Man, let me tell ya about this flooring project. Been dreamin’ of a proper hoop spot in the garage ever since my kid started slammin’ that rubber basketball off the garage door non-stop. Finally pulled the trigger.

The Plan (Or What I Thought Was a Plan)

Okay, so picture this: my garage floor’s cold concrete. Harsh on the knees. I wanted that good wood feel. Found these “soft maple assembly wooden flooring” planks online. Sounded perfect, right? Supposedly designed for ball courts, promised good bounce. Sounded fancy but hey, I figured I could handle it. Got the go-ahead from the wife. That was step one, convincing the boss.

Stuff Landed on the Driveway

Big ol’ pallet shows up one Tuesday. Truck driver just dumps it. Looks like a mountain of wood. Boxes everywhere, man. Started draggin’ boxes into the garage. Each one felt heavier than the last. Stacked ’em all against one wall. Took a breather right there. Looked intimidating already.

Let the Wrestling Match Begin

Next Saturday, coffee in hand. Cleared EVERYTHING outta that half the garage. Bikes, tools, junk… all shoved to the other side. Swept that concrete like crazy. Gotta be clean. Pulled out the starter row, laid it down straight against the wall. Seemed okay.

• The Snap & Click Battle:

• That tongue-and-groove thing? Yeah, easier said than done. You gotta whack these things together. First few planks? Not too bad. Then BAM. Get one plank that just WILL NOT snap. Fought with the thing for like 20 minutes. Whackin’ with the rubber mallet, sweatin’, cursing under my breath. Finally got it, but man, thought I broke it.

• Measure Twice, Cut Once? More Like Measure, Cut, Measure Again, Swear:

• Needed to cut planks to fit at the end of each row. Broke out the cheap circular saw I’ve had since college. Measured my line, drew it shakily. Zzzzzzzzzz! Sawdust everywhere. Eyeballing the line. Sometimes, just a hair too long or short. Had to re-cut a few ends. Wasteful? Probably. Frustrating? Absolutely.

• It Just Keeps Going!:

Row after row after row. It felt endless. Get one row together, push the whole thing tight. Crawl back, start the next. The knees started screamin’ halfway through. Backache city. Took breaks just to stand up straight. That glue smell was gettin’ old too.

The Moment of Truth (Sorta)

Finally, finally got the last plank hammered into place. Took forever. Stood up, wiped the sweat, kinda proud. Looked down at my handiwork. Shimmied some joints. Not perfectly flat everywhere? Nah. Got a couple spots that feel slightly… springier? than others. One little gap bigger than I’d like near the corner. Definitely amateur hour up close.

But then? Then I brought the basketball back in. Oh man. That bounce. Solid. Quiet. That THUDD noise instead of a harsh TICK on concrete. Rolled so smooth. Kid ran down, took a hard dribble right on the new planks. That smile? Man. Made all the wrestlin’, the sweat, the sore back totally worth it. It ain’t Madison Square Garden, but it’s MY court. Feels legit. Time to lace ’em up.