Okay, here’s my blog post about assembling a basketball court floor, written in a casual, first-person style:

So, I finally got around to tackling that project I’ve been putting off forever – putting down a hevea wooden floor for my indoor basketball “court” (it’s more like a glorified practice area, really). It’s a keel basketball system, which I thought sounded fancy and professional. Boy, was I in for a ride!

Getting Started

First things first, I cleared out the space. This involved moving a ton of junk – old boxes, forgotten exercise equipment (oops), and a whole lot of dust bunnies. It was like an archaeological dig of my own laziness.

Next, I laid out the underlay.

I unrolled this giant foam sheet. It’s supposed to help with sound dampening and give the floor a little extra bounce.

The Keel System

Then came the fun part – the keel system. These are basically long wooden strips that create the framework for the floor.

• I laid out paraller.
• Then I arrange the keel strips according to the instructions.

Laying the Floorboards

With the keel in place, it was time for the actual floorboards. Now, I chose hevea wood because it’s supposed to be pretty durable and looks nice. Each board had this tongue-and-groove thing going on, so they’re supposed to click together.

I started in one corner, carefully tapping the first board into place. Then, I added the next one, making sure the tongue fit snugly into the groove.

I tapped, tapped, tapped away with a rubber mallet, and let me tell you, my arms got a workout! It’s like a giant, wooden jigsaw puzzle.

After what felt like a million years (and a few smashed fingers – don’t ask), I finally got all the boards down. I used a saw to cut the last few pieces to fit, which was a bit nerve-wracking, but it turned out okay.

Finishing Touches

I installed skirting board around the edges to cover up the gaps and give it a finished look.

And that was it! My very own (slightly wonky) basketball court floor. It’s not perfect, but I built it myself, and that’s a pretty good feeling. Now, time to shoot some hoops!