The Crucial Finishing Touch
By Tom Mitchell

One of the most important decisions in completing a church gymnasium project is the type of multi-use flooring to install. There are many options in the marketplace, from wood and carpet to tile and a myriad of synthetic surfaces.

The key criterion to help guide this selection is the variety of activities the space is likely to host. If the primary focus is recreational and the budget is a bit more robust, a maple gym floor may be the best match. A wide array of wood systems is available, ranging from free-floating systems to more costly and complex anchored floors. A controlled environment is necessary if considering any wood floor. Maintenance for wood floors is more involved; to keep a maple floor in top condition, budget around $.30 s.f. annually to screen and recoat the entire floor, and roughly $1.50 s.f. every 10 years to sand and refinish. If you choose a cover for your maple floor, consider a storage space and extra manpower for its deployment, cleaning and recovery.

If usage will be more varied-with frequent activities including street shoes, chairs and tables-other surfaces become more practical than wood. Some consider carpeting; its warmth (aesthetic and functional) and economy made this a popular choice 20 to 30 years ago. Currently, with a heightened emphasis on recreation in these areas, the poor slide characteristics of carpet and hygiene issues related to rug burns have contributed to a decline in carpet applications. Also, if food and beverages are present, cleaning and maintenance become a greater consideration.

Given the concerns and limitations associated with wood and carpet, many synthetic choices emerged in the 70s and 80s. Interlocking tiles grabbed a good piece of the market as an economical way to spruce up a room without worries about environmental controls and extensive slab cleaning and prep, particularly in a retrofit scenario to replace an existing surface. Its "portability" was also a novel claim that, in this type of venue, really did not play out as it would in a university setting. One attractive feature of the interlocking tile, as strong now as ever, is its ability to be placed over slabs with higher moisture levels than with wood or any other synthetic options. The industry norm for acceptable moisture levels in the concrete below flooring is about 3 percent to 5 percent-it can be difficult to achieve that benchmark in some conditions, necessitating a drawn-out waiting period or finding a chemical vapor barrier to block moisture transmission from beneath the slab. Tiles can be a bit "noisy" compared to other options, and, if liquids are spilled, the many seams present a troublesome cleanup challenge.

Other flooring options are found in the wide variety of prefabricated rolled/sheet goods, and numerous poured-in-place urethanes that have captured a wide segment of this marketplace. Prefab floors fall into two main types: rubber and PVC. Rolled products are quite "uniform" in nature (given their complete factory construction), are relatively easy to install, and are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Vulcanized rubber floors can offer a variety of performance layers to enhance shock absorption and longevity. Their PVC counterparts share many similarities but have a plasticizer component that needs to be considered, as they can leech out over time and cause the floor to both shrink and harden. A further drawback to these and other prefab floors is their seams-at first just an aesthetic concern, seams can evolve into maintenance and safety issues. When these surfaces need to be refurbished, they must be removed and disposed of, the slab cleaned and prepped for a new, full thickness prefab replacement.

In the 70s, poured-in-place urethane floors were introduced. Initially made in prefab sheets, the technology quite quickly turned to "in situ" or on-site fabrication, both this system's biggest advantage and its largest potential drawback. For almost 20 years, self-leveling urethanes were poured directly over the concrete substrate; adhesion was the initial property that caught the researcher's eye, and further developments were directed to enhancing elasticity and shock absorption. Given the paradoxical nature of the sport floor industry, in that athletes want optimum "give" and slide underfoot for ankle, knee and hip concerns, while those who care for the surfaces want a product that is impervious to damage, an interesting evolution has taken place, resulting in the advent of pad-and-pour systems in the last 15 years.

Europe has been at the forefront of almost all synthetic sports floor technology, as they lack the maple resources enjoyed in the United States and must satisfy a broad spectrum of sports applications that often can best be met synthetically. The Dutch were the first to employ a recycled rubber performance underlayment as a cushioned platform to pour the self-leveling urethanes over, instead of the much firmer concrete. This also more clearly aligned with "green" initiatives that have become so prevalent in recent construction doctrine. The typical-size gym floor would incorporate almost 500 tires that otherwise would be left to deteriorate in a landfill. The cushioning aspect of this underlayment enabled urethane to be redesigned for greater durability.

After gluing down the rubber underlayment (in a large variety of thicknesses depending upon desired cushioning and budget), the mat is then sealed, followed typically by two self-leveling pours of urethane. A pigmented urethane coating is then roller-applied; game lines and artwork complete the floor installation. Putting a clear maintenance coat over the finished surface has been a point of concern in the past, with worries of the floor becoming too slippery or the protective coating cracking/crazing as its stretch characteristics were different than the floors beneath them. Recent developments, again by Dutch formulators, address these points and afford a better-protected floor, easier to clean on a more routine basis, and with longer warranty.

Seamless construction remains one of the biggest reasons for the popularity of poured urethane along with its ability to be refurbished in 12 to 15 years with an overpour "facelift" at half the cost of the original installation. Concerns mostly involve the reliability of the installation crew that puts everything together with the existing conditions of the facility. Environmental issues remain, as most of the urethane wear coatings are solvent-based and fume issues with VOCs (volatile organic compounds) can be troublesome. New innovations with water-borne coatings make these systems dramatically "greener."

