Alright let’s dive right into that oak basketball floor project I tackled yesterday. Wanted a decent spot for shooting hoops without wrecking my knees on concrete, so decided to build proper shock-absorbing flooring.
Getting Stuff Ready
Drove over to the lumber yard first thing. Grabbed twenty bundles of those tongue-and-groove oak planks – heavier than I remembered! Almost dropped one bundle loading into my truck bed. Then grabbed the shock pads that look like giant black waffles. Guy at checkout kept calling it “sports flooring” but nah, it’s just fancy foam rectangles.
Groundwork Drama
Started clearing my driveway space after lunch. Swept like crazy but still found three nails and half a Lego piece hiding in the cracks. Laid out the foam pads like puzzle pieces, sweating buckets trying to line up the edges straight. Wind kept blowing them around – ended up using duct tape as temporary weights like a total redneck solution.
Wooden Tetris Time
- First row: Banged the starter planks against the wall with rubber mallet. Took four tries to get the groove seated right – wood kept buckling near the end.
- Mid-section chaos: When connecting planks, hammered too hard and split one tongue clean off. Had to pull three rows apart to swap the busted plank. Note to self: oak don’t play nice when angry.
- Weird gaps situation: Realized too late the planks weren’t perfectly straight. Ended up with this pencil-thin zigzag gap running across half the court. Packed wood filler like toothpaste into the cracks.
Finishing Touches & Facepalm
Applied sealant while mosquitoes treated me like buffet dinner. Went for “natural” finish but now it looks like greasy McDonalds countertop. Tested the shock absorption by jumping – knees definitely felt less impact than concrete. Then noticed the free-throw line is two inches crooked. Gonna live with it until winter when I redo everything.
Whole thing cost about three times what I budgeted and took eleven hours instead of six. Still – bounced the ball afterwards and that sweet oak thump-thump-thump made the blisters worth it. Kids already left footprints on the sticky spots.
