Protecting your gym floor is one of the most pressing tasks on your to-do list if you’re the owner of a gym, athletic facility, or studio, and for good reasons. With proper care, a well-maintained gym floor could last up to 75 years – that’s almost a full lifetime!
Part of the maintenance includes taking care of the floor’s finish. This job can include daily, weekly, and yearly care routines and preventative maintenance to keep the home court looking its best. If you’ve just installed a gym floor, follow these steps for preventing peeling and chipping finish so your floor will last a lifetime.
What causes finishes to peel or chip?
By and large, it is a facility’s climate that causes cracks in a floor’s finish – or, more precisely, frequent changes in this climate. Temperature and humidity play major roles in how well a court holds up over time. This is due to the fact that changes in a facility’s environment can cause the floor to expand with warmer, more humid conditions and contract with colder, drier conditions.
As the floor expands and contracts, fractures in the finish may begin to appear. The more often, more drastic, and more quickly the facility’s climate changes, the more apparent these fractures become. Over time, your beautifully finished gym floor could look like a cracked mess! That is unless you follow the correct preventative measures.
Fortunately, a well-constructed maple floor will adapt to its facility’s humidity level and temperature as time goes on. However, your gym floor is at the highest risk level for chipping and peeling during the first two years after its installation.
Limit Climate Fluctuations
To get to the root of the problem, Sports Floors, Inc. recommends doing everything possible to stabilize the humidity and temperature in your sports facility. According to the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association, gym floors can withstand a 15% fluctuation without issue, but it’s important to keep the humidity level between 35-50% and the temperature between 55-75 degrees.
If your facility lacks the equipment needed to maintain these levels, try using venting fans to improve the air circulation in your building. You can also try talking with the company that controls the building temperatures about installing a hygrometer. This tool helps record atmospheric levels and will help you stabilize your facility’s environment and protect your sports floor.
Don’t Use Tape!
One quick way to prevent chipping and peeling? Never. Use. Tape. Tape is the number one enemy of a finished wood floor. Although most chipping or peeling is caused by fluctuations in temperature and humidity, tape is a huge contributor to cracked gym floors. The materials used in adhesives react poorly to the floor’s finish, which can be devastating to your home court.
Trust Your Gym to the Experts at Sports Floors, Inc.!
At Sports Floors, Inc., our team is dedicated to providing you with the highest quality maple floors, maintenance, and repair possible. We’ve worked with hundreds of schools and facilities across the south, and we’re here to help you with any questions you have about floor maintenance.
If you’re ready to get the crowd pumped with a new sports floor, call our team in Memphis today!