DIY Network

Building a Basketball Court Michael Strahan helps a family of basketball fanatics build the backyard court of their dreams. From "Backyard Stadiums" episode DBYS-102

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Laying Out the Basketball Court Lanes

1. The foul line is 12' long and 15' from the backboard. Draw out 12' of tape and place the 6' mark perpendicular to the center line at the 15' mark on the line you just measured. Use the T-square to check that the tape measure is straight, and then use the chalk line again to snap a mark for the foul line.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

2. Now do the same with the baseline directly under the backboard. This line will be the end of the lane.

3. Now all you'll have to do is finish the lane. Since the base and foul lines are already measured, simply use the chalk line starting at the ends of both 12' lines and create a finished box 12' x 15'.

Carpenters Tip: When the line is extremely long, it's sometimes helpful to have someone in the center to hold the mid-point while the snapping the line twice on either side of that point (figure A).

4. Outline the lane in white, which will be accomplished in two steps: taping then painting. Once you've measured the box, place duct tape outside the lines on all four sides of the box.

Tip: Normal painters tape or masking tape may not stick to the asphalt surface. That's why we used high quality duct tape (figure B). Measure in 3" from the two long sides and add a second line of tape on the outside of the new line. Snap a second line 3" outside the mark for the foul line and tape on the inside of this new line if you are planning a full circle at the top of the lane or on the outside of the line (as we did) if you only have room for a half circle. Finally, if you haven't already, continue a line from the plumb mark you made below the basket across the entire back of the court. Then add a second line 3" outside that line. Add tape outside this line and inside the first line. This will be your out of bounds mark. All this taping is time consuming, but it will help to give your court a professional look.

5. After everything is taped, draw the circle at the top of the key. Since you have already measured out the center of the court, simply have someone hold a string down at the center point, 15' from the backboard. Attach a piece of chalk to the other end of the string and measure out 6'. Swing a circle (or half circle) by pulling the rope tight.

Note: You need not have the full12' to create the entire circle at the top of the lane (figure C) — we only marked and painted the bottom half and it still looked great.

6. When everything is measured and taped, it's time to start painting. For our court we used blue, yellow and white traffic paint because it is meant to be used on asphalt. Traffic paint dries quickly, so make sure you are ready to paint before you pour some in a tray. Painting the court is done best using long poles that attach to paint rollers (figure D); you can buy them at any paint or big box home store.

7. While you are waiting for the paint to dry, mark out and paint your 3-point areas. For our court we measured 19', 9" from the center of the basket, which is the distance of a high-school 3-point shot. If you have lots of room you can measure out an NBA 3-point line. If you're short of space, as we were, simply move to the corner of your lot and draw an arc to make a 3-point shooting area. To do this, tie a piece of chalk to a string and swing an arc from the corner (figure E). These areas may not give you the full 3-point shooting experience, but they still can provide you and your children hours of fun.

8. With all the large areas painted, it's time to paint the white outline of the court.

Note: Make sure all the previous-used paint is dry before outlining the court, and be sure to remove any tape that was added inside the outside lines of the court before continuing. We used a 3" roller to create the lines around our court (figure F).

9. Since it's difficult to tape an arch, we chose to paint the white outline for our 3-point area and the bottom of the semi circle at the top of our lane free hand, making sure to stay within the line.

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