Okay, so today I decided to tackle a project I’ve been putting off for a while – assembling some LVL Basketball rubber tree wooden flooring. I’d ordered a bunch of these planks a while back, thinking I’d make a cool, durable surface in my garage workshop.

First things first, I cleared out the area. I’ve got a bad habit of letting stuff pile up, so this involved moving tools, boxes, and who-knows-what-else out of the way. It took longer than I expected, honestly.

Getting Started

Once the space was clear, I laid down a moisture barrier. It’s just a big roll of plastic sheeting, but the guy at the hardware store said it was important to prevent moisture from the concrete messing with the wood. Better safe than sorry, I guess.

Next, I started with the first row of planks. I made sure to leave a small gap between the planks and the wall, to allow for expansion and contraction. Learned that the hard way on a previous project! I used some small spacers to keep the gap consistent.

The Process

• Click and lock: These planks are designed to click together, which is pretty neat. You just angle one plank into the other and push down until you hear a “click.”
• Keep it straight: I used a long level to make sure each row was straight. If one plank is off, the whole floor will be wonky.
• Stagger the joints: It is important to do this that it looks better and is probably stronger that way.
• Tap, tap, tap: Sometimes the planks didn’t quite click together perfectly, so I used a rubber mallet and a tapping block to gently persuade them. No heavy hammering, just gentle taps.

It was a bit slow going at first, as I got the hang of it. But once I got into a rhythm, it went pretty smoothly. The hardest part was cutting the planks to fit around the edges of the room. I used a jigsaw for that, and let’s just say my cuts weren’t exactly perfect. But hey, it’s a workshop floor, not a ballroom!

Finishing Up

After several hours of clicking, tapping, and a bit of cussing at the jigsaw, I finally finished! I swept up the sawdust and admired my handiwork. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid, level surface that’s way better than the bare concrete I had before. Plus, it has that nice, warm wood look.

My back is definitely feeling it now, but it was worth it. Now I have a much nicer space to work on my other projects. And who knows, maybe I’ll even shoot some hoops out there!