The maintenance of gym floors in commercial establishments and sports floors in homes can be a challenge for some. It is because these floors have to be treated delicately, as they are different from tiles, concrete, epoxy, and other materials. There are simple ways to keep your sports floors looking like new for a long period of time. Start by following the tips below:
- Never use water to clean sports floors.
Contrary to popular belief, water is the worst enemy of wooden sports floors. As a matter of fact, you have to keep water and moisture off the surface at all times. There are special compounds used to clean sports floors. Use either of them to remove marks, stains, and stubborn dirt from the floor. Consult with the manufacturer to know which brand they recommend.
- Mop at least once a day.
Mopping removes loose debris and sandy grit that could otherwise scratch your floor. It will also give you that squeaky clean effect. Use a dedicated dust mop for your sports floor. If you must do some sweeping, you can only use a soft bristled push broom with its head wrapped in a towel. Both the towel and mop heads should regularly be changed to avoid streaking.
- Keep temperature, humidity, and ventilation at optimum.
Your HVAC equipment should be working all day and all year long if you want your floor to look new at all times. PioneerBrite said, “To ensure that the floor is in its tip-top shape, the room temperature should be between 55 to 80 degrees.” As for humidity, it should be anywhere from 35% to 50%. If the humidity falls below that range, the floor would become dry and eventually shrink. If it rises above 50%, the wood will expand. This is how delicate a wood sports floor could be. It has to be kept in the best conditions at all times.
Do’s
- Immediately wipe any kind of spill or moisture on the floor.
- Use a plastic putty knife to remove stubborn dirt.
- Always follow the floor manufacturer’s specifications when protecting or adding finish.
- Clean walk-off mats daily to effectively trap dirt, grit, and moisture.
Don’ts
- Never use auto or power scrubbers.
- Never use regular household cleaning products.
- Never use tape on a maple wood sports floor.
Other Maintenance Processes
There are some processes that have to be done on the floor as part of its maintenance. These are not done daily, but for much longer intervals. Nonetheless, they are done regularly and as meticulously as possible.
Painting and Striping
Since tape is strongly prohibited on sports floor, the use of paint to add borders or even put a sports logo is done instead. There are permanent and temporary floor paints available, which you can use depending on your needs. Be sure to check with the installer or manufacturer of your flooring system which brand they recommend.
Screening and Recoating
These two processes should be done annually, if the sports floors are used heavily. Otherwise, bi-annual screening and recoating is sufficient. Screening pertains to roughing up the top layer of the floor using a steel wool or screening disk. On the other hand, recoating is the process of adding new finishing to the floor to make them look shiny and feel sticky to the shoes for proper traction.
Sanding
If you need to redo the look or design of your sports floor, the paints and the game lines on it can be removed through sanding. Sanding should be done every eight years or so. Doing so gives your floor a brand new look. Also, the perfect time to repair or replace damaged subfloors or boards is after sanding it.
These tips and tricks in keeping your wood sports floor in its best condition should be followed to a tee so you can do away with the high costs of repair. Your wood flooring manufacturer could give you added details about the proper maintenance of their product. You may also check out this very informative guide on finishing and maintaining timber floors. Follow them methodically to keep your floor shiny and squeaky for a very long time.
