So last year my neighborhood basketball court got ruined after heavy rains. Everyone was bummed because that old wood floor warped and rotted within weeks. I thought there’s gotta be better options out there that don’t cost a fortune. Started reading online forums and talking to local court builders.

The Hunting Phase

First I went to three different suppliers asking samples:

• Cheap pine planks some dude sold from his garage
• Plastic composite flooring from big home store
• This fancy rubber-infused larch wood from specialty sports place

Dropped all samples in my flooded backyard for two whole months just to see what happens.

The Messy Experiment

Set up testing stations right in the muddiest part of my yard. Hammered each wood type onto concrete blocks like mini courts. Every weekend I’d walk on them wearing cleats, drag furniture across them, even poured beer and soda on them pretending to be messy players.

The garage pine started cracking week two. By month one it looked like shredded wheat. Composite flooring got slippery as ice when wet – my neighbor Dave almost ate dirt trying to shoot hoops there.

But that rubber basketball lvl larch? Damn thing laughed at me. Water just beaded up like on duck feathers. Even scraped it hard with my shovel – only got few scratches.

The Lightbulb Moment

Took apart the samples after three months. Pine was completely rotten inside like wet cardboard. Composite felt hollow and brittle. But the larch flooring? Saw why it lasted:

• Rubber base layer acted like shock absorber
• Each wood plank had rubber ribs locking them together
• Larch wood itself resisted water like crazy

Installed it at our community court six months back. Kids play daily, parents host BBQs right on it, rain or shine. Floor still looks brand new while other courts around town keep getting replaced.

Turns out that rubber-layer + larch wood combo? Built different. Worth every penny.