Basketball courts are some of the largest and most prevalent sources for hardwood flooring in your area. Practically everyone lives within only a few minutes of a basketball court no matter where they live. They’re in schools, churches, hospitals, and apartment complexes. Everywhere you go, you’re near a huge source of hardwood. Basketball courts are often renovated when they get old or when the space is needed. What happens to the wood from the basketball court when the court is ripped up? In some situations, it is thrown away. Others sell or give it away. Can you use it to make a hardwood floor? Yes. Here’s how.
Basketball Court
Hardwood basketball courts are generally made from panels that are four feet by eight feet. The most common hardwood used is maple. Oftentimes, the maple has a plywood backing to make it somewhat flexible. Also, it is generally a tongue and groove system that allows the hardwood to be installed over a cement floor or an existing floor without much installation. In this way, hardwood basketball courts are basically made from engineered hardwood. The difference between standard engineered hardwood and basketball court flooring is that the basketball court wood planks are much larger and the hardwood veneer is much thicker.
Also, the wood of basketball courts is generally painted with the lines of a basketball court. That means that the lane will be a block of a single color. There will then be white lines painted on the wood, and perhaps, a logo painted in the middle.
Utilizing the Court Planks
To utilize the basketball court planks, you’ll need to account for the colors painted on the flooring. A basketball court is a very large space. A typical court is about 100 feet by 50 feet. That’s more than enough flooring to cover most houses. Oftentimes, there’s enough of the blank maple space to cover the room you need. In other cases, you’ll need to utilize more than one source of wood or you’ll have to use the painted sections.
If you’re using the painted sections, make sure to intersperse them at regular intervals to create a design that looks great.
The maple used in basketball courts is designed to withstand tons of running and jumping. It’s generally finished with a thick finish that is durable and low luster. It makes a great floor for just about any application; you can also find used court wood fairly affordably.
