Gym floors see more wear and tear than nearly any other room in schools. In the past, gyms mainly served as a place for students to play basketball and get their PE credits, but today’s gyms often act as multi-purpose rooms where pep rallies, school plays, dances and more events are held. All of these uses take a toll on gym floors, and custodial managers must pay them special attention to keep them looking their best. Now is a great time to plan for protecting your gym floor over the summer before students return for in-person classes in the fall.

To protect your gym floor, we recommend laying floor mats at every entrance. Durable floor mats prevent sand and dirt from contacting the floor and dulling its appearance. Dust mopping can clean up debris that does make it to the floor, and taking this step on a daily basis can extend the life of the gym floor and keep it looking its best for years.

Even with regular care, most gym floors need to be recoated about once every ten years. Before recoating, we recommend prepping the floor with an autoscrubber. The high speed orbital action of an autoscrubber paired with a fast solution pickup results in the highest quality gym floor surfaces, and one pass can clean and prepare the gym floor surface for a new coating.

Water-based coatings are particularly good options for gym floors because they contain fewer amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than oil-based finishes. Gym floors can be coated with the product and used by students the next day, and the highly durable finish requires no messy glues, sanding or catalysts.

To learn more about protecting and preserving your gym floors, contact our team today!