Getting Started

Alright, so today I’m finally tackling this rubber basketball court project using soft maple wood flooring. Always wanted a half-court in the backyard for the kids, and well, here goes nothing. First step? Getting the dang thing delivered.

The Unpacking Chaos

Ordered a big kit online. Showed up yesterday on a massive pallet. Truck driver just dumped it near the garage – no help moving it. Had to drag each heavy wooden crate myself. Nearly threw my back out getting the first one onto the patio. Inside the crates:

• Piles of “soft maple” planks
• Rubber basketball tiles with those puzzle-piece edges
• A baggie of bolts and weird connectors
• Tiny hex key wrench that felt like a toy

Right off the bat, noticed the maple wasn’t exactly what I pictured. Felt lighter, kinda porous. Instructions were all pictures – no words. Great.

Prepping the Base

Cleared a patch of the patio concrete first. Swept off leaves and old spiderwebs. Didn’t bother leveling it – figured concrete was flat enough. Big mistake? Probably. Just started laying down that rubber stuff. Puzzle edges clicked together okay, had to wrestle a few pieces that didn’t wanna line up. Stomped on them hard. Felt pretty solid underfoot.

Where Things Went Sideways

Now for the wooden part – the maple flooring for the actual playing surface. Started placing planks perpendicular to the rubber base. The “easy assembly” connectors? Yeah, right. The bolts didn’t wanna slide into the grooves smoothly. Ended up hammering them in lightly with a rubber mallet. Scratched the first couple boards good doing that. Also realized:

• Some planks were slightly warped
• The gaps between boards were inconsistent
• Maple splinters? Oh yeah. Got two just handling them.

Got through about half of it, sweating buckets. Had to stop, drink water, question my life choices.

Finishing Touches & Regrets

Powered through the second half. Stubborn bolts, more hammering, awkward kneeling. Back was screaming. Finally got all the maple boards locked down onto the rubber base. Stood back. It’s… a basketball court floor. Mostly flat. Some gaps. One corner plank sticks up a tiny bit. Ran a hand over it – rough in spots where I banged it.

Tossed a ball on it. Bounce felt okay! Not perfect, but okay. The kids won’t care. Already scuffed it testing layups. Maple is softer than I thought – got dings real quick. Maybe should’ve picked harder wood?

So Yeah, It’s Done

Took the whole stupid afternoon. Messy? Yep. Perfect? Nope. Functional? Looks like it. Knees are shot, got a splinter thumb, backyard smells faintly like rubber and sawdust. Kids are stoked though. Worth the hassle? Ask me again tomorrow when I can walk normally. For now, just glad it didn’t collapse when I jumped on it.