What is the Best Gym Floor

When selecting a gym floor, one of the top deciding factors in determining what is the best gym floor is usage.  A surface designed for basketball is not appropriate for weight lifting.  We encourage clients to look at both primary and secondary usage of the gym.  Will the floor meet all the various needs?  If not, is there another option that will?  Or, is it worth it to modify the usage?

This chart shows how various types of floors can be used.  Of course you can deviate from these usage recommendations.  But, you will sacrifice performance.  You may also increase injury risks and reduce the lifespan of the surface.

After determining usage, then you need to find a floor that provides performance characteristics to meet this usage.  The floor in a boxing ring needs to perform differently than the floor on a volleyball court.  Performance may include things such as ball bounce, sound absorption, surface traction, cushion, and shock absorption.

In addition to how a gym floor performs for sports, you should also consider non-sports performance.  For instance, your facility may hosts events, banquets, meetings, or other activities unrelated to sports.  Will the floor you choose be suitable and perform well for these other activities?

Sports like basketball require a floor that provides good area elastic shock absorption.  So, what is the best gym floor for basketball, is not the best gym floor for yoga or weight lifting.  For instance, dropping a 45 pound weight on a suspended hardwood floor, will leave a very expensive hole.  Hardwood floors are not designed to absorb this type of impact.  And, neither is Sport Court® gym flooring.  But, drop this same weight on 1/2 inch thick rubber or cushioned vinyl and everything is just fine.  This is because rubber and cushioned vinyl provide point elasticity.  This makes them good options for weight rooms.  But, they do not provide area elastic shock or lateral shock absorption.  So, they’re no good for basketball.

Matching the shock absorption of the activity to the type of flooring installed does 3 things.  First, this helps protect the people who are using the floor.  Second, it ensures that the floor will not be damaged.  Lastly, it prevents the gym equipment from being damaged.

For most court based activities, you want good traction.  But, too much traction is a bad thing.  Floors with too much grip cause countless injuries every year.  Take volleyball for instance.  When a player is on their feet, they need good traction.  However, when they dive to get a low ball, they need to slide, at least a little bit.  If the gym floor has too much grip, then a player diving for a ball will stop too abruptly and get hurt.  These same rules apply to basketball.

Urethane coated hardwood floors and Sport Court® gym flooring provide ideal traction and slide.  Both of these surfaces provide a perfect grip for athletic shoes, but allow skins and clothing to slide enough to reduce injuries.  On the other hand, cushioned vinyl provides far too much grip.  Players stop too abruptly on this type of surface.  And, hard vinyl is the exact opposite.  Hard vinyl, such as VCT, is simply too slippery for any sport.

Every floor requires ongoing maintenance.  This may be as simple as daily cleaning.  But, it can be as complex as refinishing.  For instance, a carpeted yoga studio should be frequently shampooed or steam cleaned.  This is time consuming and will require an extended shut down as the carpet dries.  Surfaces like Sport Court® gym flooring and cushioned vinyl should be cleaned with an automatic floor scrubber.  Rubber floors are porous and required periodic sealant application.  Wood floors require annual urethane top coating.  Yes, every floor requires some maintenance.

Patching a section of damaged flooring can me a monumental task.  But, if your floor is rubber tiles, carpet tiles, or Sport Court® then replacing a single piece or a larger section is super simple.  On the other hand, wood and cushioned vinyl floors can only be patched by a professional.

Every floor requires ongoing maintenance.  This may be as simple as daily cleaning.  But, it can be as complex as refinishing.  For instance, a carpeted yoga studio should be frequently shampooed or steam cleaned.  This is time consuming and will require an extended shut down as the carpet dries.  Surfaces like Sport Court® gym flooring and cushioned vinyl should be cleaned with an automatic floor scrubber.  Rubber floors are porous and required periodic sealant application.  Wood floors require annual urethane top coating.  Yes, every floor requires some maintenance.

Patching a section of damaged flooring can me a monumental task.  But, if your floor is rubber tiles, carpet tiles, or Sport Court® then replacing a single piece or a larger section is super simple.  On the other hand, wood and cushioned vinyl floors can only be patched by a professional.

What is the best gym floor for a dry location may not be suitable for a damp location.  For instance, if your gym is in a basement, where moisture problems are a concern, then wood flooring is a poor choice.  Indeed, wet concrete will also cause glued down vinyl floors to fail.  And, nobody wants the mold issues that come with wet carpet.

When thinking about location, you should also consider traffic.  If your gym connects other spaces together, then traffic through your gym may be higher.  Of course the type of traffic is a determining factor.  In general most street shoes are ok on most floors.  But, some black soled dress shoes easily scuff gym flooring.  And, women’s stiletto heels are well known to damage many types of flooring.

Most flooring products are designed for a climate controlled space.  What is the best gym floor for a dry environment may not be suitable for a humid environment.  Temperature is also a factor.  Flooring, as with all building products, expands and contracts with temperature changes.  Will your gym always be climate controlled?  Then hardwood will be just fine.  But, if your gym is hot and humid, then wood is a poor choice.

Climate also includes the outdoor environment.  Consider a dry dusty environment such as Phoenix.  Airborne dust is blown in and surface dust in tracked in.  Dust is abrasive to all types of flooring, including carpet.  Or, what about a wet environment such as Seattle or Florida?  Rain water may be tracked in on wet shoes.  Will this water harm your gym floor?

As we made clear at the beginning, we think Sport Court® gym flooring is a great choice.  However, it’s not right for everything.  Ultimately, you have to decide what’s important.  Usage and performance go together like hand and glove.  For us, these two items along with safety, top our list in terms of importance.  (Click here to learn more about gym floor safety.)  Next, we look at costs, maintenance, life cycle costs.  Can you afford the up front costs, maintenance costs, removal/disposal costs, and replacement costs?  Lastly, will the floor you want be suitable for where you want to put it?

If you’d like to know if Sport Court® gym flooring will meet all your needs, please click here to review the benefits it provides.

To learn more about Sport Court® gym flooring or to get our expert assistance laying out your gym, please contact South Texas Sport Court.