Sports facility managers and owners have heard it before, never put tape on the gym floor! But unfortunately, tape is the go-to teaching aid for coaches and teachers. This common product is a significant cause of damage to hardwood maple sports floors. Using the correct gym floor marking is critical for the health and longevity of your gymnasium flooring.
In this post, we’ll cover the basics of gym floor marking and striping so you can protect your investment.
Why is tape such a bad idea for creating gym floor markings?
Physical education teachers and coaches will sometimes put tape on the gym floor to create temporary game lines to teach students a new sport. It’s a cheap and easy household product, and many teachers and coaches don’t always know what’s required to properly maintain a hardwood maple floor.
Unfortunately, tape is a primary culprit behind hardwood flooring damage.
Seventy percent of all sports floors installed in the US are maple. It’s one of the most popular sports floorings solutions in the world. But maple floors require more care than other gym flooring solutions, like rubber flooring or artificial turf.
Sanding and refinishing hardwood floors can remove surface damage from tape. But on average, refinishing costs three dollars a square foot.
Tape is a four-letter word when it comes to hardwood gym flooring. Even if the tape is marked as safe for hardwood flooring, it will pull up the finish from the floor. The only way to fix the problem is to completely sand the finish off the entire floor surface and apply a new finish.
For the average sports floor, refinishing a maple hardwood gym can cost around 15,000 dollars. More frequent refinishing will cost more over the lifespan of the gym floor. To save on maintenance costs, using safe gym floor marking products is essential.
The bottom line is, tape on the floor will damage it and contribute to costly gym flooring repairs. Additionally, a damaged gym floor finish increases safety risks.
What’s a safe alternative for creating temporary gym floor markings?
You can use craft paints that can be removed with water. White shoe polish and tempera paint are also safe alternatives if you need to create temporary game lines.
Only use white temporary paint for game lines. Colors have a risk of bleeding through and staining the floor.
Gym floor mat tape: Also a bad idea?
Many sports facilities use the gymnasium for more than just sports and athletics. Yoga, events, and other activities in the gym often require the use of gym floor mats.
Some facility owners will also use mats to cover the hardwood floor during events. Unfortunately, some people will use gym floor mat tape to keep things in place.
Yes, this is also a bad idea. No tape is a safe tape for finished hardwood flooring.
What to use instead
If you need to protect a maple sports floor, we highly recommend gym floor runner carpets and Eco Tile Tile gym floor covers. These products offer high slip resistance and do not require adhesive to stay in place.
Gym floor striping and painting
Designing a hardwood gym floor is a fun and rewarding process for sports facility owners and managers. Logos and graphics give the gym a personality and leave a memorable impression on athletes and spectators.
But the first step in designing a sports floor and deciding on gym floor striping comes down to what sports will most frequently be played in the gym. Next, you’ll want to make sure each sport that is likely to occur in your facility has the correct gym floor striping painted on it.
A not-so-common sport is likely to be played on the gym floor once or twice a year. The key to protecting the hardwood is to make sure that coaches and teachers understand that paint is a no-go on the floor.
Be sure to communicate to physical education teachers that white craft paint is the only safe product to use for marking out temporary game lines.
Designing your gym floor striping and marking: Get in touch.
Are you in the process of designing a new hardwood maple sports floor? Our graphic artists can help you create a custom gym floor that will wow visitors and offer top quality for athletic performance and safety.
Whether you need a center court logo, school or mascot names, or a creative three-point arc stain, we’re the go-to for custom-designed gym floors in the Tri-State region.
The choices are endless! Contact us today online. Or give us a call at (973) 453-2425, and we’ll get back to you faster than you can say no tape on the gym floor!