So last month I finally decided to stop driving to the community court every weekend and build my own basketball setup. Found this rubber-backed parquet flooring online – seemed perfect for shock absorption and indoor-outdoor use. Let me walk you through my weekend warrior adventure.
Unboxing Chaos
First surprise came when delivery guy dumped twenty heavy boxes on my driveway. Each wooden plank weighed like five pounds! Started dragging them to the garage one by one. Took three hours just to move everything. My back was already screaming before installation even started.
Prepping the Base
Cleared out the entire garage space, swept out decade-old leaves and spiderwebs. Then I realized these planks need perfectly flat ground. Spent Saturday morning pouring self-leveling compound over my concrete floor. Watched it dry like paint watches walls. Bored out of my mind.
Rubber Side Down
Each plank had this ribbed rubber bottom. Important part: stamped arrows on the planks show direction. Ignored them at first and laid ten planks wrong way. Had to pry them up when I noticed the pattern looking zig-zag crazy. Lost two hours there.
My assembly toolkit looked like:
- Rubber mallet – for tapping planks tight
- Pull bar – worst tool ever, kept slipping
- Spacers – these plastic things for gaps
- Measuring tape – my best friend
The Click-Lock Nightmare
Supposedly these boards just click together. Lies! Needed to position at exact 30-degree angle, then slam down hard with knee. After plank number seven, my kneecaps felt shattered. Nearly quit when one plank’s tongue snapped clean off. Ended up supergluing that section – don’t tell the manufacturer.
Cutting Corners
Reached the wall and needed angled cuts. Borrowed neighbor’s jigsaw. Forgot ear protection – mistake. The screeching sound attracted everyone on the block. Mrs. Johnson actually came over thinking I was killing cats. Measuring curved walls made me question basic geometry. Final edge pieces looked like jagged teeth, but trim would cover it.
Floating Floor Panic
All instructions say “must leave expansion gaps”. But seeing half-inch gaps around whole court made me panic. Covered edges with transition strips anyway. Next morning… gaps disappeared! Boards expanded overnight like magic. Actually shouted “Hallelujah!” in my empty garage.
Final result? Not NBA quality but definitely playable. Ball bounces true, knees don’t ache after games, and that rubber backing really muffles dribbling sounds. Would I do it again? Only if I buy pneumatic knee pads first.
