After Dave and Sarah installed their basement shuffleboard using Armstrong’s kit, I heard from Guy — whose time-capsule home has been featured on the blog — that he recently painted a shuffleboard on his concrete basement floor. I am so inspired! Read on to learn how he did it, step-by-step:
Guy writes:
Pam-
Below is the info and pics of my basement shuffleboard we talked about last month. My whole extended family has been bitten by the shuffleboard bug and we have even had a few tournaments! I am so glad you introduced me to the idea of basement shuffleboard!
-Guy
Instructions? With photos all signed sealed and delivered? You are on the blog, again, Guy! Here are his step by steps:
I went ahead and painted my basement shuffleboard court this weekend:
For anyone else who wants to try and make one this way, here is how I did it:
Step 1: I marked out a large rectangle on the floor with painters tape. I painted it with some regular paint I had leftover:
Step 2: I marked out the scoring areas with tape. I used an image of a court as a guide. This was much easier than I thought it would be. I am sure the dimensions are not perfect, but this is for fun with friends – not the Olympics.
Because my basement is narrow on the one side (due to an office and the water heater & airconditioner unit) I only planned on putting a starting line on that side to shoot the shuffleboard pucks to the scoring area (on the more open area.)
However the first scoring zone was so easy to mark I thought I would make one on each side (even though we still only shoot from that side.)
I thought for decorative reasons it looked better to have both scoring triangles.
I put down 3 coats of sealer and if I start to see any wear in it in the future I will re-apply.
I am SO INTO this idea. Our basement (which is basically the laundry room and storage place of doom) has a concrete floor. I am SO GOING TO DO THIS. I even have a vintage shuffleboard set with pusher-thingies and biscuits (yes, that’s what the puck is called) already. Picked it up at an estate sale gosh knows where. I am telling you, my treasure chest is full full full. Thank you, Guy! So, I also asked Guy how he got the measurements, and he says:
Wikipedia listed the standard size at 39′ x6′ and then they had all of the other measurements and a pretty good diagram. So what I did was figure out how much room I had and then I started trying to mathematically decide how long things should be based on the space I had.
I experimented with a chalk outline and it worked out nicely.
The whole thing was surprisingly simple. I really expected it to look crooked and silly and I was amazed at how “professional” it looked.
BTW, I really enjoy your blog. It is the very first site I check in the morning. You may remember that I found your blog when researching what to do with my 1964 home. I bought the house because it looked ‘dated’ (I like the time capsule feeling) and then I was really feeling pressure to “update” it from everyone I knew.
Now I show everyone that enters the post you wrote and then they all seem to “get” what I like about the house. I plan to frame that post and hang it in the hallway. I will send you a picture when I do.
Thanks,
Guy
You are the sweetest, Guy, and be sure to tell Rosanna I said that!
Links:
- Wikipedia on shuffleboard, including: “During World War II shuffleboard came into its own. The intrinsic appeal of the game – skill, diversity, competitiveness, availability to young and old, strong and disabled, the serious game, the fun game – offered the kind of release needed in those turbulent years. Hollywood climbed on the shuffleboard bandwagon and took it up, at first as a source of good publicity. Then when the pin-up girls and bandleaders and actors discovered they really liked the game, shuffleboards found their way into the studios and homes of the stars. People like Betty Grable, Harry James, Merv Griffin, Alan Ladd all had their own shuffleboards. The game grew to its greatest height in the 1950s. Most major shuffleboard manufactures sponsored nationwide shuffleboard tournaments. These were the biggest tournaments ever held: one had 576 teams participating.”
June Cahill says
THANK YOU for THIS!:) – We have a large piece of concrete in our backyard – I can BARELY see the outline of the shuffleboard and have been wanting to ‘re-create’ that. The original owners left us the ‘lally poles’ (thank you for that too as this is the first time I’d ever heard of them – up until now I referred to them in the highly technical way Pam did…)…Now I know what my next ‘honey do’ will be! Awesome!
pam kueber says
i saw the movie but can someone remind me: what is a lally poll?
Susie says
I spied Chairy, too, and I am SO JEALOUS! I like the shuffleboard, too.
susan says
This brings such great memories. I grew up with neighbors that had fish tanks as wall dividers and shuffle board and bowling alleys in their basement.
