• Advice • December 7th, 2022
A well-maintained gym floor is one of the most important features of your gym facility, keeping athletes safe and secure while they develop their skills. With years of consistent heavy use, every gym floor will start to fade and suffer damage. While daily maintenance is essential for keeping floors in tip-top condition, at some stage you’ll have to consider whether it’s time for a refurbishment or if a new floor is the best solution.
In this article, we’ll help you decide whether you should replace or refurbish your gym floor, and discuss the options available.
The best way to assess the condition of your floor is by getting a professional survey. It will assess the type of floor that’s currently installed, alongside the building conditions and how suitable they are for maintaining the floor. Moisture levels in older buildings are often one of the leading reasons floors become damaged more quickly!
Once you have this information, you can deal with the floor itself.
There are some key things we assess when surveying any gym floor:
Is it fundamentally performing well but looks a little old and tired?
Are the court markings still prominent or are they faded?
Is the floor too slippery or unsafe?
Is the ball return still even, or are there “dead “spots on the floor?
Is the floor still sound, has it collapsed, or does it demonstrate excessive movement?
Does your floor feel comfortable?
Is the floor adhering to current national standards and guidelines?
If after the survey it’s found that your floor is still in good condition, there are some things that you can do to help improve it and extend its lifespan. This will save you money in the long term.
Sometimes something as simple as a change in cleaning regimen can cause a huge upturn in the performance of the sports floor, and this of course an affordable option that will help prevent further damage. Changing your cleaning products can have a big impact, you can read our cleaning guidelines on our blog here.
Refurbishment is recommended when there are obvious areas on your floor that need repair or the overall condition could be enhanced, ultimately extending the lifespan of the floor. It’s a great way to enhance performance and give your facility a new lease of life.
Before deciding, here are some things to consider:
Cost
Value for money
Downtime whilst works are completed
Lifecycle of the floor after work has been completed
Performance of floor
Ongoing ease of maintenance
The type of refurbishment that we recommend depends on the type of flooring - each material has different needs. No two floors are the same, and the work carried out should be tailored to your needs.
Some floors are perfect for refurbishment, such as Polyurethane flooring. This can be returned to an as-new condition and the flooring can even be given a new colour scheme.
Timber floors can also be treated by sanding and sealing - but remember each time the floor is sanded it reduces the amount of life left within the floor. Other floors don’t lend themselves to a full refurbishment, but even sheet products like vinyl and lino can be deep cleaned and repainted to look better.
There’s always an option if your floor needs a refresh. At Reflex Sports our specialists are experts at replacing areas of damage in carrying out repairs to all types of surfaces, including sanding and re-lacquering.
If the survey finds that your floor is unsatisfactory, and you’ve explored all the options for refurbishment to improve it and extend its lifespan, then a full replacement will be the final option.
As a sporting facility, it’s essential that your floor meets the official Health and Safety standards. We have many years of experience in designing and fitting the best floor to suit many different requirements.
Contact us today for a gym floor survey and consultation.
Our surveys are free of charge and you’re under no obligation to use our services afterwards. We’ll help you understand the floor in your facility better, and give you expert advice on the options available for your particular circumstances.