Just as athletes train regularly to stay in peak condition, your sports floor requires consistent care to maintain its top performance. Not only does a well-maintained floor ensure a safe and optimal playing surface for athletes and other users, but consistent care also helps preserve the floor’s aesthetic appeal and structural integrity. By prioritizing regular upkeep, you can prevent premature wear and potential damages, ensuring that the floor remains in top condition for up to 75 years, but following Sports Floors, Inc.’s guidelines for maintaining your new sports floor is essential, so keep reading to learn how.
Daily Care
Taking care of your sports floor starts with daily maintenance. Each day, your sports floor will likely be subjected to the hustle and bustle of athletic activities, from the rapid footwork of players to the occasional dropped water bottle. While these interactions may not seem like that big of a deal, they can cause wear and tear that can accumulate and impact the floor’s longevity and appearance over time. To ensure the floor remains in optimal condition, it’s essential to adopt a daily cleaning regimen.
Sweeping
Sweeping should be a non-negotiable daily task. Using a properly treated dust mop, your team should take care that all traces of dust, grit, and other abrasive particles are effectively removed. By doing so, you’ll not only preserve the floor’s aesthetic appeal but also prevent potential surface damage, which could become a bigger issue later on.
Prevent Moisture Incursions
Moisture is a silent enemy to wood floors and could cause them to warp. Stay vigilant about moisture incursions, especially during periods of inclement weather or in proximity to exterior doorways, to prevent any water exposure or accumulation. If any spills or moisture incursion does occur, it’s your job to act fast to remove the water and prevent damage to your floor system.
Weekly and Monthly Care
Beyond the daily upkeep, a sports floor requires a deeper level of attention on a weekly and monthly basis to ensure it remains at its best.
Weekly Inspections
As weeks progress, certain marks and stains that aren’t immediately noticeable can begin to accumulate, and these could subtly affect the floor’s appearance and performance over time. Because of this, we recommend that you conduct a more thorough inspection of the floor on a weekly basis.
Identify any marks or stains that may have surfaced, and using an approved floor cleaner that’s compatible with the floor’s finish, gently remove these marks. Try using a non-abrasive soft cloth or a tennis ball on a broomstick for this purpose to make sure that the floor’s finish remains unscathed.
Monthly Inspections
On a monthly basis, assess the floor’s overall condition. Check for any signs of wear, potential damage, or areas that might need more intensive care. By dedicating time to these weekly and monthly routines, you’re ensuring that your sports floor remains a shining centerpiece of your facility, ready for all the action it hosts.
Annual Care
After twelve whole months of events, games, activities, and changing seasons, it’s time to complete the most comprehensive care routine of all. While daily, weekly, and monthly care addresses immediate and short-term needs, this annual review will fully ensure the floor’s longevity and sustained performance.
Screening & Recoating
One of the most important yearly tasks is the process of screening and recoating. This not only rejuvenates the floor’s shine but also reinforces its protective layer, safeguarding against potential damages in the coming year. This process involves lightly sanding the floor’s surface to remove minor imperfections, followed by the application of a fresh coat of finish. It’s a revitalizing treatment that breathes new life into the floor and keeps it functioning for the year to come.
Call the Team at Sports Floors, Inc.
Your annual maintenance is critical to the life cycle of your sports floor, but it can require a lot of time, energy, and know-how. Depending on your needs, it may be a good idea to consider consulting with flooring professionals like Sports Floors, Inc. for a comprehensive assessment. We can provide insights into any underlying issues, recommend specific maintenance procedures, and offer guidance on preserving the floor’s integrity.
Things to Avoid
Aside from regular inspections, cleanings, and refinishings, there are a few things you’ll want to avoid to prevent unwanted damage to your sports floor.
Tape
While it might seem like a quick solution for temporary markings, tape can leave behind a residue on gym floors that can be challenging to remove and can remove your floor’s finish, causing permanent damage. Instead, consider using white tempera paint for temporary lines or markings, which can be easily wiped away without causing damage.
Water Exposure
As mentioned earlier, water can cause major damage to wood floors. Be sure to never clean the floor with water, as even a small amount of moisture can penetrate the wood, leading to issues like warping, discoloration, and structural damage. You should also always clean spills immediately and avoid wet mopping.
Household Cleaners
While household cleaners might be effective for tiles or laminates, they’re not suitable for sports floors. These harsh products can leave behind residues that could alter the floor’s slip resistance and make it either sticky or overly slippery. Instead, use cleaners specifically designed for sports floors to ensure safety and longevity.
Improper Ventilation
A well-ventilated facility ensures that moisture levels are controlled. Avoid shutting down ventilation systems for extended periods, as prolonged lack of ventilation can lead to unexpected environmental conditions, which, in turn, can cause the wood to swell or contract. Regular airflow is also essential to maintain the floor’s structural integrity and appearance.
Turn to the Pros
At Sports Floors, Inc., we have the skills and experience to make your gym floors last longer and look better. Although it can be difficult to take on the maintenance challenge yourself, you can turn to our team’s gym floor maintenance program to get free paint touch-ups, board replacements, and base repair during your yearly screening and recoating. If this sounds like the plan for you, call our team to learn more about this program today!