Okay so today I wanna talk about this whole portable basketball floor thing I tried building. Yeah, the “pad Basketball maple portable wooden flooring” experiment. Let me tell you, it started cuz the neighbor downstairs kept banging on the ceiling every time my kid dribbled his basketball inside. Annoying as hell.
Figuring Out This Mess
First off, I knew it had to be portable. We ain’t got much space. Saw someone online talking about maple wood for courts. Sounded fancy, but honestly? I just went to the local lumber yard looking for something sturdy but kinda cheap-ish. Ended up with some decent maple planks, not top-shelf stuff.
Measured the space in the garage where the kid plays. Not huge. Grabbed my tape measure and pencil, started marking the lengths on the wood. My old circular saw got dusted off. Cut a few planks… then realized some of my cuts were wonky. Damn things weren’t matching up straight. Took me like three tries on two planks before I got the hang of keeping the saw straight. Lesson learned: measure ten times, cut once, maybe hold your breath too.
Putting It All Together
Alright, planks were cut. Now, how to hook them together and make it portable? Took me ages messing around in the garage. Tried straps first – useless, flopped around. Zip ties? Nah, too flimsy. Finally dug out some old metal joining plates and heavy-duty hinges I had lying around from an old shed project.
- Laid the planks flat on the garage floor, side-by-side.
- Positioned two hinges between each plank pair. Marked the screw holes.
- Pre-drilled holes – super important, nearly split the wood trying without it first!
- Screwed the hinges on tight with a drill. Felt satisfying, actually biting into the wood proper.
- Added the metal joining plates along the edges underneath for extra strength, just screwed ’em in place.
Folded it up! Unfolded it! Worked like a charm, opening flat and folding into a neat stack.
The Finishing Touches (Or Lack Thereof)
Right? Shoulda sanded it smooth, maybe put some fancy court finish on. Kid was bouncing the ball impatiently the whole time. Ended up just sanding down the roughest spots and the edges so nobody got splinters. Good enough for now. Slapped on a coat of leftover wood sealant I had to protect it a bit from spills.
Did It Work? Sort Of…
Rolled the whole contraption out in the garage for the big test. Kid bounced the ball hard. Thump. Thump. Thump. Sounded way better than bouncing on concrete! Dense thud instead of that ringing slam. Felt pretty darn solid underfoot too, no wobble. Folded it up and leaned it against the wall – takes up barely any room.
Downside? It’s heavy! Dragging it around ain’t fun. And the noise? Less than before, sure, but downstairs neighbor still complained eventually. Maybe I need thicker rubber pads underneath next time? Ugh. Still, the kid loves having his ‘court’, and it rolls away easy, so… partial win?
Cost me a weekend and some headaches, but hey, built a portable basketball floor. Learned a lot about cutting straight and hinges. Would I do it exactly the same again? Probably not. But it works, and that counts for something. Just gotta work on the neighbor situation now…
