Alright folks, let’s dive into that hardwood floor project I tackled last week. Sports flooring, right? Yeah, that stuff needs to be tough. My buddy runs this small local gym, and his old mats were just worn down. So, guess who offered to help install a proper maple hardwood court? Yep, me.

Getting Started: The Prep Work

First things first, gotta make sure that subfloor is ready. We weren’t building on concrete; it was this older plywood base over joists. Okay, step one: checking for flatness and squeaks. Grabbed a long level and my heaviest friend, had him walk all over while I listened and marked any squeaky spots with bright chalk. Found a few. Went down, sunk some extra long screws right through the plywood into the joists underneath – that shut them up good.

Then came the cleaning. Man, you wouldn’t believe the dust and crud under the old mats. Brooms, vacuums, even wiped it down with a damp rag to get it really clean. Gotta have a smooth, dry surface for the wood to sit happy.

Laying Out the First Boards

Time for the wood! These are 3-inch wide, solid maple strips, pre-finished. Tough stuff. You gotta acclimate them, right? Let them sit in the gym for like 4 days beforehand so they get used to the temperature and humidity. No point risking them swelling or shrinking crazy after you nail ’em down.

Started along the longest, straightest wall – which, surprise surprise, wasn’t perfectly straight! Typical. Snapped a chalk line about ⅝ inch away from that wall (gotta leave an expansion gap all around the room), double-checking it was parallel. This gap is crucial; the wood needs room to breathe.

Laid the first row tongue-side towards the room. Used spacers against the wall to keep that gap. This row is critical – if it’s crooked, the whole floor will be messed up. Measured like crazy, tapped the planks tight together using a scrap wood block and a mallet, careful not to dent the tongues. Got down on my knees and face-nailed this first row through the top near the wall, since you can’t get a flooring nailer in yet. Sunk the nails, filled the holes later with matching putty.

Nailing Like Mad

Okay, now for the fun part! Rented a heavy-duty flooring nailer. These things are beasts. Set the nail depth and air pressure just right on scrap pieces first. Don’t want blowouts or nails sticking up!

Started the second row. Plank tongue slides into the first row’s groove. Place the nailer over the tongue, line it up, and WHAM! Hit the plunger hard with the mallet. Felt that satisfying thud as it drives the cleat nail in at an angle, locking the wood together. Shifts the plank tight against the first row. Repeat. A lot.

Staggering joints is key. Never let end joints line up in adjacent rows. Always started with a plank at least 6 inches shorter or longer than the one next to it. Kept checking every few rows with the straight edge.

Some planks were a bit warped or stubborn. Had a few we really had to lean on with scrap wood blocks and beat the bejeezus out of the mallet to get them seated right. Used a pull bar for the ends near the wall where the nailer wouldn’t fit.

• Pro Tip: Wear knee pads! Your knees will thank you after hours of crawling.
• Problem: Around the pillars? That was tricky. Marked, cut the planks carefully with a jigsaw to fit snug but still leave that expansion gap hidden under the pillar base.

Finishing Touches and Reality Check

Eventually reached the far wall. Had to rip-cut the last row to width on a table saw to fit that remaining gap, still leaving about ⅝ inch. Glued and tapped these last rows into place since nailing was tricky.

Pulled out all those spacers around the walls. The floor looked awesome! But then reality hit: trim. Needed to cover those gaps. Installed baseboard and shoe molding all around. Caulked the top where the trim met the wall for a clean finish.

Final walk: bounced a basketball, felt that solid, slightly springy feel good sports floors have. Super smooth surface.

Lessons Learned?

• Double and triple check straightness every few rows. It goes wonky faster than you think.
• Don’t rush the subfloor prep. It matters.
• Renting a good nailer is worth every penny.
• Your arms and legs will be sore. So sore.
• Seeing that perfect, solid wood floor laid down? Makes all the sweat worth it.