I started thinking about building this shock-absorbing basketball court in my garage since last winter. Wanted something better than cheap rubber tiles, you know? Something that feels like real hardwood courts but won’t kill your knees.

First thing I did was measure that dusty old garage space twice with my rusty tape measure. Messy math always screws up projects, so I added extra 10% like they taught us in woodshop class.

The Shopping Trip

Grabbed my pickup truck and drove to the lumber yard downtown. Guy there kept pushing bamboo flooring “cause it’s trendy.” Nah. Went with solid maple planks instead – thicker than normal hardwood. Also picked up:

• Those rubber shock pads they use under gym floors
• Industrial staple gun looking like a sci-fi weapon
• Enough wood glue to drown a raccoon

Getting those maple planks into my garage? Absolute circus. Three planks slipped off the dolly, WHAMMED into my trash cans, neighbor’s dog started howling like the world was ending. Took six ibuprofen that night.

Floor War Begins

Cleared out all the junk first – old tires, broken weed wacker, that ugly couch college kid left here. Swept concrete like my life depended on it. Then laid out the rubber pads puzzle-style. That part was boring but easy.

Now the maple planks… started on the left wall like tutorials say. First row went smooth. By row three? Couldn’t get them tight enough! Gaps you could lose marbles in. Had to rip out a whole section cause I skipped the glue step like an idiot.

Week two I became a staple-gun samurai. Knees bruised from crawling all day, shirt covered in wood dust, looking like a homeless baker. My girlfriend brought sandwiches and said “you’re obsessed” while dodging flying staples.

Final Stretch

Sanding the whole thing felt like polishing Satan’s kitchen counter. Dust mask clogged every 10 minutes. Did three passes: rough, medium, baby-smooth sandpaper. Arms felt like noodles after.

Wiped everything down with wet rags – still finding dust bunnies under my nails weeks later. Applied clear sealant that smelled like chemical nightmares. Opened all windows and hid indoors for two days while it cured.

Test day came. Dropped a basketball from my roof gutter height. BOUNCE-BOUNCE-BOUNCE sounded beautiful. Jumped myself – knees felt way better than on concrete. Kids from the block came asking if they could shoot hoops. Garage smells like maple syrup and victory now.