I’ve always wanted a basketball court in my backyard, but renting means no permanent stuff. So I thought, why not make removable flooring? Oak’s tough enough for dunks, right? Here’s how I messed around and finally got it working.

Gathering the junk

First, I hauled myself to the lumber yard. Bought a truckload of oak planks – strong stuff, costs a pretty penny. Grabbed screws, rubber pads, and these interlocking brackets I saw online. Also borrowed my buddy’s saw because mine’s trash. Total bill? Let’s not talk about it.

Cutting chaos

Back home, I measured my driveway space. Did the math wrong twice. Screwed up three planks right off the bat – too short. Finally got the hang of it: mark with chalk, hold the plank steady, cut slow. Sawdust everywhere. My garage looked like a wood explosion.

Assembly line nightmare

Laid the first row on my driveway. Used those rubber pads underneath to keep it level. Thought connecting planks would be easy with the brackets. Nope. Dropped screws, stripped a few, cussed a lot. Realized I needed pilot holes. Drilled tiny starter holes – worked better.

• Problem: Brackets wouldn’t align
• Fix: Hammered them straight like a caveman
• Win: Finally heard that satisfying CLICK locking sound

Testing (aka ball abuse)

After five bloody hours, I had a 20×15 foot surface. Tried bouncing the ball – perfect echo. Dribbled hard, jumped on corners. Nothing wobbled. Oak’s solid! Disassembled a section to check: unscrewed one bracket panel, lifted it clean. Total teardown took 15 minutes with my impact driver. Slapped the planks against my shed wall – stores flat, no space hog.

Final take? Sweat equity paid off. It ain’t NBA quality, but for weekend pick-up games? Zero complaints. Next project: adding those throwback free-throw line decals. Maybe tomorrow – my back’s screaming today.