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How to Select a Sports Floor?

SPECIALTY FLOORS- Qualifications for Consulting
Steve Frailey- Specialty Floor owner has 25 year’s resilient flooring specialist.  I was trained initially by Armstrong, and then  spent 17 years with Tarkett Commercial Floors, the last 7 years as National Sales Manager.  For the last sixteen years I have teamed up with Gerflor Commercial Flooring & Taraflex sports flooring.  I have specified and supplied over 900 gym floors in my area of MO, KS, Southern IL, along with NE, and IA.  
  • Outline for selecting your sports floor

Make a list of the uses you wish for your facility.  Ex. Basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, meetings, assemblies, banquets, etc.

Today most groups adding sports needs that court to be more than just a sports hall.

  • Prioritize your uses

Ex. 5 days will be used for sports play- basketball, volleyball, etc along with aerobics/fitnessExpectation is for up to 3 nights to host meetings, assemblies, possible rent out for parties/reunions/celebration

  • Research alternatives

High quality sports play

Multipurpose sports floors

  • Consider total costs
    ( Yearly maintenance cost can make a large total cost difference )

  • All floors will still require cleaning and dust mopping

    • Synthetic floors, rubber floors, poured in place floors, and interlock floors can be cleaned with auto scrubbers- one step process clean, rinse, and wet vac

    • Hardwood floors should never allow auto scrubbers for cleaning- damp mopping and dust mop only
       

  • Hardwood flooring requires annual screening and urethane coating costing $1.00-$1.50 per square foot depending on your local market
     

  • Hardwood flooring will require a full refinish every 4-7 years depending on use, and an additional $3-$4.00 per square foot should be budgeted

    • Hardwood should not be used for multipurpose events-sport play only, unless you budget refinishing every 2 years again adding $3-$4.00 per square foot)
       

  • Interlock, poured in place, and rubber sheet flooring will also require similar cost of cleaning and rinsing
     

  • Synthetic floors without a specific commercial performance baked in urethane similar to Taraflex Protecsol® will require semi-annual waxing and stripping adding an additional $1.50 per square foot in addition to cleaning cost

  • Determine which products make sense for your project and conduct a Field trip to view
    ( Contact manufacturers to find location of installations in or near your market.  Look for not only new installations but also installations at least 3 years old to determine longevity and real maintenance requirements )

  • If manufacturer doesn’t have local installations or local installation crews available, we suggest you drop him from your list (simply too risky) why doesn’t he have installations?

    • Remember, don’t expect for you or your committee to have the background to find some new source of flooring that no one else is using- you want established products with recognizable quality references- this decision is too major to become someone’s guinea pig.

  • Observe and also ask questions on your field trip

  • How does it look?  Will it provide the image you wish to portray?

  • How well does this product play for sports you intend to play?

  • How do you maintain the floor and how often?

  • What equipment and chemicals are necessary to maintain floor?

  • Can it handle hosting multipurpose events, if needed?

  • Determine the best value for your project

  • You have educated yourself on what is available, and researched reference installations to determine both the image and cleaning and maintenance upkeep requirements.  You understand the budgeted costs necessary for each.  At this stage it becomes rather clear which product is the correct product for your facility?

  • Get hard bid for your project with details that you have selected

  • Court sizes and colors- field, border, circles, etc.

  • Any special custom logo’s that you want added

  • Game lines required- basketball, volleyball, etc. and colors for game lines

  • Are bids within expected budget?
    ( If so approve and begin enjoying your new facility.  If not determine why and make adjustments- different product or fewer add ons )
Specialty Floors is an independent Sales Agency specializing in sports and recreation flooring.  Thanks to our past successes we have developed the results to attract the best sports floors available world wide.  We encourage comparison of the products we represent vs. any other sports or recreation flooring.  We know sports floors, and if we don't have the correct product for your installation we have the contacts to direct you to excellent  products that we do not represent.  I can be emailed at our web site: steve@spflooring.com  call our Kansas City, MO office at: 816-587-0011.  Thanks for your interest in our products and web site.  We look forward to workng with you on your project.
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