything. Getting it all into the garage was a workout in itself!

Before I could even think about laying the floor, I had to prep the concrete. This involved a lot of sweeping, and then I used a concrete cleaner to get rid of any dust or grime. I also filled a few small cracks with some concrete patch. Let that dry for a day, and then another round of sweeping. Gotta make sure it’s super clean, right?

Laying the Floor

Okay, this was the real deal. I started by laying down a vapor barrier, basically just a big sheet of plastic, to help protect the wood from any moisture coming up from the concrete. Taped that down, made sure it was all smooth.

Then, the actual flooring! I started in one corner, following the instructions that came with the flooring. The planks themselves, each piece was pretty hefty, so I was glad to be on ground level, It’s click-lock, so it’s supposed to be easy, but honestly, it took a bit of wiggling and banging to get them to fit together properly. I used a rubber mallet and a tapping block (basically a piece of scrap wood) to persuade them into place. Don’t want to damage the edges!

I went row by row, making sure everything was snug and lined up. The instructions said to leave a small gap around the edges of the room for expansion, so I used some little spacers to keep that consistent. Used a saw to cut the planks to fit around the door and the one weird corner of the room. That was probably the trickiest part, getting those cuts just right.

The Finished Product

It took me a full weekend, but I finally got it all done! Swept everything up, removed the spacers, and stood back to admire my handiwork.

It looks so much better than the bare concrete. It actually feels like a little basketball court! It’s got a nice, smooth finish, and it definitely feels more forgiving underfoot. I did a few test jumps, and yeah, it’s a huge improvement. Now I’m actually excited to work out in there!

I am very satisfied with the realization of this project. It was hard, and my back hurts a little, but it was worth it.