Okay, so I’ve been wanting to upgrade my home basketball court for a while now. I did some digging and decided to go with LVL, which I guess stands for Laminated Veneer Lumber, and specifically, the Hevea assembled wooden flooring. Here’s how the whole thing went down:

Prepping the Area

First things first, I had to get the old surface out of there. It was some beat-up old concrete that had seen better days. I rented a jackhammer, which was way more fun than it should have been, and smashed that thing to pieces. It took a whole weekend, and my arms were sore, but it was satisfying.

Laying the Foundation

After cleaning up the concrete rubble, I needed a good, level base. I poured a new concrete slab, making sure it was super smooth and perfectly level. This part was a bit tricky, and I had to call in a buddy who knows more about concrete than I do. We used a long level and some fancy tools to get it just right. It took another few days of sweat(and waiting time for concrete dry), but we finaly done!

Installing the LVL Flooring

Now for the main event! The LVL Hevea flooring arrived in these big planks. The cool thing about this stuff is that it’s supposed to be super durable and weather-resistant. I started laying the planks, making sure to stagger the joints like you’re supposed to. I used a nail gun and some heavy-duty adhesive to keep everything in place.

It wasn’t like Legos. These were real big hunks of wood! Had to measure and cut some of the planks to fit around the edges of the court. I borrowed this massive circular saw from another friend, and wow, that thing was powerful. Safety glasses on for that one, for sure.

Finishing Touches

Once all the flooring was down, I sanded the whole surface to make it extra smooth. Then, I applied a couple of coats of sealant to protect it from the elements and give it a nice, finished look. I had to wait a few days for everything to dry completely before I could actually use the court.

The Final Result

Finally, I can play! The new court looks amazing! It’s so much better than the old cracked concrete. The ball bounces perfectly, and it feels great under my feet. It took some serious work, a few borrowed tools, and a couple of weekends, but it was totally worth it. Now, I have own home basketball court, so great!