Reviving Old Floors: Athletic Flooring Repair and Restoration
Sports facilities rely on quality athletic flooring not just to make sure that they are at the forefront of their respective markets but to make sure that the athletes who play on their floors are provided with an experience that is both comfortable and advantageous to their sport.
Oftentimes it is the flooring alone that distinguishes one facility from another, and players know the difference. Whether athletes are playing on a floor for a short amount of time or a long amount of time they can tell the difference between a quality floor and a floor that does not support their movements.
As with everything in life athletic flooring requires ongoing maintenance in order to stay at the level of performance it was at the time it was installed. This is true with just about anything in life but when the stakes are as high as the health and safety of an athlete or student athletes most facilities take the time to do maintenance to some degree. Generally speaking, the more maintenance that you do, the less repairs that you will need over time.
This article is going to focus on repair and restoration of athletic flooring. It’s incredibly important that every facility is in the best shape it can be and sometimes that is done with easy or minor repairs, and it always requires ongoing maintenance.
Common Issues with Athletic Flooring
1. Surface Wear and Tear
Surface wear and tear is totally normal in most athletic flooring surfaces because everything is designed to wear down over time. For wood floors, the most important thing is making sure that there is a sufficient amount of finish on your gym floor. Annual or semiannual recoats are recommended in most cases where gymnasiums are used on a regular basis. Other types of flooring have other types of maintenance schedules that should be adhered to. It’s important to know which type of floor you have and what the right maintenance schedule is for your floor.
2. Cracks and Gaps
Gaps are common occurrences in wood floors. They occur because especially in the first two years the wood floor swells and shrinks with the introduction and the removal of moisture in the form of relative humidity through the various seasons.
It is important to know whether or not the gaps in your gymnasium floor are normal or excessive and you can contact us or send us photos and we would be happy to advise you.
Cracks are not common occurrences in wood floors and should be investigated on a case by case basis. It is important to determine why the crack occurred, to repair it, and to prevent it from happening again. Bye
3. Water Damage
Water damage can range from minor to catastrophic depending on the amount of water and the length of time that the water was exposed to the wood flooring. It is important to have any water damage investigated by a professional as soon as possible to make sure that no mold where mildew has taken place.
Regardless of whether or not the school ultimately determines to make a repair for water damage is based on a range of circumstances. But it is important to know that any degree of water damage does reach weaken the bonds between boards as well as the bonds between nails and sub floor components. In short, the floor rarely plays the same after water damage unless it is replaced at least in part. An experienced flooring professional should be engaged to determine the level of damage.
4. Loss of Shock Absorption
Any floor that was installed within the last 10 or 15 years will have components that do not wear down in the Standard Life of a floor. Components in older floors may wear down over time leading to a loss in resiliency. This can cause the floor to decrease its performance characteristics and players will experience adverse effects.
5. Discoloration and Stains
There are two things in the industry that are problematic for any floor over time. First is from UV damage from natural sunlight. This is unavoidable over time even with products that claim to be UV resistant. Eventually the sun will change the color of any floor if it is exposed to it long enough.
The other problematic items are spills from any number of liquid substances. Depending on how long they have sat on the floor, damage can occur and range from minor to major. Sometimes the effects from liquids left on floors are permanent.
Steps for Athletic Flooring Repair and Gymnasium Floor Restoration From A Professional’s Perspective
Step 1: Inspection and Assessment
The most important first step of determining what repair or restoration method is required is an inspection and assessment. It is critical to determine the needs of the client as well as the existing conditions of the floor. Sometimes, these assessments are done via photos, but most of the time it is by an in person site visit.
Step 2: Cleaning and Preparation
Once an assessment has been completed and a path has been chosen for the repair or restoration it is very important that the service be properly prepared to receive the new repair or any elements of the floor that are being upgraded. Preparation is a key component to any flooring repair, restoration, or new installation. That is why it is so important to hire professionals who have experience working with these types of products because they are keenly aware of this requirement.
Step 3: Repairing Cracks and Gaps
When the time comes to make repairs to cracks in the floor, each one is treated differently. Every process is determined by the existing conditions and the desired outcomes. There are many different methods to repair a crack that range from filling it to extracting and replacing the board. Determining the best path is best done by a flooring professional.
