So last weekend was all about the garage project – turning half of it into a mini basketball area for the kids. Man, that shock absorbing floor idea sounded way easier on YouTube than it actually was. Here’s how the whole wooden sleeper thing went down, step by painful step.
Getting Stuff Together
First off, I drove around three different lumber yards hunting for decent sleeper wood. Settled on some rough-looking reclaimed oak timbers – cheaper, but dang, so many splinters just loading them into the truck. Bought three buckets of that rubber flooring adhesive stuff too.
The Prep Disaster
Cleared out the garage, swept like crazy then mopped. Thought it was clean until I knelt down to inspect – still gritty. Spent another hour scraping old paint flecks off the concrete. My back was already screaming. Used that chalk line tool to mark zones. Messed up the measurements twice – had to redo lines while cussing under my breath.
Gluing Nightmares
Opened the adhesive bucket expecting smooth paste… nope. Thick lumpy goop. Stirred it with a paint stick until my shoulder burned. Slapped it on the concrete with a trowel. First sleeper sank into the glue too fast! Had to pull it up, scrape off half the glue, fight to reposition it while the glue started drying. Neighbors probably heard me yelling when it still slid sideways.
Biggest headaches:
- Glue drying too fast in some spots
- Timbers not flat – had to shim one corner with roofing shingles
- Squeezed-out glue staining the wood grain permanently
Trimming the Chaos
Two days later, attacked the edges with a circular saw. Sawdust EVERYWHERE – coated tools, hair, even inside my coffee mug. Forgot to account for wall unevenness – ended up with gaps wide enough for the cat to crawl under at one end. Stuffed foam weatherstripping in the cracks as a temporary band-aid solution.
Does It Work Though?
Threw a basketball hard at the floor. Ball bounced maybe six inches lower than on concrete, but the sound changed from that harsh ‘crack’ to a deeper ‘thump’. Kids jumped on it for twenty minutes – not a single shin splint complaint yet. The real win? Their grandpa stepped on it and said “Feels softer than my porch!” Will call that good enough.
Total cost? Around $280. Would’ve paid double to skip the glue nightmare. Still finding dried adhesive globs stuck to random tools in the garage.
