In 2016 we were invited to give pricing to install a gym floor at the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels. The gym served as a multi-purpose room for anything and everything where a large indoor space was required. This included banquets, game nights, craft events, and of course sports. The carpeted floor was not an ideal surface and was hard to keep clean. The carpet also showed wear in several areas. This was especially bad at one end of the gym where large doors left a wheel pattern. The timing wasn’t right 2016, but the church kept us in mind and an opportunity for a flooring upgrade came 5 years later.
First Baptist Church of New Braunfels
733 Cross Street
New Braunfels, TX 78130
830-625-9124
Website
The Flood
The winter freeze of 2021 caused plumbing pipes to burst. Water gushed out of the broken pipes as the ice melted and water once again began to flow. The gym at First Baptist Church of New Braunfels filled with water. And, this was no minor leak. Flooring, lower wall sections, and anything near ground level was ruined. Replacing the floor in the gym now became a necessity.
Not Just Flooring Damage
The walls were carpeted up to about 8’ high. This water logged carpet and the plywood behind it had to go. With so much reconstruction to be done, the church opted to make some other upgrades. These included new doors for the large closets and the addition of wall pads. Spray foam insulation was added to the ceiling. The HVAC system was updated and everything got a fresh coat of paint.
New Wall Pads
First Baptist Church of New Braunfels chose navy wall pads. These would cover every wall to about 6’-6” high. The first step in hanging the new pads was to add furring strips. These are 1×2’s and 1×3’s that are anchored to the studs. The furring strips run horizontally at the top, middle, and bottom of the pads. We used a laser level to make sure the furring strips were level on every wall. Once the furring strips were up, the new wall pads could be attached. For the pads which did not require any modifications, this was a quick process. However, over 50 pads had to be modified. And, these modifications were slow work.
Sport Court® Gym Flooring
The new gym floor was the final step and the crowning jewel of this project. The church chose Sport Court® Response high gloss Maple Select gym flooring for the court. The lanes and space outside the court were accented with high gloss Deep Blue Maple. Stripes were painted for basketball and volleyball.
The large storage closets at the end of the gym were not initially going to have Sport Court® flooring. But, as the rest of the floor was being laid, the church decided to extend the floor into the closets. We were able to provide some older surplus flooring for these areas.
“We really like the floor and it is getting a ton of use.”
Dr. Brad McLean, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of New BraunfelsOther Details
As part of the installation process, we also installed cove molding and transition strips at doorways. The cove molding we use has a wide 2” toe. This is pretty common in gymnasiums as large floors need some room to expand and contract. The 2” toe covers the gaps we leave between the edge of the floor and the wall.
We provided new nets and backboard pads for the basketball goals. This really gave the goals a fresh new look to better match the rest of the gym.
Honorable Mention
Catastrophes such as a floods often require extraordinary work to rehabilitate. At the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, the person who did the extraordinary was Facility Manager LJ Husemann. LJ worked long days and many weekends as he oversaw and participated in the reconstruction. We never heard him complain about the hours or the workload. Indeed, LJ was great to work with throughout the project.
