Basketball Court Stencil Instructions
by
homecourthoops.com
Special!
We’re offering FREE custom lettered pole padding with the purchase of any of our basketball hoops. (Click Here) The pole padding comes in any color with colored lettering. Combining the FREE padding with a DIY stencil and you have a very cool custom home basketball court.
Tools required:
3 cans of inverted Rustoleum or Krylon traffic spray paint
Chalk Line w/ chalk
25’ Tape Measurer
Piece of chalk
Two large pieces of cardboard (Backboard boxes are ideal)
Two rolls of 1.88” masking tape
Drywall T-square (Unless your cardboard has clean corners)
Plum Bob
Stiff-bristled steel brush
You hoop’s specifications. If you don’t have them you should be able to find them online.
An extra person to help
Clicking on any of the images will expand the image for better viewing!
Step #1-
If you don’t have or know what any of the above tools are, you should probably look to hire someone who does. After all, paint is permanent and you’re putting it on your driveway.
If you live in the NJ or the NY or Philly Metro areas, contact Home Court Hoops. If not, you should be able to find someone in any of the below links.
United Assemblers
Handyman Wire
Step #2- Adjust the hoop to 10’
Adjust your hoop to 10’. All measurements are based on 10’.
Step #3- Use your plum bob
Hang Plum Bob in the center of your rim. Once the plum bob is still, use your chalk to make a mark on your court.
Step #4- Snap a center line
Snapping a center line makes the rest of the job much easier. With one partner placing one end of the chalk line on the playing surface directly in front of the center point of the basketball pole, the other partner takes the other end of the chalk line and walks out as far onto the court as possible with the chalk line extending over the mark left by the plum bob. Snap the center line.
Step #5- Consult your hoop’s specifications
Consult your hoop’s specifications to find out the extension of your system. Make sure this is right. For this case, we’re going to assume we’re installing an American Eagle Patriot (Click Here) which has an extension of 36”. Using your tape measurer, mark 36” from the
pole. This should be directly under the backboard. If your hoop has a different extension, look up to make sure you’re directly under your backboard.
Step #6- Measure the free throw line
From the backboard marking, make another mark 15’ from the backboard mark. This is the top of the free throw line.
Step #7- Begin the box
Using either your t-square or clean pieces of cardboard, put a straight edge along the center line with the corner on the backboard marking, run a piece of chalk along the
cardboard or T-square. Do it for both sides of the center line.
Repeat the exact same process for the free throw line.
Take your chalk line and snap at least a 13’ line at both the backboard and the free throw line.
Step #8- Complete the box
Measure 5’10 out from the center line on both sides of the backboard chalk line. Make a chalk mark.
Measure 6’ out from the center line on both sides of the backboard chalk line. Make a chalk mark.
Repeat the process for the free throw line.
Snap chalk lines for the sides of your key/lane.
Because the top of your free throw line is already chalked, measure 2” down on either side to get the bottom of your free throw line and make a mark. Use your chalk line and snap a line.
You now have a complete box.
Step #9- Tape out the box
Using the 1.88” masking tape, place a piece on the inside and outside of the top and two 
sides of the key. There should be a 2” gap between the two pieces of tape. You can either stop the tape at the backboard or extend it all the way off the playing surface by the end of the playing surface.
Step #10- Chalk off the top of the key
A basketball key is 12’ wide. Therefore, the radius of a 12’ wide key is 6’. So measure the mid-point of the free throw line. This should be 6’ and should also be where the court’s center line is.
Have one partner put one end of the tape measurer at the top of the free throw line but also at the center point. Have the other partner mark 6’ above the free throw line. This is the top of the key. Holding the free throw line end of the tape measurer in place but still able to pivot, measure the semi circle of the top of the key making tick marks with a piece of chalk along the way. Make sure you do both directions.
Step #11- Measure the 3-point line
Much like how you marked off tick marks for the top of the key, you will be doing the same for the 3-point line.
Using the court’s center line as a guide, measure 19’9” from the top of the key down the court’s center line. (This should put you exactly at the plum bob marking.)
With one partner hold the tape measurer on the plum bob marking but still allowing it to pivot, the other partner will make tick marks at 19’9” every 6”-12”. You will do this in both direction so you get a complete key.
Key point!
The line at the top of the key and the 3-point line should merge and be the exact same line.
Step #12- Making your stencil
Your lane is taped off so both sides of your 2” line are ready to paint. What do we do with the curved lines for the top of the key and 3-point line.
Using the exact same technique you used to measure the top of the line for the top of the key and 3-point line, do the same for the cardboard boxes. You are essentially making a stencil.
Take one piece of cardboard and a tape measurer, extend the tape measurer 6’ out and mark the cardboard in the exact same way you did for the top of the key. (Step #9) Repeat the process but measure out 5’10”. This will give you the bottom of the line for the top of the key.
Take either a box cutter or scissors, cut out the stencil on the cardboard. Make sure the lines are nice and clean.
Take one piece of cardboard and a tape measurer, extend the tape measurer 19’9” out and mark the cardboard in the exact same way you did for the 3-point line. (Step #10) Repeat the process but measure out 19’7”. This will give you the bottom of the line for the 3-point line.
Take either a box cutter or scissors, cut out the stencil on the cardboard. Make sure the lines are nice and clean.
Step #13- Marking out the hash marks for the lane
Taking a tape measurer, extend it out from the backboard line to the top of the free throw line. This should measure exactly 15’. (The 15’ measurement should be at the free throw line.) Now make tick marks at the following measurements: 3’ & 4‘, 7‘ & 7’2”, 10’2” &10’4”, 13’4” & 13’6”. (It’s 3’ between each line) Repeat the process for the other side of the key.
Using your chalk line, snap the lines for all tick marks.
Measure 8” out from the side of the top and bottom of both side of the lane. Use your free throw line and backboard line as a guide. Now snap the line for the outside of the hash marks.
Now that you have your hash marks chalked out, use your 1.88” masking tape and tape out the hash marks.
Once complete, use a box cutter to cut out the parts where your paint is supposed to be.
Step #14- Ready to paint
Let’s start with the lane. You only have 1.88” of tape on either side of the line. You will want to put down a couple more lines of tape or use clean pieces of cardboard on either side to prevent overspray. (I have found a couple extra pieces of cardboard work very well.) Butt the clean pieces of cardboard as close to the edge of the tape as possible. Now take a relative vertical angle to the spray paint, paint in short but clean sprays and paint at angles away from the side where you are painting. You almost want to go with a short spray from one angle, then go with a short spray from the other angle.
Complete the lane.
Step #14- Paint the top of the key
Using your cardboard cutout as a guide, put the top of the stencil on the chalk line. You should be able to see the chalk line for the entire piece of cardboard. Paint this section of cardboard. Pick up the cardboard and place it onto the next section. Do not slide the cardboard as you might drag the wet paint underneath.
Complete painting the top of the key. Give it 20-30 minutes to dry.
Step #15- Paint the 3-point line
Using your cardboard cutout as a guide, Place it at the top of the key, It should be married up exactly with the top of the line painted for the top of the key. Using the same process, you’re going to use your cutout as a guide to paint your 3-point line.
Keep in mind, a 3-point line is much longer than the top of the key. As such, you may get some build up of wet paint on the cardboard. You may need to paint the 3-point in time increments. so you don’t have lines that bleed.
Step #16- Pull the tape
You’re done! Pull the tape. Give the court some time to dry. Have fun!
Note: If you have any overspray, stiff-bristled steel brushes will clean it up very nicely.
