Let’s get started then!

Alright folks, so this idea popped into my head – wouldn’t it be cool to have a shock-absorbing surface just for shooting hoops anywhere? Like, roll it out on the driveway or park, bounce feels better than concrete, protects the knees a bit? Sounded doable and frankly, cheaper than buying some fancy pre-made kit. Called it shock absorbing basketball portable wooden flooring in my notes, level one, ’cause it was my first crack at it.

First things first, gathering the stuff. Rooted around my workshop mostly. Found some leftover larch wood planks – got larch ’cause it’s tough and weather-resistant, good for outdoors right? Figured plywood sheets would make the base, sturdy enough. Then I remembered an old camping mat, the foam kind, perfect for the shock part I hoped. Grabbed some thick canvas tarpaulin too, for the roll-up part. Oh yeah, nails, screws, wood glue, a good strong staple gun, and heavy-duty gaffer tape. Made a run to the hardware store for a few extra long hinges.

The build phase was… interesting.

Step one was making these panels. Cut the plywood sheets down to manageable squares, maybe 2×2 feet. Felt like easier to handle and store smaller panels. Took the larch planks and started nailing ’em down onto one side of each plywood square. Wanted them side-by-side, tight fit. Used wood glue underneath each plank for extra hold. Needed a bunch of these panels.

Now, the trick: Shock absorption! Flipped the finished wood-top panels over, so the plywood bottom faced up. Measured and cut the foam camping mat pieces to fit each plywood square. Slapped ’em down and secured the edges with the staple gun. Boom, squishy layer added. Covered the whole foam side with the canvas tarpaulin, stapling that down like crazy all around the edges, really tight.

Time to make them portable and connected. Laid the panels out on the floor, wood-top down, canvas-side up. Needed them to fold together. Took those long hinges and attached them along the edges where the panels met. Used screws to fix ’em strong, connecting panel to panel. Tried rolling the whole thing up like a carpet – hinges let it bend! Used heavy-duty gaffer tape along the hinge folds on the canvas side for extra protection against dirt and wear. Added handles I cut from an old toolbag onto both ends. Final step? Sprayed on some waterproofing stuff on the wood top, just in case.

The big test… would it actually work?

Took it outside my garage onto the concrete. Unrolled it. Wasn’t perfectly flat right away but settled down after a minute. Dropped my basketball on the larch wood surface.

• Bounce felt better! Not super bouncy like a proper court, but way less harsh than raw concrete. More control on the dribble.
• Portable worked! Rolled it up, fastened it with a strap. Heavy but manageable. Threw it in the trunk.
• Foam layer doing its job? My knees definitely felt less jarring after shooting around for a bit compared to just standing on concrete.

Not perfect, mind you. The bounce isn’t super high, it’s larch wood planks after all. It’s kinda heavy to lug super far. Hinges stick out a tiny bit underfoot, you can feel ’em slightly when walking, but dribbling was fine. And rolling it back up took a few tries to get neat.

But overall? Pretty darn happy for a first shot. Made a portable surface that absorbs some shock like I wanted, uses mostly recycled junk I had, rolls up, and lets me shoot hoops wherever. Level one mission accomplished! Maybe level two needs lighter materials or a different locking system… already jotting down ideas. Anyone else try something like this? Share your hacks!