Guy H. says
I have always wanted to see a house with a basement bowling alley! It sounds so cool!
I did find this great site with photos of a vintage one:
http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=1227
Timbo says
My parents house had a shuffle board, but we were never able to play because we didn’t have the actual equipment. Where can you even find the proper biscuits/pusher thing (to use the very scientific terms of the article)?
pam kueber says
Timbo, you can find the sets of pusher thingies and bisquits on ebay, amazon or other online places. They are not cheap, new, I have discovered. I found mine at an estate sale.
Guy H. says
I bought a used set on ebay for $3 plus shipping. The shipping was $10 I think.
The pusher thingies are called “tangs.”
Tang and biscuits. Sounds like the greatest sport ever. Or breakfast.
pam kueber says
yes: breakfast of champions!
Annie B. says
And I’ve been thinking the B of C was Bloody Mary’s. No wonder I keep tripping over the shuffleboard triangles.
nina462 says
Nice, nice, nice. Now – where do I get a guy that likes this retro stuff too? I could easily do this in my knotty pine basement, as I have plenty o’room. But- I’d have to take up some lovely red berber carpet. hmmm that or get a pool table?
Shane Walp says
Far out, dad! LOL I think I’ll do that in my 1954 basement! I’ll be painting over 9″sq. asbestos tiling! I mentioned the asbestos tile to freak Pam out!
BTW Pam – we’re in Fitchburg, MA right now, visiting friends. We’re getting ready to cruise to Boston by train (which I’ve never ridden one) and visit the Revolutionary War stuff!
pam kueber says
haha not funny, shane. Consult with pro’s, everybody, regarding the materials in your vintage houses. Get educated.
vintigchik says
Love the shuffleboard! It looks great! Is that Chairy I see peeking out from the corner of the photo?? 🙂
Joe says
Dang you beat me to it! I noticed Chairy too. Looks like a lot of fun, wish I had a basement playroom.
Guy H. says
What an amazing eye for detail!
Yes, that is a Chairry (Pee Wee Herman’s friend and chair.) These were available in the 1980s. It’s a small chair. I found it on eBay for under $200 (and most of that was shipping) it is the most popular seat in the house.
http://yfrog.com/77iphone9222010056j
Annie B. says
This is absolutely fabulous! Great job, Guy. You’ll be having lots of warm, winter fun down in that super cool basement.
What’s the story on that column beside the AC unit? Looks like some kind of funky, retro totem. I like it!
Thanks for sharing.
Guy H. says
The lally poles (those metal poles that keep the basement up) were standard rust color when we moved in. I was going to paint them a solid color and then I remembered the story about Jim Henson painting pipes at NBC:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/NBC_Pipes
I decided to do my version of this. It was done with regular hobby paints.
Here are some images:
http://yfrog.com/n3iphone9222010265j
http://yfrog.com/jniphone9222010062j
http://yfrog.com/n2iphone9222010069j
http://yfrog.com/8biphone9222010190j
http://yfrog.com/65iphone9222010250j
http://yfrog.com/63iphone9222010278j
Annie B. says
Oh, Guy, these are wonderful! Thank you for that splendid backstory….I had no idea about the Muppet Pipes; thanks for an endearing edification.
Your lally poles (never before heard of “lally poles”, either – this is my day of enlightenment, apparently, and I appreciate it!) just shout “happy”. I can see myself now…….collaging plumbing or HVAC. Why not?
Thank you again for the photos.
Guy H. says
Yeah, lally poles was a term I had never heard until a few months ago (but I had seen those poles my whole life.)
I am glad you like the totem of cartoon faces!
Jean Filkins says
I can’t read or hear the word “lally” without thinking of Cary Grant in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House:
Foreman: “The second-floor lintels between the lally columns, should we rabbet them?”
Mr. Blandings (priceless Cary Grant look of utter bafflement) “The second-floor lallies?”
Foreman: “Second-floor lintels between the lallies.”
Mr. Blandings: “Oh, the lintels *between* the lallies.”
Foreman: “Yeah, from the blueprints you can’t tell. You want they should be rabbeted?”
Mr. Blandings: “No, no, I guess not.”
Foreman: “Okay, you’re the doctor.”
Foreman yells up to crew: “Hey, fellas! If you got any of them rabbeted lintels set, rip them up!”
June Cahill says
🙂