Man, so I’ve been working on upgrading my backyard basketball setup. For the longest time, that concrete surface just wrecked my knees. I figured if I’m gonna hoop daily, I need better flooring. Started researching and stumbled upon rubber basketball plywood timber.

My Installation Process Step-by-Step

First thing I did was measure the court area. Grabbed a tape measure, wrote down dimensions, and ordered the exact amount of rubber plywood sheets. When delivery arrived, those planks looked odd – dark brown and kinda squishy when I pressed ’em. Definitely not regular hardwood.

Here’s how I laid it down:

• Cleared all the rubble off my cracked concrete pad
• Rolled out this foam underlay like carpet padding
• Started snapping planks together puzzle-style at one corner
• Hammered ’em tight with a rubber mallet
• Sweated buckets finishing the whole court surface

Took me two full weekends cause I kept fixing alignment mistakes. By the end, my palms were raw from pushing those interlocking grooves together.

Testing The Darn Thing

Soon as I finished, I grabbed my basketball and went HAM. Dribbled hard, stopped suddenly, jumped for layups. Immediate difference – that bounce! The ball reacted like it was on a gym floor. Ball came back to my hand faster and higher than on concrete.

Did some vertical jump tests too:

• My shoes GRIPPED the surface different – no sliding feeling
• Knees didn’t ache after landing like they used to
• Could actually hear the ball “thump” deeper on rebounds

My buddy Carlos came over yesterday. Dude kept shouting “WHOA!” every time he took a jump shot. Said his shots felt smoother cause the floor wasn’t fighting him.

Why This Rubber Plywood Actually Rocks

After a month grinding on this surface, I get why it’s special. The rubber soaks up impact like a sponge – ball doesn’t fly away when you miss. When you pivot hard, your sneakers dig in just right without twisting ankles. Even when it rained last week? No slip-fest nightmare.

Biggest surprise? That bounce consistency. Doesn’t matter if you’re dribbling center court or near the hoop. Ball stays lively like pro courts. Concrete would deaden the ball in spots.

Cost me decent cash upfront, but zero splinters or warped planks so far. Cheaper than pouring new concrete. Just hose it down and it looks new. Best upgrade I ever did for home training sessions.