The Starting Line: Why Maple Wood?
Heard this “pad Basketball” maple stuff was decent, easy to handle, and looked kinda classy without costing a fortune. Seemed like a win for the home gym corner project. Figured I’d give it a proper go and see if those marketing claims held water.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Right out the gate, unpacking was a job itself. Heavy boxes full of planks – all that good-smelling wood stacking up. First thing, I hauled everything into the middle of the room. Smart move? Maybe not, felt like shifting mountains later.
- Unpacked the beast: Seriously heavy. Slogged each box in.
- Plank explosion: Tore open packaging, planks went absolutely everywhere across the floor. Looked chaotic but needed to see what I had.
- Acclimation shuffle: Knew you gotta let wood chill out where it’ll live. Spread planks flat, left ’em just sitting there, doing nothing, for two whole days. Patience isn’t my strongest point, hated waiting.
Plotting the Attack
Drew rough lines on the concrete underlayment, trying to eyeball the center. Laid down the moisture barrier – basically giant plastic sheets – taped ’em together like a giant, ugly shower curtain for the floor. Had me crawling around sealing seams.
Unrolled the pad right over it. This “Basketball soft” pad felt weirdly bouncy and smooth under my boots. Cut it roughly to fit with utility knife. Tricky bit was getting it perfectly flat against the wall edges without wrinkles. Took way too much fussing and crawling.
The Actual Plank Wrestling
Started on the longest wall, tongue sides aiming towards the middle. Popped the first plank in place, gave it a solid smack with my rubber mallet to get it snug against the spacers.
- Smack & Slide: Getting the groove of one plank onto the tongue of the next? Yeah, that involved a lot of awkward wiggling. Angling it just right, hoping it clicked. Sometimes it went smooth, sometimes it felt jammed and needed convincing with the mallet.
- End Joint Fun: Cutting planks to length was messy work. Measuring, marking, clamping, sawing – dust went flying absolutely everywhere despite my trying to control it.
- Fight Club with Stairs: Shaping planks around weird bits like door frames? Pure frustration. Made rough cardboard templates, traced shapes onto planks, then nervously jigsawed it, praying I didn’t butcher the cut.
- Under Cuts: Needed to sneak planks under the door casing. A multitool was my savior there, slowly grinding away bits of the plank ends to slide ’em under. Dust again. Always dust.
Crossing the Finish Line (Mostly)
Kept the pattern staggering, chopped end bits off to start new rows. The final row? That was a squeeze. Measured the gap, ripped a plank down to fit, then had to wrestle it in place tight against the wall spacers.
That final plank? Pure relief. Shoved it in tight, smacked it home. Pulled out all those spacers I’d forgotten about. Installed a basic wood threshold in the doorway. Done.
Honest thoughts? Maple looks sharp and feels solid walking on it. Pad makes it quiet and kinda cushy underfoot. Assembly flooring ain’t magic, it’s sweaty, dusty work needing patience and some muscle. Mistakes? Oh yeah, made a couple, but covered ’em later with trim. Got it done, and it looks pretty damn good for all the hassle.