Step 4: Addressing Water Damage
In most cases water damaged areas can be replaced by similar products installed in the same location. However, there are some instances of water damage that require a more creative or larger solution. It is important to use a flooring professional who has years of experience in assessing water damaged floors because there are many different means and methods by which foreign companies can address water damage.
Step 5: Refinishing the Surface
Refinishing of a wood floor is a standard process that should be undergone on a semi regular basis throughout the life of any wood floor. The idea is to sand off any existing finish and make the surface smooth and reapply new finish. The result is that the client or customer receives what appears to be a brand new floor. It is important to note, however, that there is a limit to how many times any floor can be sanded. In order to determine that you need to engage with a foreign professional.
Step 6: Replacing Worn-Out Sections
- Replace severely damaged or worn-out sections of the flooring
- Ensure new sections match the existing flooring for a uniform appearance
- Depending on the type of floor that you have and the type of finish that is on any wood floor, replacing worn out sections is certainly possible but may be difficult. Each situation is unique and while replacement of those areas is certainly possible, it is not always recommended. There are many instances where a different solution achieves the same desired result with a better outcome.
Tips for Maintaining and Prolonging the Lifespan of Athletic Flooring
Regular Cleaning
- Sweep and mop the floor regularly to remove dirt and debris
- Use appropriate cleaning solutions to avoid damaging the flooring
- No matter what type of athletic floor you have, or what type of flooring in general, it is important to have regular cleaning schedules in place. Regular cleaning is the most important first step in taking care of your floor and extending its usable life. A floor that is regularly cleaned will hold up much better than a floor that is not.
Immediate Spill Management
- Clean up spills immediately to prevent stains and water damage
- Use absorbent materials and fans to dry out wet areas quickly
- It is very important that any liquids that are spilled on the floor are removed as soon as possible. The longer a liquid sits on the floor, the more damage it will do to the surface of the athletic floor. It is very important to make sure that if a facility is being used by many groups at many different times that there are regular inspections of the entire floor to avoid any liquids sitting on the floor for any long periods of time.
Protective Measures
- Use mats at entry points to reduce dirt and moisture tracked onto the floor
- Apply protective coatings or sealants to enhance durability
Preventative maintenance can dramatically extend the life of your floor. The use of entry mats at every location is one of the best practices that anyone can use in any facility. Walk off mats are responsible for extending the life of every floor that they are a part of and the more that you have the better your floor will hold up overtime.
Routine Inspections
It is very important to have one or more people in your facility that are responsible for regular inspections of your athletic floors. It is important to make sure that there is no long term damage being done by liquids being left on the floor or other damage that can occur. The quicker that these items are noticed, the better. Be sure to engage with a flooring professional if anything is noticed during these routine maintenance inspections.
Proper Usage
Important to know what type of uses you’re for is designed to withstand, and then stay within those uses. Many times, damage has occurred to floors because of something going on top of the floor that was never intended for that floor to support. So, whether it is metal chairs on a wood gym floor or heavy rolling loads on a synthetic surface, non-intended uses are likely to cause damage. They should be avoided at all costs and if needed the floor should be properly protected. In order to find out how to properly protect your floor please contact a flooring professional.
Let Endurance Flooring Professionals Take Care Of Your Athletic Flooring Repair
For an athletic facility, the floor is one of the most important investments a facility makes. It is important to make sure that your gym floor has regular maintenance and that any repairs are made in a timely manner. This will dramatically extend the life of your floor and also make sure that it is performing as intended so that the athletes who use your floors are experiencing the same level of play and performance that they did when the floor was first installed.
Here at Endurance, we have the expertise and the qualified staff members available to assess and address any athletic flooring repair, refurbishment, or upgrade. We offer comprehensive services to meet any clients needs. Quality assurance is always our top priority – we use nothing but the highest quality materials, the best equipment, and the most knowledgeable installers in the industry. We work with our clients to make sure that the goals and outcomes are clear and that we deliver on the expectations that the project demands.
