So my neighbors kept complaining about that awful squeak from our old community basketball court. Drove me nuts too – sounded like stepping on a dying cat every time someone dribbled. Tore up my knees so bad last summer I could barely walk after games. Started digging around for solutions that wouldn’t cost a fortune.
The Lightbulb Moment
Stumbled onto this portable rubber plywood stuff while googling at 2 AM. Skeptical at first – sounded too good. “Portable” hardwood? Come on. But kept seeing it pop up for outdoor courts. Dug deeper and holy cow, the reviews were legit. Ordered samples from three different suppliers right then.
Testing Like A Madman
When samples arrived, went full science mode:
- Dropped bricks from my garage roof onto them (sorry mom!)
- Left pieces outside during that crazy October downpour for a week
- Dragged them behind my truck down the dirt road like a redneck
Still looked brand new. The one with thicker plywood backing bounced my basketball way higher too – almost like a mini trampoline. Knew that was the winner.
Grunt Work Installation
Convinced the neighborhood association to split costs (major win). Got 500 tiles delivered on pallets. Weekend project turned into:
- Pressure washed the concrete slab till it sparkled
- Laid weed barrier like my life depended on it
- Started snapping tiles together at 6AM Saturday
By Sunday noon? Instant basketball paradise. That satisfying “thump” when the ball hits? Perfection. No more concrete grind sounds either. Best part? When Jimmy slipped during our first game, just popped right up – no scrapes or bloody knees.
Six Months Later…
Survived winter freeze and July heatwave. We just hose it down sometimes – water drains right through the cracks. Not one single squeak tile! Even caught old Mr. Jenkins doing shuffleboard on it last Tuesday. That bounce? Still feels like playing on clouds.
Why am I telling you this? Cause we wasted years debating fancy epoxy coatings and acrylic overlays. Should’ve gone portable rubber plywood from day one. Now if you’ll excuse me – got a game to win.
(Ask away if you’re thinking about trying this!)
