Taking Care Of Gym Hardwood Floor

The classic hardwood gymnasium has been a standard in the american high school for decades.

Taking care of gym hardwood floor.

Daily care for everyday care of your wood floor use a dry dust mop to keep your floor clean. Bleachers chairs podiums etc. Another way to tell is to wipe the floor with a rag dampened with mineral spirits. It s the major obstacle for any gym floor.

Routine cleaning involves sweeping dust mopping or vacuuming using the bare floor setting to remove dust and dirt. Although the materials used can hold up to the most aggressive of sports care and maintenance is required to ensure long life. Once the last coat of finish is on your floor the gym must remain empty until the finish is dry. Too much humidity and not enough can cause floor boards to expand and contract.

Clean spills immediately with a dry or slightly damp cloth. The gym floor is the focal point for any school. However you must wait 7 10 days before any rolling loads can go on the floor i e. Mats should be located at facility entranceways as well as entrances to the gym creating as many opportunities as possible to trap dirt before it gets anywhere near the hardwood.

To find out drip some water onto the floor. Dust mopping should be done once a day but floors that are used heavily can be dust mopped up to three times per day. If the floor is waxed the cloth will develop a waxy feel. Daily dusting is your best line of defensive against scratches and surface damage.

If the water beads and stays on top of the floor it s probably polyurethane. After 72 hours foot traffic is allowed on the floor. This happens in two phases. You have to be prepared to take steps to maintain it properly says ficks who recommends a daily dust mopping and regular cleaning with a solution recommended by the finish manufacturer.

Don t use wet mops or steam mops which will damage the finish and the wood over long periods of time. If it soaks in after a few minutes the floor is probably coated with wax. If your floors are maple hardwood it is important to keep the humidity of your gymnasium around 30 50. Always protect your floors with proper mats or plywood boards before rolling out any bleachers or stages onto the surface.

If facility owners aren t willing to do the minimum necessary to protect their investment in a hardwood gym floor they should probably not purchase one.