Sport flooring

Flooring plays a role in fitness areas by providing solutions to different stages of athletic performance, from fun and leisurely activities to more stringent competition-level sports.  

Specifying the product ranges that comply with the safety of the athlete, comfort underfoot and enhancing the athletic performance is fundamental. Indoor sports flooring ranges from vinyl to linoleum and rubber surfaces. 

Standards for a multi-purpose sporting facility 

A multi-purpose sports hall is used overwhelmingly for purely sporting purposes. Its floor covering must therefore comply with the requirements of the sports standard EN14904 with a minimum shock absorption of 25% for the safety of athletes.  

However, this type of facility, especially in schools, is also likely to host non-sporting events (elections, conventions, association meetings, etc.). The floor covering must therefore also be adapted to multi-use requirements. 

Defining multi-use levels 

The Multi-use Index is based on two main criteria – resistance to both static and rolling loads. 

Sport flooring

Credit: Tarkett

Determining elasticity 

Depending on how it responds to an athlete, a sports floor can be classified based on its elasticity. The most common types of elasticity are area-elastic or point-elastic.  

The key difference relates to the relative area of deflection when a downward force is applied to the surface. 

An area-elastic floor disperses energy over a wide surface area, while a point-elastic sports floor reacts in a more localised area. A combination flooring system combines the properties of both area-elastic and point-elastic flooring.

Sport flooring 

Area-elastic 

Area-elastic flooring is almost synonymous with wood flooring systems. Wood sports flooring typically consists of a solid surface with shock-absorbing pads underneath.  

Since hardwood surfaces are not as pliant as other materials, vertical deformation occurs over a large area when a force is applied, dispersing energy farther across the surface. With area-elastic flooring, a larger area of the surface is engaged in returning energy to the athlete.  

However, an inherent property of area-elastic floors is a dissimilar performance over the entire surface. This is due to an unavoidable lack of uniformity in the placement of shock pads, sleepers and other subfloor supports. 

Point-elastic 

Resilient sports flooring such as vinyl, rubber, polyurethane and linoleum represent point-elastic flooring systems. These gym flooring options have a uniform performance across the whole playing surface.  

This means that every location on the floor will have almost identical shock absorption, ball rebound and vertical deformation. Also, the area of deformation on point-elastic flooring is much smaller than area-elastic systems.  

One benefit of this is that the surrounding areas of the floor remain relatively unchanged by activity in a particular area. In essence, a point-elastic floor interacts with each athlete on an individual basis. 

Combi-elastic 

Combi-elastic systems, also called combination systems, consist of an area-elastic substructure with a point-elastic resilient surface. By engaging both types of elasticity, they respond to impact both locally and across the wider surface area.  

As a result of this dual response, combination systems are widely regarded as one of the best sports flooring options in terms of comfort and safety. Combination systems also provide a high degree of uniformity and are typically ranked in the higher classes of shock absorption. 

Indoor sport surface standards 

Sport flooring

The EN 14904 standard refers to indoor multi-sports surfaces.  

It specifies certain requirements for sports flooring to guarantee a safe and adapted surface for sports performance and comfort, as well as a durable and resistant flooring throughout its lifespan. 

Indoor sport surface standards 

Sport flooring

Installation tips 

Subject to the type of sports flooring selected, these general rules apply:  

  • As with all types of flooring, the substrate should be clean, dry and level. 
  • Moisture levels within the substrate should not exceed the flooring manufacturer’s recommendations. 
  • Some types of sports flooring need to acclimatise in the space prior to installation.  

Maintenance 

The maintenance of sports flooring starts with having players wear appropriate shoes with white soles dedicated to indoor sports practise.  

Doormats at the entrance of the gymnasium or sports facility are recommended to assist with trapping dirt, dust, gravel and moisture. 

Daily cleaning includes removing dust and gravel by sweeping or vacuum cleaning. Spills should be wiped up quickly before they have time to set. When required, periodic machine cleaning can be done with an automatic scrubber machine fitted out with white, soft brushes or pads. 

 

This overview on indoor sports flooring includes defining elasticity, the relevant standards, installation tips and maintenance.  

 

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to https://fisa.co.za/, https://professionals.tarkett.com/ and https://www.tarkettsportsindoor.com/ for the information in this article. 

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