So I decided to tackle this shock absorbing basketball floor project after my kid started complaining about knee pain from playing on concrete. Figured a proper court with some bounce might help.

Diving Into Research

Started by searching online for shock absorbing systems that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Found folks talking about rubber pads underneath wood panels. Drove to three different hardware stores comparing plywood thicknesses. Ended up grabbing 18mm birch plywood sheets – seemed sturdy enough.

The Real Struggle Begins

First screwup happened right away. Cut all panels to exact court dimensions thinking I was smart. Forgot about expansion gaps! When summer humidity hit, boards started pushing against each other like angry sumo wrestlers. Had to unscrew everything and trim half-inch off each panel edge. Wasted a whole Saturday redoing it.

Then came the dampers – these rubber things that supposedly absorb impact. Ordered these little puck-shaped ones online. When they showed up, looked more like hockey pucks than shock absorbers. Stuck them under the plywood anyway, following the grid pattern some YouTube video suggested.

Assembly Nightmares

Thought screwing panels would be easy. Wrong again. The drill kept catching and splintering the wood edges. Had to:

• Pre-drill every single hole twice
• Use special countersink bits to hide screw heads
• Constantly adjust torque settings on my cheap drill

Halfway through, realized my foundation wasn’t perfectly level. Water bottle test showed slant toward one corner. Had to jack up that section and shim under the rubber pads with plastic washers. My back still hurts remembering crawling under there.

Final Stretch

Sanding the surface took ages. Started with 80-grit, worked up to 220. Sawdust everywhere – looked like a blizzard hit my garage. Applied three coats of that special sports floor varnish. Waited two days between coats like the can said. Almost went crazy waiting.

Does It Actually Work?

Had my kid and his friends test it. Watched them jump while holding a glass of water on the floor. Barely any ripples! Dropped a basketball from head height – bounced higher than on concrete. Best moment? Seeing them play two hours straight with no knee complaints. Total cost came in under $1200. Took me three weekends and plenty of swearing, but seeing them shoot hoops pain-free? Worth every splinter.