Sports flooring is a significant investment, it’s an investment not only in performance but also in longevity. All athletic floors are not created equal. It is important to know the materials, manufacturer, and certifications that ensure you will continue to get the quality and reliability you expect over many, many years. Therefore, there is a definite value in knowing the source of your flooring. Knowing its manufacturing source can help you to properly determine its performance, durability, and longevity.
Investment
When searching for your sports flooring, it’s not effective to just go with any attractive flooring! You must look at the available solutions and evaluate if the floor covering material is reliable and worthy of your investment in the long term. Your goal should be to add value to your project by investing in high-quality flooring.
Life cycle
How long the flooring will last is another important concern. If you go through all the trouble of evaluating, selecting, and installing a new floor, it’s more than just disappointing if an inappropriate surface is already deteriorating a couple of years down the road. Before making any purchase, do you have the possibility to visit an actual installation of the desired flooring material after a few years of use? The background of the product should give you every confidence in its reliability.
Warranty
Warranties come with most major purchases and there are very important points to consider. Make sure to protect your own interest, particularly when it involves a large investment in time and money.
- What does the warranty cover and who is providing it (installer, distributor, or actual manufacturer)?
- How long has the warranty provider been in business?
- What are the terms and exclusions?
- Do you know the name of the manufacturer?
- Will they be available when called upon?
Health & Safety
Just any flooring option may not be taking your health to heart. A quality sports flooring should not be damaging the health of the users. Is the flooring provider willing to offer details about the materials used in their products? You need to be especially careful about this as there may be harmful effects associated with their choice of materials.
Industry standards
It is best to look for sports flooring that has been tested to follow industry standards. Manufacturers are responsible for determining if their products meet standard requirements. They should be relevant and geared towards the needs of the consumer and this aspect should be considered seriously.
Certifications
To help in selecting high-quality flooring, evaluate the certifications that the product offers. Make sure you are provided with independent testing documents to review in order to ensure their validity.
These are a few elements to look for depending on the type of flooring required. They can help you indicate if you’re dealing with a renowned manufacturer that offers high-quality flooring:
- Asthma & Allergy Friendly™ certification
- MFMA certification by the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association
- Floor Score® certification
(low levels of volatile organic compounds) - Phthalate-free manufacturing process
(Phthalates are harmful plasticizers found in some plastic materials) - Compliance with the standards set by REACH
(Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Chemical restriction) - Compliance with requirements by the California Proposition 65
(prohibits the use of harmful substances) - Environmentally sustainable, based on natural and renewable resources
- Contribution to LEED® credit qualifications by the Green Building Council
(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) - Cradle to Cradle® certification
(continuous improvement standard) - Compliance with Canadian fire testing standards
- Contains no harmful materials such as lead, cadmium, mercury, or formaldehyde
