Horner Sports Flooring

Since 1891 - The Oldest Name in Sports Flooring

Knowledge Base

What is Uniform Performance Flooring?

Blue circle icon with 4 runners indicating a uniform performance floor.

Uniform Performance Characteristics Flooring

Uniform performance characteristics refers to a floor’s measurable performance criteria. These include, but are not limited to, ball bounce, floor deflection, coefficient of friction (surface), vibration dampening, etc. A floor with this designation excels in providing very uniform statistics in these areas, across its entire surface. The “feel” of this floor will be the same everywhere. To many, the difference, if any, will never be noticed, however, to a professional or collegiate athlete, any variation may be noticed and impact their performance.

Horner Sports Flooring take uniformity in its floors very seriously. We continually test, measure and improve all our floors in this critical area.

Logo of the Maple Flooring Manufacturer Association consisting of a white outer band, a green band and a green maple leaf.
Founding Member of the MFMA

What is a Variable Performance Floor?

Blue circle icon with a runner and dial gauge indicating a variable performance floor.

Variable Performance Flooring

Variable performance flooring is a flooring system that can be tuned to a specific use or preference. By using a different underlayment or resilient pads, specific characteristics of a floor can be changed. For instance, a competition floor may be tuned to return the maximum amount of energy to the athlete while a practice floor made be tuned to reduce injury and fatigue. The laws of physics dictate that not every desirable characteristic of a floor can be met simultaneously, however we can meet most of the ones important to the customer and their needs.

A variable performance floor system is designed to allow changes to specific specifications as dictated by the customer.

Logo of the Maple Flooring Manufacturer Association consisting of a white outer band, a green band and a green maple leaf.
Founding Member of the MFMA

How to Fundraise for your New Horner Floor

a stack of coins with a blurred out clock in the backgroundHow to Fundraise

Is your school looking to purchase and install a new gym floor? Are you lacking the funds to pull it off? Let us help you with fundraising for a new athletic floor.

First, form a fundraising committee specifically for this project. Sharing the financial responsibility with a group of people will add accountability and reduce stress for those working hard to make the dream a reality.

Second, remember there is no irrelevant fundraising effort. Every little bit helps and every contributor can feel pride in the new gym floor – regardless of how much they were able to donate. Here are a few tried-and-true suggestions for fundraising…

Floor Advertising

Horner is here to help you raise money for your new athletic floor in any way we can. One of the common ways we are able to raise money for you is by displaying logos of local businesses on your new hardwood floor.

This is a practice we’ve done for Boys & Girls Clubs around the country, for faith-based organizations, and even for the NBA!

To see what your options are, contact us.

How to Fundraise With A Penny Jar

How to Fundraise Image - looking down into a jar of coins with coins laying on the table next to the jarConsider putting penny jars in your classrooms.

  • The new gym floor will be for the children – why not invite them to help make it a reality so they can feel involved?
  • Kids generally like to help, especially when an incentive is in place (such as an ice cream party for the classroom that raises the most money per month).

You might also consider a virtual penny jar by setting up an online contribution page on a service like Give-Send-Go, or other like services

A Book Fair

Consider having a used book fair at your school, where all of the proceeds go toward the new project. What better way to raise money than encourage students to read new-to-them books for a low price?

Ask families and community members to donate books that may be sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

How to Fundraise Using Walk-A-Thon

kids have fun running on a gravel path through a fieldRather than running a 5K, consider hosting a community Walk-A-Thon to raise funds for your new court! Participants can collect pledge money from sponsors and celebrate the grand total on the big day. These events are a great way to grow support for a project. They open up plenty of additional opportunities for business donations in exchange for advertising.

Business Donations

Consider writing to local companies, restaurants, or businesses asking for donations.

Offer to have a sponsor plaque that will hang in your gym above the new floor with donor names or donor banners. Or, as mentioned previously, offer to advertise the business on the back of a t-shirt during other fundraising events.

Remember, this doesn’t have to be a monetary donation – perhaps they can donate snacks or drinks to fundraising events.

How to Rundraise With Restaurant Fundraisers

Ask businesses or restaurants to create their own fundraising efforts for your cause:

  • 10% of every order on Friday will go toward the fundraising efforts

  • 5% of the daily revenue, etc.

This will help to

  • Promote the business’s reputation within the community

  • Potentially increase their own sales

  • Increase your fundraising total

For their donation to the fundraising effort, consider hanging a plaque for them or their banner/logo in the gym.

viewing a basketball court from the sidelines - Hancock High School, Hancock, MI
Horner Sports Flooring blue and white logo

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What is a Low Profile Option Floor?

Blue circle icon with down arrows indicating a low profile floor.

Low Profile Flooring

cutaway image of a hardwood sports court showing the various components that make up a Fixed Resilient or Floating floor system

When spaces are designed and it is known ahead of time that a wood floor will be installed, a depression is made in the sub-floor to accommodate the new wood flooring. So, for new builds, the floor must be specified so the design can take the thickness of the floor into consideration. For renovation, it is much easier to specify a floor that fits into the existing sub-floor depression.

Low profile flooring is designed to provide all or most of the performance of a standard system but do so in minimal slab depressions. In other words, the floor is not “tall”.

SuperTuff rubber flooring system - showing weight training equipment at Michigan Tech SDC

Rubber Flooring Systems

Rubber Flooring Systems Horner Rubber Flooring Systems These systems provide an economical way to surface an area with a floor...

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Logo of the Maple Flooring Manufacturer Association consisting of a white outer band, a green band and a green maple leaf.
Founding Member of the MFMA

10 Best Questions to Ask when Considering a New Floor

What Are the 10 Best Questions to Ask?

