So I finally got around to tackling that wood sport flooring project in Oakland, NJ I’ve been talking about forever. Here’s how it all went down, step by step.
Planning the Whole Thing
First off, I had to figure out what kind of wood sport flooring I even wanted for the space. Man, the choices! After like, a solid week of staring at samples online and dragging my feet, I settled on this nice oak look. Seemed durable enough for actual sports stuff. Measured the room twice because I didn’t wanna mess up and order too little. Or too much – that stuff ain’t cheap!
Getting the Stuff
Next came buying everything. Went to the big box store near Oakland. Grabbed:
- All the wood planks (Way heavier than I thought!)
- Some underlayment stuff that was supposed to help with bounce and noise
- A whole pile of adhesive because this type clicks together with glue
- All the tools: spacers, tapping block, pull bar, safety glasses, knee pads (best buy ever!), and a new hand saw just in case.
The guy at checkout looked at me like I was nuts. Probably was. Forgot the moisture barrier tape though, had to run back later. Dumb thing.
Ripping Out the Old Stuff
Before I could put the pretty new stuff down, I had to deal with the nasty old vinyl floor. Started peeling it up. Big mistake. Underneath was this ancient layer of black mastic glue. Absolute nightmare. Spent basically a whole weekend scraping that gunk off with a putty knife and this special remover that smelled awful. My arms felt like jelly. Also found some sketchy looking spots on the subfloor. Had to patch those areas with plywood and leveler before moving on. Set me back big time.
Getting Down to Business
Laid out the underlayment rolls first, taping the seams with that moisture barrier tape I finally remembered. Then started actually putting down the planks. Worked from the corner of the longest wall. Measured and marked the starting row, leaving that gap around the edge like the instructions said – used the spacers religiously. Put down the glue in the grooves, clicked the planks together, tapped them gently with the block and hammer to get them snug. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Cutting the planks to fit around doorways and vents was tricky. Measured twice, cut once, still messed up a couple. Thank goodness I bought extra wood! The sawdust was everywhere, even with the shop vac going.
Almost Screwing Up Big Time
So I’m humming along, feeling kinda proud. Maybe got a little cocky. Started putting down a whole row without really double-checking the spacing. Ended up crooked. Like, way off. Panicked for a minute. Thank goodness I hadn’t glued too many down yet. Had to carefully pry apart like four planks, clean off the sticky glue mess, reset the spacers properly, and re-glue them. That cost me like two hours. Lesson learned: check alignment after EVERY piece.
The Home Stretch
Finally got the last piece in. Seriously felt amazing. Then came cleanup – sawdust, glue spots, packaging. Another hour gone. Installed the baseboard trim around the edges to hide the expansion gap and make it look finished. Used my nail gun for that part.
What It Taught Me
Man, installing wood sport flooring yourself is doable but seriously hard work. It’s not just clicking planks. It’s scraping glue, fixing subfloors, measuring endlessly, cutting carefully, cleaning up constantly, and fixing your own dumb mistakes. Looks beautiful now, but wow. Respect for the pros who do this daily. Learned patience is key, and knee pads are worth their weight in gold. Happy it’s done!
