The Big Idea
So I saw this TikTok last week showing a home basketball pad made from hard maple. Thought: “Man, my driveway concrete wrecked two balls this year.” Grabbed my tape measure – exactly 12×12 feet needed for half-court shots. Credit card came out fast.
Dumb Assumptions
Figured flooring would show up ready to click together like puzzle pieces. Opened the first crate and panicked hard. Wood smelled like a lumber yard, no instructions anywhere. Just twenty boxes labeled “tongue/groove maple.” Called the supplier yelling “Where’s the manual?” Guy laughed: “YouTube it, bro.”
Wrestling Wood
Started 7am Saturday. Laid vapor barrier plastic first. Thought planks would slide easy – nope. Had to:
- Beat first row with rubber mallet till knuckles bled
- Stabbed my palm with pry bar forcing tongue-in-groove
- Sweat buckets when fifth plank cracked from over-tapping
- Realized AC drain drips right where I put the free throw line
By noon my neighbor Jim walked over shaking his head. “Your spacing’s off by 3mm,” he says. Had to rip up two hours of work.
Game-Time Hack
After eight hours, saw gaps where wind whistled through. Genius move: mixed sawdust with wood glue into paste. Smeared that gunk like peanut butter into cracks. Cured overnight – solid as rock now. Kids tested it yesterday – ball bounces like NASA gym. Worth every splinter.
Epic Fail Win
Total cost? $1.7k materials + 14 hours labor + emergency room $75 (tetanus shot from rusty pry bar). Concrete never gave me that sweet maple thump though. Still finding wood shavings in my hair. Next project? Building hoops from scrap pipes!
