Why Bother with Basketball Court Cushions?

Okay, so I finally decided to build that home basketball court in my garage. Looked online, saw the fancy wooden floors, nearly choked on my coffee when I saw the prices. Forget that. Thought, “Hey, plywood’s cheap wood, right? How hard could it be?” Spoiler: It fought me every step.

First thing: Went down to the big box hardware store. Wandered the aisles. Got totally lost. Ended up grabbing the thickest plywood sheets they had – called something like “Multi-Layer Stiff Stuff.” Sounded tough enough. Loaded four huge sheets into my truck. Took two guys just to get them in. Already sweating.

Stupid Plywood Surprises

Got home, cleared the garage space – swept it good. Laid down the first plywood sheet. Looked kinda wavy? Figured it was just the floor underneath. Put the second sheet down beside it. Big gap! The edges weren’t straight. Like, seriously warped. These big wooden pancakes weren’t flat mates. Spent a whole afternoon wrestling them, trying to push them together. Nearly broke my back.

• Plywood Thickness:

• Thought “stiff” meant strong. Yeah, strong against me.

• • Edges Matching Up: Nope. Like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, literally.

• Sweating: More than playing a game itself. Seriously.

Finally gave up and got my circular saw. Measured roughly, then just cut the darn edges myself. Not pretty. Lots of splinters. Made the pieces fit better. Not perfect, but good enough. Threw down some heavy-duty glue stuff they sold me for “floor grip” under each sheet. Dropped the plywood on top. Used every heavy thing in the garage to press it down – toolboxes, old paint cans, even my grill. Left it like that for two days.

Adding the Bouncy Stuff

After the glue dried solid, went back to the store. Needed the cushiony part that makes bouncing the ball feel good, not like dribbling on concrete. Found big rolls of this black, spongy foam padding. Looked like thick yoga mats. Unrolled it right over the glued-down plywood. Measured the garage space again (thought I knew it!), cut the roll with scissors. Not a clean cut. Whatever.

Taped it down at the edges with this wide, sticky tape they said was for floors. Kept popping up in corners. Used more tape. Basically taped it to death. Looked messy, but you wouldn’t see it later. The floor smelled like burnt rubber for a week. Kept the garage door open constantly.

The Actual Game Surface

Finally, the good part – the top layer! Picked this sheet of basketball flooring stuff. Felt smooth, almost like plastic. Supposed to be tough. Rolled it out on top of the black foam pad. Tried to smooth out the wrinkles. Huge pain. Got my wife and kid to help pull it tight. Still had a bump right at the free-throw line. Ugh.

More heavy-duty tape, this time around the whole edge of the court area. Taped it down to the foam and the plywood underneath. Felt sturdy. Swept it clean.

Grabbed the basketball. Took a dribble. Heart in my throat. Thump!… Thump!… It bounced! Like, a proper bounce! Actually felt good underfoot too. My neighbor came over, tried it. Said, “Not bad for homemade.” High praise.

Was it Worth the Fight?

Honestly? Messed up so many times. Almost gave up twice. Spent less than half what a pro court costs, but paid with my sweat and maybe some sanity. The plywood still has gaps if you look close. One corner of the foam pad lifts sometimes. Gotta add more tape. Dribbling feels legit though, like a real court. Shooting hoops in my own garage? Yeah, that part rocks.

Would I do it again? Maybe, but I’d definitely choose flatter plywood from the start. Or maybe just pay someone. Learned a ton, bled a little, built something kinda cool.