Man, this project about shock absorbing basketball flooring made from larch wood had me sweating buckets. Let me tell you how this whole thing went down.
Getting My Stuff Together
First off, I drove to the lumber yard looking for larch wood planks. Dude at the counter kept pushing oak on me, saying it’s fancier. Nah, I stuck with larch – cheaper and springier. Grabbed these thick rubber pads too, looked like giant erasers. Last stop was the hardware store for screws and glue. Total cost? Way more than I budgeted.
The Real Struggle Begins
Started laying the planks in my garage – big mistake. Turns out garage floors slope for drainage! My spirit level was having seizures. Took me two whole days just to shim the base layer flat with plastic wedges. Almost quit when I realized I needed twice as many rubber pads. Ordered cheap ones online that felt like concrete. Returned those fast.
- Cut planks with my jigsaw – blade kept bending
- Rubber pads wouldn’t stay put while screwing
- Neighbor complained about hammering at 8AM
Glued my fingers together twice. Had to soak ’em in vegetable oil to get unstuck.
Making Progress Finally
After two weeks of fails, I did the sandwich method: concrete slab base, then rubber pads, then larch planks. Screwed through planks into pads only – not into concrete. Instant bounce! Tested by dropping my kettlebell. BOING! First good sound I’d heard all month.
The Final Stretch
Sealed everything with this clear gunk that smelled like chemical warfare. Left the garage open for three days straight. My dog avoided that area like the plague. But man, when I finally dribbled a ball on it? Pure butter. Court’s got this nice give when you jump, no shin splints after playing.
Total time? Over a month. Would I do it again? Only if someone paid me triple for labor. But watching friends play without limping? Priceless.
