Sanding Your Gym Floor

In my opinion, the most interesting projects we get to do are sand jobs.  They are usually the most drastic before and after stories that don’t involve going from a concrete slab to a wood floor (as new installs do).  You see a floor go from drab, a little yellow, with a possibly outdated layout, to fresh, bright, and updated with any graphics the school can imagine.  It’s exciting!

But how does a sand job work?  What is it called?  How long does it take?  What is involved?  We have the low-down for you.

General Information

Sanding and refinishing your gym floor should happen every 8-10 years, or any time your floor is damaged and needs to be patched.  A sand job is when the finish, paint and seal are sanded off of your floor so that only bare wood is exposed.  Then new coats of seal are applied, new paint/stain (and hopefully, a new layout) is put down, and new coats of finish are applied.  Your floor will look brand new again!

What Does a Sand Job Involve?

A sand job is typically a 2-3 week process from start to finish.  Depending on the size of your floor, it takes 4-5 days to sand it down to the bare wood.  Then it will take 3 days for us to apply the 2 coats of seal (allowing each coat to dry for 24 hours).  If you are staining areas of your floor such as the 3-point arcs, we will stain them when we seal the floor.

Next, it’s time to paint!  Depending on how complicated the layout is for your floor (including lines, logos, letters, borders, etc.), this could take anywhere from 2-4 days.  The paint then dries for 48 hours before we put down the 2 coats of finish on top, leaving 24 hours between the two coats for dry time.

At the end of the project, the finish will need to dry for 72 hours before foot traffic is allowed on the floor.  Wait 7-10 days for heavy loads, such as bleachers being pulled out, portable goals being moved, or podiums.  Wait a full 30 days before using a court cover on the floor.

Why Should I Sand my Floor?

Why Should I Sand my Floor?

Sanding and refinishing your gym floor every 8-10 years is necessary because it restores the luster in your gym surface, and assures long life and excellent performance of your wood floor.

Sanding and refinishing your gym floor when the floor is patched is necessary because finish ambers over time, changing the color of your floor.  When you install new wood in a patch job, that wood will be brighter and blonder than the rest of the floor.  If you want the floor to look uniform, the entire floor must be sanded once the patch is complete.  Check out pictures of floors that were patched and did NOT sand the entire floor.

Need A Quote?

If you think your gym is ready for a sand job, please call or email us any time.  We would be happy to send you a quote, or help you design a new layout.  Our work always comes with a warranty, so you can rest assured that you are getting quality workmanship any time you use Sports Floors.