Alright, let’s talk about laminate basketball hard timber, or whatever them fancy folks call it. You know, the stuff they put down on them basketball places.

I ain’t no expert, mind you, but I seen a thing or two. My grandpappy, he used to say, “A good floor is like a good pair of shoes – gotta be sturdy and last ya a while.” And that’s the truth, whether you’re talkin’ ’bout your kitchen floor or one of them basketball courts.

Now, from what I gather, there’s all sorts of stuff they use for these basketball floors. Some of it’s that real wood, like maple, they say. Sounds fancy, but I reckon it’s just wood, same as the trees out back, only prettier. They say that maple wood is the best, makes the ball bounce real good. Them NBA fellas, they like that fancy maple wood, makes ’em jump higher and run faster, or so they say. I seen it on the TV once, shiny and smooth, looked like you could eat off it. But I bet it costs a pretty penny.

• Maple Hardwood: The top choice, like I said. Strong and bouncy, but probably not somethin’ you’d put in your chicken coop.
• Asphalt Tarmacadam: Now this sounds like somethin’ I know. Like the roads, you know? Hard and black. They say it makes the ball bounce high, good for serious play. Probably cheaper than that maple wood, too.
• Polyurethane: This one’s a mouthful, ain’t it? Sounds like somethin’ you’d spray on furniture. But they say it’s tough and lasts a long time, and it don’t cost as much as the wood.
• PVC or Vinyl: This is the stuff most folks use, I hear. Cheap and easy to put down, I guess. Like them tiles they put in bathrooms, only bigger.

Then there’s them tile things, they call ’em “sport tiles” or somethin’. Look like big ol’ puzzle pieces. They say you can put ’em down in your backyard if you want your own basketball court. Imagine that! My Billy woulda loved that, always dribblin’ that ball around, thump-thump-thump, drivin’ me crazy. But good for him, kept him outta trouble, mostly.

Now, if you’re buildin’ one of these basketball places, you gotta think about how much money you got. That maple wood, that’s for the rich folks. If you ain’t got a pot to piss in, you might go with that asphalt or that vinyl stuff. Just as good, I reckon, for a bunch of kids playin’ a game.

And it ain’t just about the money, it’s about how long it’ll last. You don’t want somethin’ that’s gonna fall apart after a few years. You want somethin’ tough, somethin’ that can take a beatin’. Kids are rough, you know, they’ll be runnin’ and jumpin’ and droppin’ things. Gotta have a floor that can handle it.

Maintenance, that’s another thing. You don’t want somethin’ you gotta be fussin’ over all the time. Some of them floors, they need special cleaners and polishin’, all that fancy stuff. I ain’t got time for that. I got chickens to feed and a garden to tend. I need a floor that’s easy to clean, somethin’ I can just sweep off and be done with it.

So, if you’re lookin’ for a floor for your basketball court, you gotta think about all that stuff. How much money you got, how long you want it to last, how much work you wanna put into keepin’ it clean. And don’t forget, you need it to be flat and hard, otherwise the basketball will roll the wrong way. It ain’t rocket science, just common sense. Just like my grandpappy used to say, “Use your head, girl, use your head.” And that’s what I’m tellin’ ya.

And that’s about all I know about laminate basketball hard timber. It ain’t much, but it’s honest.