The Backstory
My kids kept bouncing basketballs on our concrete basement floor driving everyone nuts. Wanted a sound-absorbing surface quick without paying crazy prices for pre-made tiles. Saw some plywood basketball flooring pics online and thought – yeah, I can probably smash this together myself.
Gathering Supplies
First trip was to my local lumber store:
- Bought ten 4×8 feet plywood sheets – the cheapest sanded stuff they had
- Grabbed two boxes of wood screws that looked sturdy
- Found this rubberized underlayment roll on clearance section
- Almost forgot my measuring tape but snagged it last minute
Prepping the Space
Cleaned out the whole basement corner first. Swept up decades of dust bunnies. Rolled out that rubber underlayment across the floor, cutting weird edges with kitchen scissors when it didn’t fit right. Took forever to get it smooth without bubbles.
Measuring Nightmare
Thought cutting plywood would be easy. Measured wrong on the first sheet – off by 3 inches! Had to re-cut. Wasted a whole sheet. Got sawdust everywhere. Used the messed up piece as template for others. Learned quick to measure twice after that.
Sweating the Assembly
Started screwing sheets down into the rubber pad. Kept hitting uneven spots under the padding. Some screws went in smooth, others got stuck halfway. Had to pre-drill holes when wood started cracking near the edges. My drill batteries died twice. Took more breaks than planned.
Finishing Touches
Found gaps between some sheets after everything was down. Stuffed wood filler in the cracks with my fingers. Sanded all rough spots while coughing through dust clouds. Wiped it clean with old t-shirts. Finished by painting court lines with masking tape and blue paint I had in the garage.
Final Thoughts
Kiddos started dribbling same day. Sounds way better than the concrete echo chamber before. Cheap solution but took three full weekends. Knees still hurt. If I had to redo it? Might pay extra for pre-cut tiles. But the beer tasted amazing after that last screw went in.
