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Horner Sports Flooring

Since 1891 - The Oldest Name in Sports Flooring

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Use Cases

Apr 17 2024

What Should You Consider When Choosing Gym Flooring?

Home - Use Cases - Page 3

hardwood basketball court practice facility with indoor synthetic track

Primary Consideration

When considering what type of hardwood, maple flooring to use in a new or renovated gymnasium, the athletes playing on the floor are the primary consideration. All other considerations come after safety, from professional athlete to 1st grade gym class.

Breaking Down a Safe Floor

Physical Factors

To ensure a safe sports floor, you should consider a floor that:

  • Follows PUR standards, set by the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA).
    PUR standards focus on:
    • Shock absorption
    • Vertical deflection
    • Area of deflection
    • Ball bounce
    • Surface friction
  • Surface Friction: Provides the proper traction for the intended use, like basketball games and other athletic activities, for the life of the floor.
  • Shock Absorption: For running, jumping and falling, to reduce the risk of injury.
  • Vertical and Area Deflection: Ensures there is a consistent response, by the floor to the athlete’s input.

A PUR certified floor is a safe sports floor.

Economical Consideration

After safety, you will want to consider the economical factors of your new floor.

  • Make sure you couple a reasonable initial investment with added life cycle/cost benefits.
  • Minimize your financial risk by getting a floor with a track record for longevity and documented history of success in similar applications.
  • Request your floor is manufactured by a reputable company that stands behind their product.
  • Demand your new floor is installed by factory-trained, accredited professionals to ensure maximum warranty coverage.
  • Confirm the floor is easy to maintain relative to competitive floors.
  • Recognize that even an economical floor from Horner Sports Flooring is a safe floor.

Demanding a Horner Sports Floor will cover all these considerations and more. Horner Sports Flooring is a founding member of the MFMA and was established in 1891 – the same year basketball was invented. .

Consider Synthetic

Horner Sports Flooring has a long history in hardwood flooring, but we also have a product line of synthetic systems. All of our systems are specialized for virtually every sports activity and engineered for the very best in athlete safety, athletic performance, structural integrity, trouble-free maintenance, and long-lasting appeal.

There are some applications where wood flooring is not recommended, weight training rooms for instance. We encourage those looking into athletic, hardwood flooring to evaluate all the uses that their flooring will be experiencing:

  • High moisture area
  • High impact area
  • High traffic area

Now determine if a wood or synthetic floor is best suited to your application. 

hardwood basketball court

Final Considerations

Hardwood flooring has the aesthetics and performance that is associated with traditional court competition. The downside to purchasing hardwood flooring is the cost and maintenance. Plus, there are some applications that wood is just not suited for. While hardwood flooring is ideal for the athletes playing on it, a multiple use gymnasium or multi-purpose room may warrant consideration of synthetic flooring. The most common example of this is a field house that uses wood sports flooring for the courts and a synthetic surface for the track that surrounds the courts. Known as a “Combi” floor, Horner has several proven wood-synthetic floor pairings.

We hope the above discussion has helped you better plan your meeting with your flooring professional. While the above represents some of the most important considerations you should make, there are a few more:

Consider these:

  • Sport-specific, multiple sports, or multi-purpose?
  • Top level competition or recreational activities?
  • Number of participants and spectators
  • Number of hours/day and days/year the facility will be used?
  • Special equipment use (bleachers, sound stages, lifts, portable backstops, etc.)?
  • Desired life expectancy of floor?
  • Budgetary considerations – initial cost versus total cost of ownership?

It may seem daunting trying to decide on a new floor for your new or renovated gymnasium, but there are always friendly people here at Horner Sports Flooring to assist you, regardless of your current level of flooring knowledge.

Give us a call if you have questions.

Horner Sports Flooring Logo

Written by hornerflooring · Categorized: Knowledge Base, Polyurethane Flooring, Rubber Flooring, Use Cases · Tagged: Flooring Answers, Flooring Questions

Professional Sports Flooring

Professional Sports Flooring for Competition and Practice

There is a lot at stake when we start considering the professional sports flooring where your team will be playing and practicing. The health of your athletes is paramount. You need a floor you can count on game after game and practice after practice. You also want your floor to look great. Your floor is the most visible display of your brand. We will get it right. This is your home court.

ProKing® Portable Professional Floor

Collegiate Sports Flooring - ProKing portable basketball floors

Product Data Sheet

  • Fastest Conversion in the Industry
  • Lightest Weight Panels Available
  • The Industry Standard and Trusted Since 1974
Toronto Raptors ProKing portable basketball floor
Toronto Raptors ProKing Floor

Professional Sports Flooring for Practice Facilities

Zenith - A Computer Designed Multi-Load System

cutaway image of a hardwood sports floor showing the various components that make up the Zenith LP, A Computer Designed Low-Profile System of a Fixed Resilient floor

Product Data Sheet

  • EN compliant
  • FIBA compliant
  • PUR compliant
  • Multi-Stage Resilience
  • Emhanced Dimensional Stability
  • Reduced Vibration
  • Most Versatile Floor in the Marketplace
  • Partial Blocking System
  • Low Profile option
Zenith multi-stage resilient sports flooring - Detroit Pistons training center
Zenith Dual Multi-Load System

Contact us and we’ll set up a meeting with one of our flooring professionals who can help you better understand all of your options. They will also evaluate your unique situation to ensure the proper sports flooring system selection.

Sep 07 2023

Horner Dance Studio Flooring

Home - Use Cases - Page 3

Dance Studio Flooring and The Performing Arts

Dance studio flooring for the performing arts often requires the same level of performance as professional sports. For decades, Horner Sports Flooring has supplied the needs of the performing arts. We can tune our resilient floor systems to be as soft or firm as you like. From studios to performance hall stages, Horner’s dance studio flooring has protected artists and allowed them to reach the pinnacle of their career.

a woman performing ballet exercise on dance studio flooring utilizing a dance bar and a window and plants in the background

Choosing the correct flooring for your dance studio does not need to be difficult. Contact Horner Sports Flooring and speak with one of our flooring specialists. They will ask you a few questions about the studio’s environment, things like humidity and temperature and if this is a new studio or an existing one. Then, we’ll help you understand the benefits of the various systems we offer for your use case.

We strive to make the process fun and educational. If you are working with an architect or builder, please include them in the call, or have them call us direct as they will have all the information we need to make sure you get exactly the floor you need and want.

If you are renovating or building a new performance hall and need a world class surface for your stage, Horner Flooring can provide it. Our installers have experience in the nuances of installing a stage surface.

Whatever your needs are in the area of performing arts surfaces, you can count on Horner’s decades of experience to get you the perfect floor for the perfect perfomance.

Additional information can be found here.

Horner Sports Flooring blue and white logo

Contact Horner Sports Flooring

Written by hornerflooring · Categorized: Use Cases, Active Flooring Systems, Knowledge Base · Tagged: Flooring Answers, Flooring Questions

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