Topic

What do they use to make there wood/laminate flooring so shinny and look water proof? Do they use epoxy?

 

How to make my wood flooring in my indoor basketball court shin and look like the NBA flooring

most wood gym floors require a specific gym floor finish, different from regular V.C.T. finishes or like certain epoxies laid on concrete or other tile floors. the most common r oil based or one of the most recent ones I've been involved with (1907 hillyard gym finish) being an oil modified urethane (water based). If u start with a floor that has already been sealed then normally u would abrade the floor with a 3m preparation pad to allow u finish to adhere correctly to ur present coat. then u would use a practice know as tacking, where u use large Turkish bath size towel or a larger towel soaked in a tacking solution (i also use hillyards Tack-It) & drag it over the floor to remove any dust or other loose soil or film from mopping & sanding the floor. when this is complete u will begin to apply the finish using t-bars & if available an application device such as this: http://hillyard.com/ProductsServices/Products/ProductDetail.asp?pid=HIL50124&cid=25&cn=Applicators+%26+Pans
1907 is actually a very simple finish to work with due to its ease of application. It self levels allowing ur self a little more work room without having to worry of puddling (its also the same finish the NBA uses). after you're finished with ur first coat youll have to let it dry for 3-4 hours. after this time u can return, tack, & apply ur second coat. if u decide to wait over 36 hours before ur second coat u will have to abrade the finish to allow the 2nd coat to adhere properly. once u finish ur second coat allow 36 hours for the finish to cure & 7 days before heavy foot traffic or play. if this is a floor in a high school or college usually the common practice is to apply 2 coats in the summer & another coat in the winter purely for aesthetic purposes so u basketball team has a fresh shiny floor to play on. the floor should be dust mopped (with a properly treated dust mop) after every use & before heavy use if it has not been dust mopped in awhile. try to lightly mop the floor when often & if u use an auto scrubber run Super shine-all through it to maintain the shine & the snap in the floor. if you're in California find u nearest hillyard distributor, & if ur in the central valley feel free to call central sanitary supply for more advice on ur wood floor!

 

How to make my wood flooring in my indoor basketball court shin and look like the NBA flooring

a good polyurethane will give you the desired results. A water base such as street shoe comes in th finish you desire. Also a swedish product called Glitza works well. It is tough to work with and is toxic until it dries, so it is not best for all applications. Oil based urethanes with a high gloss level are what we use on high school gymnasiums.

 

How to make my wood flooring in my indoor basketball court shin and look like the NBA flooring

We have our gym floor re-surfaced about every two years. They sand the finish with an abrasive pad & a floor buffer. Then the floor is completely cleaned with ''tack cloth''. They then apply a special polyurethane finish made specially for gym floors. They only put on one coat on. It takes about 24 hours to cure. It must be maintained on a daily basis with a special floor cleaning chemical. It is put on a very large terry cloth towel & then it is attached to a weighted 4x4. A fairly long rope is attached to that & it is dragged across the entire floor. If properly maintained, the surface should last for two-three years. Ours gets allot of use!!!!

 

How to make my wood flooring in my indoor basketball court shin and look like the NBA flooring

I was told it is a high gloss polyurethane. Many, many coats of it.

 

How to make my wood flooring in my indoor basketball court shin and look like the NBA flooring

iknow it sounds stupid but my mom saw it on a british version of trading places. and they took car polish (turtle wax) and did the floor. my mom tried it out on my grandparents and it was so shinny. the only prob is that it also is a little slippery at first.