1. What activities will take place on the floor?

Different sports and activities require different surfaces. At Horner, we know that your biggest investment is in your athlete. We aim to provide the best-fitting resources to help them compete at the highest level. When considering a new floor, be sure to identify WHO will be using the floor. From basketball to dance, we provide systems for every need.

Another important consideration is the kind of equipment that will be used on the floor. Equipment includes bleachers, backstops, portable hoops, media tables, and more. Knowing your intended level of wear-and-tear will help us hand-pick the best flooring options for you. This also tells us what maintenance you will require in the future. Horner doesn’t just deliver a product…we are a service. This means that we are here to help you through the entirety of the floor’s life. Contact us to learn more about our Cleaning and Maintenance Program.

2. What subfloor system will best suit the activities?

By identifying possible activities that will take place on your new floor, we can steer you in the right direction of the best system. Here are some trends we’ve noticed…

Dancer on hardwood floor
  • Basketball: The most common sub-floor is the 2-panel system. Some things to consider are levels of fatigue and stress on the court, consistent ball-bounce, and vibration.
  • Volleyball: With the same general wear-and-tear, we promote systems similar to that of basketball. In addition to the flooring characteristics we look at for basketball courts, we identify ways to maximize players’ verticals while minimizing injury that occurs more often on harder surfaces. We do this using different padding, which affects the hardness of the floor.
  • Racquetball: These courts tend to be a mix of components of both basketball and volleyball courts. Because there is less space to stop momentum, it’s important to achieve the right level of traction for these surfaces. This is done through the application of a finish to increase friction, reduce slipperiness, and increase overall performance.

3. What type of environment will the gym be in?

What amount of moisture will the floor encounter? Depending on the geographic location and air quality control, there could be substantial differences in relative humidity.   

Floors are installed to account for these changes as the maple expands and contracts from the humidity level.

UW Health Sports Factory - Rockford, IL

Building architects are expected to provide MFMA-approved conditions for wood floors by looking at existing conditions and the possibility of future moisture problems. If post-consumer recycled materials, sustainably harvested hardwood, and plywood are necessary for your new floor, make sure the gym floor contractor is aware.

You can often get a quality sustainable product and make eco-friendly choices even without a LEED certified floor. Also, when evaluating green choices, consider a water-based finish to reduce the BOC content. Some state and local laws limit BOC amounts.

4. How important are sustainability and green building?

In the field of sports flooring, a critical design decision brought to the forefront by Horner and USGC is to choose wood material harvested from sustainable forest land – but another critical sustainability question comes into play when specifying a particular cut of maple.

At Horner we believe the intention of sustainable design is to “eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive design”. (see Wikipedia) To us this means choosing a sports maple design which consumes the least amount of trees possible while maximizing the maple trees resource to the greatest benefit of both design professional and owner. Subfloors can be made in part with post-consumer recycled materials, combined with sustainably harvested hardwood and plywood.

Graph showing usage of hardwood by product

5. What grade of maple should be specified?

Choosing a grade of maple is based solely on aesthetic appearance. It has no effect on playability.

  • First grade maple is the lightest in color with a clean, consistent look.
  • Second grade maple is a bit darker with a few more imperfections (such as knots or mineral stains). This is the most common grade used for gym floors.
  • Third grade maple is the darkest color and has more knots and mineral stains.
ProKing Portable Basketball Floor - Northern Michigan University.

If you ask any manufacturer, they will tell you the quality will be the same whether you get first, second or third grade maple. They will all perform equally, so it is simply for your aesthetic preferences.

6. What kind of finish should be specified?

NBA draft Combine floor

The finishing choice depends on personal preference

  • Oil-based finishes: color will amber as the floor ages
  • Water-based finishes: maintain a clearer shade

The MFMA has a list of approved sealers and finishes. Be sure to consider the regulations of your area in the country, particularly for VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) content. Oil-based finishes are higher in VOC content than water-based finishes. Finishes with lower or zero VOC content are better for the environment, but ultimately, the choice depends on your needs.

7. When should game lines and graphics be considered?

Game lines and graphics should be considered right away. They are an essential part of choosing and making a new hardwood floor, because they will determine the future uses of the floor. Here’s our quick tips:

  • The best time to apply game lines is during the installation of the floor
  • Taping a floor can pose injury to athletes if it creates a slippery area, and can also damage the floor finish upon removal
  • It is important to remember that there are different game markings for NBA, college, and high school basketball

8. What are the terms of maintenance?

Maintaining a floor is crucial and will essentially protect the investment in the floor. Daily dust mopping is highly recommended, along with regular cleanings with an approved solution. As weather changes, watch for leakage, and ensure that proper heating/cooling systems are in place. If you live in an especially humid area, we will help you pick the proper system to allow for extra expansion.

Oklahoma Sooners practice facility

On a yearly basis, the floor should be screened and recoated. Approximately every seven to ten years, depending on the usage, the floor will need to be sanded down, resealed, repainted, and refinished. Contact us with any questions about taking care of your Horner floor.

9. Who should install the floor?

The MFMA has a list of accredited installers on their webpage. Each of these installers and flooring manufacturers are evaluated every two years. These tests ensure that the installation recommendations are being followed.

10. Can the performance of the floor be assured?

There are multiple sets of flooring standards and guidelines.

At Horner, we have several DIN floors known as our Performance Systems. DIN standards measure the following performance characteristics:

  • Shock absorption
  • Vertical deflection
  • Deflective indentation
  • Ball bounce
  • Friction
  • Rolling load

Quality assurance is always a priority. Contact us with any questions regarding our warranty or DIN-compliant floors.

Albany Capital Center - Albany, New York
Horner Sports Flooring blue and white logo

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