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Feature: Flooring for Every Area of Your Facility
November 15, 2010
For each area of your fitness center, you need to consider what type of flooring would be most appropriate for the activity, for safety, for aesthetics and for your budget.
Whether you're planning a new fitness center, or remodeling an older one, choices bombard you from every angle. Walls, doors, windows, furniture, cardio machines, weights, pool chemicals, HVAC--it's all important. Flooring may end up on the bottom of your priority list simply because you don't look at it very often. But, choosing the right flooring is just as important as choosing the proper equipment.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS--
Your initial considerations when choosing flooring are functionality, durability, safety and costs. You want to make sure that you get the biggest bang for your buck and that your members are safe and injury-free.
CONSIDERATIONS--ROOM by ROOM
Each area of your fitness center has unique requirements for example:
ENTRY/HALLWAYS:
Entryways and hallways receive heavy traffic, so you want a product that is durable, slip proof and easy to maintain. At Centaur we offer you alternatives such as a low-cost SPORT WEAVE. A polypropylene "carpet tile"- that is water proof, stain resistant, anti-microbial, and will not zipper or snag. A mid-price FLOORWORKS PLANK & TILE. These products simulate real wood and tile yet are made of vinyl. Can be treated to be slip and stain proof and offer you a "WOW" look at a very reasonable cost.
GYMNASIUM:
Almost all gymnasiums have wood performance floors in order to be true to the specific sports being played such as basketball, volleyball, etc. We recommend BOFLEX. The ultimate wood sport floor system. Boflex is an engineered system with a top layer of Maple, Ash, or Oak hardwoods. Boflex is a floating floor featuring 6-layers of urethane assembled utilizing a double tongue and grooved glue pattern. The underside of Boflex features built-in resilient foam- Evazoate- both in horizontal and vertical channels so that the floor will never bottom out. Looking for a more economical solution for your gymnasium? How about our G-COURT simulated wood system. A vinyl, anti-microbial top surface with a foam backing comes in wood grains or color alternatives.
WEIGHT ROOMS:
Rubber sports flooring is the industry standard. Don't shortchange this area, however, as it receives the most abuse from equipment and users. I suggest you consider (3) product offerings from Centaur. The most economical product is our RUBBERFLEX S 4' wide recycled sheet good. Comes in all black or percentages of color fleck. You may also want to consider our RUBBERFLEX ELITE tiles which come in all black or various colors and are 24" x 24" x 1". Elite features optimum durability and performance and can be loose laid or doweled for portability or adhered with adhesive for permanent construction. Additionally you may consider our DECORA, DECORA S OR ECOFLOR tile products that feature optimum durability, functionality and design capabilities. In the free weight area I also suggest that you strongly consider running flooring products such as Rubberflex S at least 18 inches up the walls to protect against dumbbells and bars.
CARDIO ROOMS:
Similar floor covering options for the cardio equipment room are available as noted above in the Weight Room with one strong additional consideration and that being SPORT WEAVE. As described earlier for entry areas and hallways, Sport Weave is a great option within your cardio equipment room as it offers the warmth of a carpet with the durability of rubber.
GROUP X/ STUDIO/PILATES/YOGA:
Again at Centaur we would recommend either BOFLEX suspended wood floor or our G-COURT sheet vinyl with foam cushioning. Both these products offer shock absorption benefits, durability and are visually pleasing.
LOCKER ROOMS/ WET AREAS:
At Centaur we recommend our BOLON product. Fully recyclable, naturally anti-microbial, woven textile flooring made from vinyl with 2% polyester fiberglass mesh. Available in either a tile or sheet good. Surpasses all testing requirements for Safety, Performance, and Durability.
CHILDCARE:
We would reference you to consider SPORT WEAVE; BOLON or RUBBERFLEX S depending upon age of user and activity.
AESTHETICS:
Designs, textures and colors should be unified throughout the facility; but, they do not have to be an exact match. You have the option to go with trendy design schemes or more classic, neutral tones. Trendy is great if you have the budget to do frequent remodels. Classic looks are more palatable and cost efficient over the long run.
REPLACING FLOORS:
How often you end up replacing your facility's flooring depends mostly upon your maintenance and specific flooring type. Even with proper maintenance when you start to see wear marks, stains, or the product lifting from the substrate; it's time to think about replacement.
THE ATTENTION FLOORS DESERVE:
Floors take a lot of abuse, and they deserve attention when planning and maintaining your facility. If you map out each room's unique flooring requirements, and match those with appropriate cost, safety, durability, environmental and aesthetic consideration, you will end up with beautiful floors that last.
When considering your next floor covering purchase please contact Centaur Floor Systems!
In This Issue
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Featured Article: Flooring for Every Area of Your Facility
For each area of your fitness center, you need to consider what type of flooring would be most appropriate ....more.
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