Out of all of the different types of floors, sports floors are perhaps the most heavily used and abused. To maintain the integrity and appearance of these floors, you have to consistently take care of them. If you’ve recently installed or refinished a gym floor, make sure your clients know what’s in store for maintenance in order to set them up for success in between recoats. A great idea is to leave them with some maintenance guidelines to follow. If you need a head start, here are some general guidelines to follow in order to properly maintain a sports floor.
Daily Maintenance of a Sports Floor
In most cases, we recommend dry dust mopping and wet tacking the floors on a daily basis.
Dry dust mopping with a mop like this will help to minimize the risk of finish scratches. Remove any debris you find along the way, and make sure to slightly overlap each pass.
Then, wet tack the floor with a mop and a cleaning solution that is compatible with the finish on the floor. Again, overlap slightly on each pass.
To prevent dirt, debris, and moisture from being tracked in from outside and damaging the finish, make sure there are ample door mats at all entryways. This is especially crucial during the wintertime and during rainy seasons. Promptly mop up and dry any spills that occur.
Maintain indoor relative humidity at proper levels for the flooring, usually 35-50%––check your flooring manufacturer’s instructions for exact guidelines. Make sure that the HVAC system in the facility is not shut down for an extended period of time, which might cause the floors to expand or contract beyond an acceptable level and thus compromise the integrity of the flooring.
Weekly Maintenance of a Sports Floor
On a weekly basis, we recommend autoscrubbing the floors with a piece of equipment like the NaceCare TT1120. The TT1120 will save you a lot of time and effort in maintaining a sports floor. You can very easily remove any black marks or skid marks on the floor with the TT1120, and then easily dry the floors with the built-in squeegee and vacuum to prevent any standing water from remaining on the floor.
There are a few unique features of the NaceCare TT1120 in particular. One unique feature is that it has a 20” head on a stainless steel chassis to prevent corrosion. Another unique feature is that it has a corded, electric motor as opposed to a battery, which significantly reduces the weight of the unit and makes it more portable. Because it’s not battery-operated, you also don’t have to worry about the machine dying in the middle of scrubbing the floor. The way in which it breaks down makes the TT1120 not only easy to use, but also easy to disassemble and easy to transport.
Note that while the autoscrubber can be used during the finishing process, we typically do not recommend autoscrubbing a newly installed gym floor prior to the first annual recoat.
In conclusion…
Consistently cleaning a sports floor is crucial for maintaining its appearance in between recoats.
If you’re not the one responsible for maintaining the gym floors you’ve installed and/or recoated, make sure your clients and their maintenance staff understand what’s involved to keep the integrity of your floors. Consider developing a simple maintenance guide to leave with them.
The number one key to maintaining a sports floor is to consistently clean it. Develop a cleaning routine that involves daily and weekly tasks, and make sure to maintain the relative humidity of the environment at acceptable levels year-round. This is key to making sure that your beautifully refinished floors last as long as possible!
