With the proper care and maintenance schedule, gymnasium flooring can last for years, even with all the heavy-treading it has to withstand day in, day out. And it’s precisely because this kind of flooring receives such rough treatment that you need to make sure you take care of it appropriately.
Remember that wood is a naturally porous material and as such, absorbs and releases moisture. If the humidity levels in your building rise, then the floor will absorb this extra moisture – and expand as a result. And by the same token, if the humidity levels drop, this moisture will be released, so the flooring will shrink.
If this is a particular concern of yours, you might be wise to make sure that your flooring installation includes expansion voids throughout as these will allow for natural expansion and contraction without causing any damage to the floor.
Abnormal expansion because of excessive moisture could result in buckling or cupping, while if the conditions are too dry, your wooden floor will contract and you’ll be left with gaps between the strips.
How to clean your gym floor
Make sure that your flooring is swept each day using a dust mop so it’s kept free from anything abrasive like dust or grit. Water must be kept away from the surface at all times so pay particular attention to this during the wetter months of the year. Any spills and messes must be cleaned up immediately.
When it comes to protecting the floor, always follow the manufacturer’s advice and specifications. Find out what kind of finish your flooring has and make sure you remove any marks that appear using a cleaner that’s compatible with the finish in question.
It’s likely that your wooden floor will need to have a new coat of finish applied each year, known as a screen and recoat. The finish is an important part of your floor because it serves to protect the paint from being chipped and damaged.
There will likely come a time when your flooring will need to be resanded, where the finish, paint and seal are all removed before being reapplied. If you want to make any changes to the floor, whether that’s adding your gym logo or something similar, now’s the time to get this done.
Here at Mitchell Flooring, we specialise in sports line marking for health clubs, gyms, universities and more, as well as floor sanding and pitch line marking. We’re also able to refurbish sports floors, so no matter what kind of job you have in mind, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
We cover the whole of the UK and no job is too big or too small, so give our friendly and professional team a call today to find out more about what we could do for you.