Getting Started with the Shock Absorbing Floor Project

So yesterday I finally decided to tackle that basketball court project in my garage. Went online and ordered this shock absorbing parquet flooring kit meant for basketball practice. The delivery guy dropped off like 20 big boxes of wooden planks that all looked identical. Each box had this weird rubbery padding glued underneath – that’s the “shock absorbing” part they advertised.

Started by clearing out all the junk from the garage. Swept the concrete floor like crazy cause even tiny pebbles could mess things up. Laid out this plastic moisture barrier first – unrolled it like wrapping paper across the whole area. Stabbed the knife through the plastic film like ten times cause the dang roll wouldn’t tear straight.

The Real Assembly Struggle

Opened the first box thinking “how hard could it be?” These tongue-and-groove planks had me swearing immediately. Had to whack each piece with a rubber mallet to lock them together. My hands turned red after fifteen minutes from pounding so hard. Dropped three planks on my foot trying to angle them right, and still got gaps between boards!

Discovered two options: get gaps between planks or smash the grooves until they splintered. Took the stupid wood outside and sanded every single groove edge. Sweating buckets when I tried forcing this one warped plank – ended up kneeling on it while hammering like a maniac. Sawdust covered everything like snow.

Tools That Saved My Life

• The $3 rubber mallet from hardware store
• Roller skates (for scooting along finished sections)
• My kid’s toy chalk to mark problem boards
• Beer (post-work reward obviously)

Final Stretch and Results

After six hours looking like a wood-chip snowman, finally reached the last row. Had to rip planks lengthwise with a handsaw because they didn’t fit. Sawdust flew up my nose and I sneezed like crazy. Sweeping the finished floor felt amazing until I spotted two planks installed UPSIDE DOWN – the rubber padding was staring right at me! Almost cried fixing those.

Tossed a basketball to test the shock absorption. That satisfying thump-thump sound? Pure magic. Jumped up for a pretend layup and landed softer than my bed mattress. Worth every splinter and sore thumb. Though next time? I’m paying someone else to sweat over tongue-and-groove nightmares.