While you will normally see the standard wood flooring when watching the NBA or NCAA basketball games on television, there are multiple types of flooring options for basketball courts.
Each different type of court surface will react differently to your shoe traction and ball interaction while dribbling, so knowing the different types of surface can help you decide on what to build your court with or to prepare for a game on a surface type you are not used to.
Quick Navigation
Things to Consider
If you are looking to build a basketball court or update your old court, there are definitely things you will want to consider:
Is the court indoors or outdoors?
Will there be sanctioned games there or just for fun?
How much space do you have?
What is your budget?
These questions are all important considerations when building your own court and deciding on the certain materials that you will use.
The Materials
Outdoor
1. Asphalt All the big box stores sell portable basketball hoops that you can buy and set up in the driveway at your home. The reason for this is asphalt makes a great court surface. It is durable enough to drive cars on and firm enough to make dribbling a breeze. It isn’t fun to fall down and get scraped up on, so remember to play safely!
2. Concrete If you are looking for a do-it-yourself backyard court then concrete is a nice affordable surface to build your court. It reacts almost exactly like asphalt when playing, and can be poured anywhere in your backyard with a bit of work. Again, it is hard and can give you some gnarly scrapes if you take a spill, so try and stay upright even after a shot with contact.
3. Plastic If you want a surface that is a bit more forgiving on your joints and against falling injury, try covering your concrete basketball court with polypropylene plastic tiles. They snap together, and when all put down, give you a nice feeling basketball court. They are UV and weather-resistant, so you won’t have to worry about anything other than normal wear and tear.
Indoor
1. Hardwood This is the surface we are all familiar with. The nice, solid hardwood floors you see when watching Lebron on television. The sparkling finish and the natural look has a real nostalgic feel to it, making it the most sought after court material. The downfall? It is extremely expensive.
2. Plastic The polypropylene plastic makes the indoor list as well as the outdoors. It has more bounce (when dribbling) than the hardwood and is also safer as there is more impact resistance when taking a fall. While it definitely doesn’t have that beautiful look of a hardwood court, the multiple color selections and performance are fantastic.
If you want to check out high-quality plastic flooring for your gym, this one is a great choice.
Wood vs. Synthetic
Wood floors are highly expensive. This is a major drawback if you are trying to be budget-friendly. What they offer as an upside is that gorgeous, shiny finish and a high end look for your spectators and players.
Synthetic floors, such as plastic, offer a more budget-friendly option while also providing more shock absorption. This means falls will cause less impact, and injuries will be reduced. It can also help keep the player’s joints more healthy, as the more springy material causes less stress.
Final Words
There are multiple options when looking at flooring for a basketball court. Synthetics are so nice now, they really can compete against the higher end wood products.
Do you like wood floors or plastic better? If you were to build a court, what material would you use? Let us know below!
Comments