East London College

A college in East London lost the use of their sports hall due to a flood that infiltrated the building. The Customer Care Team from @DYNAMIK Sport inspected the existing sprung floor and were able to offer a seamless Polyurethane (PU) re-coating application from leading coatings manufacturer @herculan.

DYNAMIK Technical managers were asked to confirm the sports performance of the existing sprung structure and it’s suitability for refurbishment rather than a total replacement. This solution avoided the costs associated with uplifting, disposal and the installation of a new replacement sprung base. 

DYNAMIK have many playing surface and repair options available that can breathe new life into an old sports floor. This type of transformation is fast, cost effective and extends the life of the floor, not to mention the massive environmental benefits associated with not having to uplift and dispose of the sprung system. 

Most wear and tear shows up on the top-layer playing surface, which often shows signs of cracking, loss of slip resistance or damage caused by non-sporting events or the use of table and chairs without suitable protection. Re-coating old surfaces with a Herculan PU by DYNAMIK can seamlessly repair the issues of the past and create a solution for the future. 

A re-application of line marking can also be carried out at the same time as the refurbishment process, as can club or school logos, coloured surrounds, highlighted court zones, as seen at many of DYNAMIK Nationwide sports flooring projects where their “Be-Spoke Court Design Service” has created the wow factor.

If you have a damaged or worn out solid timber court, solid block tile, vinyl, lino or seamless PU playing surface, and need trusted advice for refurbishment options that could save your facility time and money by simply applying a new Herculan by DYNAMIK re-coating system. Please contact their Technical Team who are always happy to meet and test your floor to confirm compliance to the new comfort and shock absorption requirements which protects users from injury caused by non-existent or very low levels of shock absorption and comfort. 

@Craig Jack, Commercial Director of DYNAMIK Sports Floors, recently attended a technical group meeting, where leading indoor sports flooring manufacturers, suppliers, installers and consultants meet to discuss ways of maintaining standards but also ways of improving the performance and safety of products and systems available to end-users throughout the UK. The group discussed overlay options and their success and suitability within the modern sports and activity environment and highlighted some important points worth considering, prior to any overlay option being approved.

Jack commented “Solid tile or thin playing surfaces used in the past, before standards existed are being coated with a paint like surface or simply over laid with another thin pad and playing surface but in reality, this only makes the surface look good and doesn’t consider the safety, comfort or compliance to the latest flooring standards, which now require any multi-sport space to have a shock absorption value of more than 25%”.

Jack also explained the importance for responsible contractors to test existing surfaces prior to over coating, confirming the shock absorption values required and expected within indoor sport and activity spaces. “Rather than just kicking the can down the road, expecting others in the future to upgrade the playing surface, we need to act now as it is just not the right or responsible thing to do and highlights a grey area in terms of what is considered a sports flooring refurbishment or what is considered a regular maintenance process”.

An existing leisure facility is only required to meet the 2007 indoor multi-use sporting standard EN14904, when they upgrade or replace their old sports flooring. The interpretation of this requirement has created a grey area which confuses the difference between a maintenance coating and a playing surface upgrade.

It is Jacks view that safety requirements should not be lost in greyness and the industry needs to provide clarity and help protect users of indoor sporting and activity spaces.

When asked, Jack confirmed, “I for one wouldn’t be happy to have my family play any form of sport or activity on a solid floor, no matter how fresh or colourful it looked. A quick fix coating or thin pad overlay just doesn’t provide the safety I expect from a sports or activity floor, especially when considering the standard came in 15 years ago. I can’t believe any facility considers painting solid surfaces or tiles but sadly, some still kick that can down the road and expect kids to play on a solid concrete or painted tile, non-compliant surfaces. It’s shocking and quite scary when you think about how many floors still do not get upgraded to the current standards and are in use today”.

DYNAMIK Technical consultant Sarah Beck clarified that “DYNAMIK always put safety and compliance first, above anything else. Playing surface compliance should be top of any list and our sports flooring team certainly see why 15 years ago, the standards were implemented to improve safety and performance within multi-use indoor facilities, big or small. Just because you can paint an old solid surface doesn’t mean you should, which is why we check the comfort and safety levels of old surfaces, prior to offering overlay options”.    

For a free survey of your existing sports flooring to check its suitability for re-coating or refurbishment, please contact the DYNAMIK Technical Department on 0117 456 5024.