Alright friends, let me tell you about my wild weekend project – putting together a wood floor for basketball right on my patio. Yeah, you heard that right. Pad basketball, meet my backyard! It sounded way simpler in my head.

Getting the Gear

First step was hauling my tail down to the lumberyard. I ain’t no flooring expert, felt kinda lost staring at all that wood. Ended up grabbing some maple tongue-and-groove planks, the ones they recommended for court stuff. Lugged those heavy suckers home – man, my truck suspension felt that load!

• Maple flooring (Man, pricey!)
• Foam underlayment (The squishy pad part)
• Moisture barrier plastic
• Wood glue
• Mallet & Tapping Block

Prepping the Pad

This concrete patio had to be spotless. Swept till my arms ached, then got down on hands and knees with a scraper, digging out old gum and who-knows-what from the cracks. Seriously gross work. Laid down the big plastic sheet next, taping seams like a madman trying to seal it tight against moisture. Then rolled out that thick grey foam padding. Looked like a giant mouse pad. Felt nice and springy underfoot already.

The Assembly Grind

This is where the rubber met the road, or well, the wood met the pad. Started lining up the first row along one edge. Put that glue in the groove like the instructions said, then whack with the mallet and tapping block to lock ’em together snug. Slow going, real slow. Had to constantly check they were straight – seemed like every third plank wanted to wander off sideways. My knees were screaming halfway through. Plus, wrestling with that wood glue? Sticky nightmare! Got it all over my hands.

Working row after row… tap, glue, whack, adjust… felt like forever. Trying to keep the joints staggered nicely was tricky business too. Sometimes planks fit together perfect, other times needed way too much persuasion from my friend, the mallet. Hands got sore, picked up a couple splinters for my trouble.

The Finished Product? Kinda.

Finally got the last row down. Stepped back, wiped the sweat off my brow… and man, seeing that whole pad covered in smooth maple? Felt awesome. Like, genuinely proud of myself for sticking with it. Gave it a test bounce – solid! Good spring from the foam underneath. But let’s be real… it ain’t some NBA court yet. Still gotta sand the whole thing smooth someday soon (that sounds like another dusty adventure), and slap on that special finish to protect it. Plus, I’m eyeing up where to mount the hoop properly without wrecking my fence.

Biggest takeaway? Putting together wood flooring ain’t rocket science, but it is seriously physical work. Your patience gets tested just like your back does. Would I do it again? Honestly… probably! Seeing that court slowly take shape, plank by sweaty plank? Totally worth the effort.