Consistently, maple flooring is recognized as the sports floor industry’s gold-standard with proven performance benefits that withstand the test of time.
With proper maintenance and care, a maple hardwood floor can last more than 80 years, making it the best financial and sustainable choice. When maintained properly, maple’s durability and resilience make it the smartest choice over time.
Once the decision has been made to invest in what is arguably the superior choice of natural maple hardwood for your indoor sports flooring, it’s important to know how to safeguard its integrity and longevity.
Maintaining a consistent temperature and humidity level year-round are key to keeping your sports floor in peak condition for years to come. Facilities located in areas with large seasonal climate changes especially need to ensure a stable environment is sustained regardless of outside conditions.
It’s encouraged to adhere to these guidelines to optimize your floor.
Optimal Temperature and Humidity
It’s also recommended facilities maintain ambient conditions with temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees with inside relative humidities between 35% and 50%. If those ranges are unattainable in your region, a maximum variance of 15% humidity should be maintained. A consistent environment minimizes expansion and contraction of the flooring material.
Keep the AC and Ventilation Systems On
Don’t shut down the facility’s HVAC systems. Facilities without adequate HVAC equipment to regulate indoor atmosphere, or those that are “closed up” with no ventilation for long periods of time — i.e., summer breaks — are more likely to develop flooring problems directly related to the environment. In buildings where air conditioning is not available, circulating and venting fans should be used to maintain the targeted humidity range.
With more than 125 years of history supporting the production, installation and maintenance of sports flooring, MFMA is the leading authoritative source of information for maple sports flooring and related sports flooring systems. Visit maplefloor.org to learn more.
