Getting Started with My Crazy Floor Project
So I got this wild idea yesterday morning – why not build myself a mini basketball court in the garage? Saw all these fancy pads online but man they cost way too much. Dug out these old wooden planks from my last shelving project that were collecting dust behind the lawnmower.
First thing I did was grab my measuring tape and start eyeballing the space. Cleared out all the junk – brooms, oil cans, that weird half-empty paint bucket from 2017. Swept the concrete floor real good because nobody wants to play ball on crunchy dirt.
Protip: Wear thick gloves when handling those planks. Got about five splinters before smartening up.
How I Made Pieces Fit Together
Laid out all planks like puzzle pieces on the floor. Took forever shuffling them around trying to make straight lines. Every time I’d line three up perfect, the fourth would stick out crooked. Felt like herding cats but with lumber.
Finally got smart and nailed down the first corner plank. Hammered so hard my neighbor came over thinking I was building a time machine. Then started connecting them one by one, pounding those wood joints together with my trusty mallet. Sweat was dripping like crazy – forgot how heavy oak planks get!
List of tools I used:
- That bent hammer from my grandpa
- Rusty measuring tape that always snaps back
- Like hundred nails (kept dropping them)
- My beat-up work boots
Surprise Problems and Fixes
Hit a big snag when I reached the garage door rail. The planks wouldn’t slide under it! Cussed for five minutes straight. Then realized I could just cut them to fit around that metal thing. Grabbed my jigsaw like Thor grabs his hammer.
Made the weirdest looking cut ever – all wobbly and jagged. Sanded it down rough as sandpaper. When I tried connecting those cut pieces, they kept popping up like toast. Fixed it by hammering extra nails at angles until they finally stayed put. Looks ugly as sin but hey – it works.
The Grand Finale Reveal
After like six hours of banging and cussing, stepped back to look at my creation. It’s bumpy in spots and one plank creaks like an old ship. Tried bouncing a ball on it and wow – that satisfying thump-thump sound! Did a silly layup pretending I was back in high school.
Got some wood glue oozing out along the edges that I’ll scrape off tomorrow. But tonight? Tonight I’m ordering pizza and shooting hoops in my ugly beautiful garage court. Who needs fancy pads when you’ve got sweat equity?