What are some of the general issues to consider in choosing the best floor for a project? And how best to finalize its installation and maintain it? Using lifecycle guidelines to help develop cost-over-time predictions, a properly cared for wood floor should last 60 years with annual rescreening and periodic sand /refinishing. Their synthetic counterparts usually need some refurbishing in 12 to 15 years and will require either total replacement or an overpour at that time.

Maintenance is also a prime concern, given the usual tight budgets and limited manpower. A walk-behind scrubber is a good investment, making the routine cleaning process go more smoothly and, with other attachments, can be used in other areas of a facility. A medium spectrum pad/brush with a good neutral cleaner should help maintain a floor in both appearance and playability.

Regarding color selections and game lines, lighter floor colors, such as beige/tan and lighter grays, are the most frequently selected floor shades as they make the space appear bigger and brighter and match the interior designer's room layout. However, these choices are also harder to clean, given the wide variety of dark-soled sneakers on the market. A good compromise may be a darker accent for high-traffic areas, such as the "key" under backboards and border areas around the main court. Regarding game lines, "less is better" is a good rule; overall floor appearance can become muddled and confusing with too many overlapping game lines.

Regarding site conditions required for proper installation of a new surface:

1. Concrete should be free of any curing compounds or sealers, which could preclude proper adhesion. It should be at least 60 days old and have a flatness of 1/8" in 10 ft. and a moisture level of 3% or below.

2. Permanent power and HVAC systems should be on for two weeks minimum prior to installation.

3. Basketball backboards should be up, and inserts/sleeves for volleyball/tennis should be elevated above the concrete to the floor thickness.

If replacing an existing surface (carpet/VCT), the surface needs to be removed and the slab cleaned of adhesive residue or floor remnants by shotblasting/beadblasting to ensure proper adhesion of the new surface.

Tom Mitchell is the general manager of the Synthetic Division of Action Floor Systems, www.actionfloors.com . He has 20 years of experience in the synthetic gym/multipurpose floor market. Action Floors offers a wide variety of maple floors for the school, church and club market across the United States .

Product Roundup

SnapSports
SnapSports manufactures and provides high-performance gym flooring and premium multi-sports courts. With a complete line of sports components, your facility can update, retrofit, or build a state-of-the-art gym or court. The BounceBack flooring provides the athlete with added cush and lateral movement to absorb shock to the body. The BounceBack flooring has multi-patented design features, including the ShockLock spring back locking system and the multi-tower energy return bottom. The indoor BounceBack is an outstanding performer for:
* Basketball
* Volleyball
* Multi-use activities
www.snapsports.com

Herculan from Action Floor Systems
Action Floor Systems has introduced a water-based, solvent-free top coat in its synthetic polyurethane floor line. Available exclusively in America from Action Floors, Herculan is a high-performance, monolithic, nonporous floor featuring:
* Water-based polyurethane top coat
* Dual, 2-millimeter coats of seamless, self-leveling polyurethane over a sealed rubber base mat
The Herculan dual-durometer floor provides high uniformity of play and is extremely durable, with excellent tear and tensile strength, making it an excellent choice for a variety of applications, from athletic competition to street shoe-friendly and seated events. Floors are available in 16 colors.
www.actionfloors.com

Multi-Play Flooring
For recreation, Multi-Play performs much like a more expensive wood floor would, providing a surface that offers:
* Shock absorption
* Proper traction
* Ideal ball bounce
Multi-Play is a tough multi-use floor that stands up to all the needs of churches that have multiple demands on them. Installation is so quick and easy that many customers choose to do it themselves. Multi-Play can also be used as temporary flooring for those times when you want a more resilient flooring to conduct recreational activities.
www.multiplayfloor.com

Rubberflex Speckled "S" from Centaur
Rubberflex Speckled "S" flooring from Centaur:
* Is made from recycled rubber
* Was created to provide an economical rubber flooring alternative to existing fleck or chip colored floor tiles
* Is specially engineered to provide the cushioned resilience lacking in most vulcanized raised and studded rubber floors
Test results show that Speckled "S" not only exceeds ADA guidelines for slip-resistance, but ranks the highest in the flooring industry.
www.centaurfloors.com

No Fault Sport Floor
No Fault Sport Floor is an effective and ideal choice as a surface in your recreational facility and is available in a variety of applications. It can adjust to meet the specific conditions of your facility. It is:
* Resilient
* Durable
* Easy to maintain
No Fault Sport Floor is available in a variety of colors and is simple to install, helping you achieve the custom look you desire. It comes in 4-foot-wide rolls and custom-cut lengths or in inter-locking Zig Zag Tiles.
www.nofault.com

Taraflex Sport M Plus
Taraflex Sport M Plus by Gerflor is designed for athletic activities with versatility and durability built in.
* Its 35% shock absorption rate eases impacts
* Its Triple Action Protecsol surface treatment reduces friction burn risk
Players will appreciate the accurate ball bounce and correct acceleration and sliding and pivoting movements. Triple Action Protecsol keeps maintenance to a minimum because it resists food stains and scuff marks. The floor cleans quickly with daily damp mopping and an occasional automatic scrubbing.
www.gerflortaraflex.com