Alright, so I’ve been wanting to redo the flooring in my workout room for, like, forever. It had this old, gross carpet that was just… yuck. I finally decided to bite the bullet and go for a basketball court look. Seemed ambitious, but hey, why not?

First things first, I ripped out that nasty old carpet. That was a workout in itself! Dust, staples, the whole nine yards. Made a huge mess, but it felt good to get rid of it.

Prepping the Subfloor

Underneath the carpet was just plain old concrete. It was pretty level, thankfully, but I still spent a good chunk of time sweeping and vacuuming every last bit of dust and debris. I even used a damp mop to get the super fine stuff. You don’t want anything messing with your new floor, right?

Laying Down the Battens

Okay, so the “battens” are basically just strips of wood that you attach to the subfloor. They give you something to nail the actual flooring to. I picked up a bunch of 2x4s from the hardware store – pine, because it’s relatively cheap and easy to work with.

I measured the room and figured out how far apart I wanted the battens. I think I went with 16 inches on center, which is pretty standard. Then, I got to work cutting the 2x4s to length. My miter saw got a serious workout that day!

Attaching the battens to the concrete was… interesting. I used construction adhesive and concrete screws. Pre-drilling the holes in the concrete was key – otherwise, the screws just wouldn’t go in straight. It was a slow process, making sure everything was level and lined up. Lots of kneeling, squatting, and checking with a level.

Assembling the Wooden Flooring

Now for the fun part! I ordered a bunch of tongue-and-groove pine flooring. It comes in these long planks that fit together like puzzle pieces. I started in one corner, laying down the first row and making sure it was perfectly straight. This is super important, because if your first row is off, the whole floor will be crooked.

I used a flooring nailer to secure the planks to the battens. That thing is LOUD, but it makes the job so much easier. You just line it up, pull the trigger, and BAM! Nail driven perfectly. Interlocking the tongue-and-groove edges was pretty satisfying, too. It’s like building with giant LEGOs.

I kept going, row by row, making sure to stagger the joints for a more natural look. There was a lot of measuring and cutting to fit the planks around the edges of the room. My jigsaw came in handy for those tricky cuts.

Finishing Touches (Still to Come!)

So, the flooring is down, but it’s not quite finished. I still need to sand it smooth, apply a sealant, and then paint the basketball court lines. That’s a project for another weekend, though. I’m pretty beat after all that! But hey, even unfinished, it looks a million times better than that old carpet. And it feels solid underfoot. Can’t wait to actually use it!