Gym floor sanding is a crucial maintenance task to ensure a hardwood sports floor lasts its entire lifetime. Sanding a gym floor involves removing the old seal, paint, and faded logos to get back to the bare maple wood. This allows professional sports floor contractors to repair damaged floorboards, replace logos, apply sealant and paint, and refinish the floor with a high-quality, high-wearing finish.
Knowing when to sand your gym floor is key to preventing expensive repairs. Typically, it’s necessary to sand and refinish a sports floor every eight to ten years. However, depending on usage, you may need to arrange for gym floor sanding more frequently. The complete process of sanding a gym floor typically takes two to three weeks.
Are you wondering, “Do I need to sand my gym floor?” If so, you will find the answer to this question and more in this article.
Why is Gym Floor Sanding Vitally Important?
Gym floors are typically natural hardwood floors and undergo a lot of daily beating. The key to protecting the integrity of the sports floor is regular maintenance. This ensures the hardwood sports floor always looks great and performs as it should. Therefore, sanding extends your gym floor’s life span, saving you time, money, and resources in the long run.
Lifespan of a Gym Floor
A well-maintained gym floor should last for up to 75 years. Important ways to maintain the best gym floor appearance for decades include dry mopping, monthly deep cleaning and tacking, and annual sports floor recoating. However, sanding a gym floor every eight to ten years will help ensure it lasts for a lifetime.
How Often Can You Sand a Gym Floor?
Typically, you can sand a gym floor up to six times in its life span. However, the number of sandings a gym floor can take depends on its use, level of damage, and the company that does the work. For example, some floors that must put up with heavy wear and tear require more aggressive sanding, reducing their life span.
There is only a limited number of times you can sand a gym floor before it requires replacing. This fact is a compelling reason always to use highly qualified gym floor refinishing specialists. Sanding a gym floor too much will reduce the floor’s life span, resulting in extra costs and unnecessary downtime.
The Process of Sanding a Gym Floor
The process of refinishing or resurfacing a gym floor involves sanding it to the bare wood. Gym floor sanding involves using the correct grit of sandpaper to remove the old finish from the wooden floor. The result is a smooth hardwood gym floor that looks like it’s been newly laid.
But what does it take to sand a gym floor to a professional standard? Here are the steps involved in the process.
Preparing a gym floor for sanding
Before gym floor sanding can begin, it’s crucial to clean the floor thoroughly. This process involves using a dry or slightly dampened dust mop to remove any dirt and grime on the floor.
Choosing the correct grit sequence to sand a gym floor
To ensure the perfect finish after sanding a floor in a sports facility, use the correct sandpaper grit sequence. Typically, it would be best to start with a coarse grade of grit and gradually work up to a finer grade.
For example, professional gym floor refinishers usually start with 24-grit sandpaper to remove heavy coats of finish and ensure the floorboards are flat and even. However, sometimes starting with 36-grit sandpaper is sufficient to remove the layers of finish. After that, move to a finer grade of sandpaper — this is usually 60-grit sandpaper followed by 80-grit sandpaper.
Repairing damaged gym floor boards or subfloors
After sanding the gym floor, the next step is to repair or replace any damaged boards or subfloors. This step is crucial to ensure that the restored gym floor will last its lifetime of up to 75 years. After sanding and repairing the gym floor, it is now ready for refinishing.
Refinishing a gym floor
Several steps are necessary after sanding a gym floor to restore it to its former glory.
The first step is to apply a sealant approved by the Maple Flooring Manufacturing Association (MFMA). MFMA-approved sealants ensure that your newly-restored gym floor withstands many years of heavy use. After sealing, the gym floor is lightly sanded using fine-grade sandpaper.
The next step is to prepare the gym floor for painting, lining, and finishing. At this point, it is time to paint the lines, install branding and logos, and put other finishing touches on the sports floor. After this is done, the gym floor is now ready for finishing.
Several layers of finish are applied to protect the floor, give it a fantastic shine, and ensure it lasts for its next sanding in eight or ten years. Between each coat of finish, the floor is lightly sanded and tacked to guarantee the best results. An appropriate dry time and cure time are also necessary for the finish to attain maximum hardness for the wood floor coating.
Questions on Gym Floor Sanding
How long does it take to sand and refinish a gym floor?
The process of sanding a gym floor and complete resurfacing takes two to three weeks. However, in some cases, it could be slightly longer. This is because time is required between applying sealant and finishing to achieve the best results.
What are noticeable signs that I should sand my gym floor?
When you notice cracking and peeling, it’s time to call a professional sports flooring contractor. Ambering can also be a sign you should sand and refinish the floor to improve its function and restore the shiny gym floor finish.
How much does it cost to sand a gym floor and refinish it?
The cost of sanding and refinishing a gym floor is typically between $2 and $ per square foot. However, the final amount depends on the scope of work, branding, timing, and type of finish.
How should I care for my gym floor after sanding and refinishing?
The most cost-effective way to care for a gym floor is to dust-mop the floor several times a day. Also, mop any spills as quickly as possible and dry the floor. Finally, to get rid of scuff marks, rub a tennis ball over the black marks to remove them.
Sanding a Gym Floor: Key Takeaway
It’s necessary to sand the gym floor every 8 to 10 years. Therefore, gym floor sanding is a vital component of caring for flooring in a sports facility to extend its life span and ensure the wood floor looks and performs as it should.
Does your gym floor require complete refinishing? If so, contact J&J Gym Floors at (973) 453-2425 or fill out this easy form. Our team of flooring professionals are ready to give you the best advice and service on gym floor sanding and restoration!