Okay, let’s get to it. I decided to build a portable wooden basketball floor – something I could theoretically set up and take down. I’m calling it the “Keel Basketball Sleeper” because, well, it sounds kinda cool and uses sleepers. This isn’t some professional-grade court, just something for fun and practice.

First, I gathered all my materials. This was a bit of a scavenger hunt. I needed:

• A bunch of 2x4s for the sleepers (the base support). I went with treated lumber because, you know, moisture.
• Sheets of plywood. I didn’t go super thick, just enough to give it some bounce.
• A roll of that thin foam underlayment – the stuff you put under laminate flooring. Figured it would help with shock absorption.
• Screws. Lots and lots of screws. Exterior grade, of course.
• Some kind of paint or sealant, for weather protection and to draw the lines.

I started by laying out the 2x4s. This was the “keel” part. I spaced them out evenly, creating a grid. Think of it like a really big, flat ladder. The spacing, I eye-balled it, maybe 16 inches or so, center-to-center? It’s not rocket science. I made it roughly the size of half a court. This is important: I made sure the ground was relatively level. A few bumps are okay, but big dips will mess everything up.

Then, I screwed the plywood sheets onto the 2×4 grid. This took the longest. So. Many. Screws. My drill got a workout. I staggered the plywood sheets, like bricks, to make it stronger. It started to look like an actual floor!

Adding Some Cushion

Next, I rolled out that foam underlayment over the plywood. This was pretty easy, just unrolled it and trimmed it to fit. It made a slight difference, I think, a little less harsh on the knees.

The final major step was painting. First I applied a coat of weather-protectant, then, I taped off the lines – free throw line, three-point line, key – and painted them with some leftover exterior paint I had. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely recognizable as a basketball court.

To make it “portable,” I built the whole thing in sections. Each section is basically a smaller rectangle of the grid. I can disconnect them and stack them (kinda) for storage. It’s still heavy and awkward, but I can move it, which was the whole point.

The floor is not perfect. The bounce isn’t quite like a real gym floor, and it definitely wouldn’t hold up to a dunk contest, but the project is done. It’s good enough for practicing, working my handles, and just messing around. And I built it myself, which is pretty satisfying.