Alright, so I finally got around to tackling that basketball flooring project I’ve been putting off. Had this pile of solid wood planks sitting in the garage forever, just collecting dust. Figured it was time to turn my soggy old driveway pad into a proper court for shooting hoops.

Starting Off

First things first, I dragged all the wood out onto the driveway. Man, those bundles were heavier than they looked! Unwrapped everything and started sorting planks like a madman – checking for warped pieces or cracks. Tossed about five boards aside right away; one looked like it got chewed by beavers or something. Realized I was short two planks mid-sort. Classic rookie move. Had to make an emergency run to the hardware store.

Prepping the Pad

The concrete pad was filthy, so I power-washed it good. While it dried, I rolled out that rubber underlayment stuff. Cut it roughly to size with box cutters – sounded like ripping wet jeans. Then came the moisture barrier plastic. Wind kept trying to blow it away like a damn parachute. Ended up taping the edges down with duct tape like some kinda redneck engineering.

Wood Plank Puzzle

Started laying boards at one corner, tongue-and-groove style. Whacked ’em together with a rubber mallet and a scrap wood block. The mallet bounced funny on the first few hits – almost took out my wife’s potted plants. Took forever to get the first row straight. Used a laser level, kept adjusting by millimeters. Sweat dripping into my eyes while kneeling on those planks. Around the third row, realized I’d drifted about half an inch sideways. Had to undo everything back to row two. Almost threw the mallet at the fence.

Midway Meltdown

Ran into this knot hole that swallowed up an entire plank. Chucked it to the “reject pile”. Cutting boards was messy business too. Sawdust coated everything within ten feet like yellow snow. About halfway through, my circular saw battery died. Had to take an hour break waiting for it to charge. When I came back, found the dog sleeping right on my newly laid boards! Little claw marks everywhere near the center line. Not deep, but still. Had to bribe her with treats to stay off-site.

Final Stretch

Last few rows went smoother. Had to cut the final planks at crazy angles against the fence. Saw was screaming like a banshee. Used those gap spacers around the edges for expansion room – kept falling over like dominoes when I bumped ’em. Swept about three pounds of sawdust out of the grooves before forcing the last plank in. Felt that satisfying “thunk” when it locked. Threw down the mallet and just stood there staring at this giant wooden rectangle. Added those metal transition strips at the edges with shaky hands – drilled right through one crooked. Left a little scar, but whatever.

Afternoon light was fading when I swept the last dust cloud away. Hoisted my old hoop onto the new surface. First dribble echoed like a church bell in the twilight. That hollow wooden “thud” sounded better than any basketball on concrete ever did. Worth every splinter and sweaty curse. Just pray it doesn’t warp when the rain comes.