Keeping the Hardwoods in Tip-Top Tournament Shape
October 10, 2015
Whether you run the Staples Center, a Hillyard customer, or you have the equally honorable job of maintaining your busy facility with professionals hard at work on a daily basis, the lessons from the basketball court – literally – shine as learnings for professional floor care.
March is fully upon us. Across the country, it’s hoops season. The NBA is in full swing with Steph Curry and the Warriors looking to make history, and college basketball is in the middle of Madness. It’s a great time of year to be a basketball fan. And for Hillyard, a company built on a basketball legacy, it’s always a good time to be a fan.
In fieldhouses and arenas everywhere, the screeching of Nikes and the thud of the dribble – the sounds of the season – are special to Hillyard. After all, making the hardwood gleam as loudly as the sounds echoing through the gymnasium has been Hillyard’s specialty for over 100 years.
It doesn’t come easy considering what the floors have to put up with. With players running, jumping, cutting and sliding on the court, it takes expertise – and science – to protect, clean and maintain the hardwood.
First, a recoat with a coating like Hillyard’s 1907® Gym Finish or a quick restoration with the innovative Recon® Micro-layer Sports Floor Coating protects the floor and provides the surefooted base for fast-moving athletes.
After the floor is coated, it needs to be maintained. First of the antagonists is dust. A dusty floor is a dangerous floor. In 1997, Michael Jordan’s ‘last shot’ as a Chicago Bulls superstar wouldn’t have happened without the grip of a well-maintained surface. Best practice maintenance includes dust mopping after every two hours of use. Using a dedicated gym floor dust mop treated with Super Hil-Tone® or Hil-Mist®, keeps the grip on the court, giving the athletes the ability to start and stop on a dime.
The next antagonist is foreign matter, aka sweat, spills, scuffs, dirt and more which not only makes a beautiful, shiny hardwood dull, but it reduces the quality of play and can deteriorate the hardwood. Clean your gym floor at least weekly. Daily is best. Damp mop, autoscrub, or use the Hillyard Quick-Pass® cleaning system with Hillyard Super Shine-All® or Pre-Game®. Both products are cost-effective, concentrated cleaners designed for wood sports floor cleaning.
Whether you run the Staples Center, a Hillyard customer, or you have the equally honorable job of maintaining your busy facility with professionals hard at work on a daily basis, the lessons from the basketball court – literally – shine as learnings for professional floor care.
So often sports mirror life, and with Hillyard, you’re sure to have a championship season year after year.
Download the Hillyard Gym Floor Maintenance Poster here.