Going for the "Green" Sports Floor
By: Robin Traum

So, your school gymnasium needs a new sports floor, and you want one that is "green" so it will not impact the environment. Even if you're not expanding or building a new facility, you can demonstrate good stewardship by selecting a "green" floor. It can have more of a positive and long-lasting impact than you may realize. You want flooring for a gym that will keep your students and visitors active and healthy. Playability and durability are extremely important, but, these days, there's a lot more to seriously consider.

But how do you go about reaching this goal? If you've already started the flooring selection process, the choices have been narrowed by determining the actual sports, activities and other programs using the space; finding surfaces that can perform to those standards; and eliminating flooring products with price tags exceeding the budget. You need a floor with characteristics you may not have thought of initially.

With higher energy bills, more consideration needs to be given early in the process to the long-term needs and costs of the floor. Why is this so critical? It's the best way to avoid unanticipated expenses for maintenance, energy, and water usage in future budgets. Think about it; you have the opportunity to install flooring that won't shock future budget planners with a major overhaul, while improving the air quality within part of the building and saving money on water and energy bills.

You have the ability to select flooring manufactured without harming the environment. By choosing to operate green and practicing resource efficiency through a carefully made flooring decision, your facility can realize benefits beyond dollars and cents, such as improved indoor air quality (IAQ), built-in resistance to the development of bacteria and fungus, and many hours of playing time uninterrupted by lengthy maintenance or refinish work. With this new, expanded point of view, the focus shifts to the resource efficiency of the hardwood, resilient vinyl, poured urethane, VCT, or rubber floors on your list.

Start thinking green by learning about the way the prospective surfaces are produced. Is the manufacturing process environmentally friendly? Look into whether the floors are sustainable products made from rapidly renewing resources or include a high recycled content. Find out what potentially harmful emissions leak into the air, because that can affect the air quality dramatically. Harmful emissions can also increase the energy costs associated with indoor air ventilation systems, which may need modification to maintain proper air quality levels.

Based on the information received, several more flooring products may be eliminated.

The categories to zero in on are maintenance, healthy environment, energy usage, and lifespan.

Understand what maintenance procedures are necessary for the floors. The daily cleaning processes are usually quite simple; it is periodic refinishing or recoating that should be fully understood. The space may need to be shut down for days or weeks, depending upon the care needed, and then may require additional time for venting so the air inside the room is healthy to breathe again. It is also important to consider the environmental impact these applied finishes may have. Significant differences exist between the recommended processes to keep varied flooring types looking and performing at their highest levels. Cleaning products and procedures can add to poor indoor air quality through emissions of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). The health impact of VOCs can include allergic reactions, asthma outbreaks, and flu-like symptoms.

Here's a quick overview of the periodic or long-term maintenance guidelines for hardwood, poured urethane, rubber, resilient vinyl and VCT sports flooring.

The Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) recommends annual screening and recoating of most hardwood gym floors and resurfacing every eight to 10 years. This includes sanding to remove all finishes and game lines, sealing and then following the same resurfacing steps as when the floor was first installed. Proper humidity levels must always be maintained to avoid expansion and contraction of the wood planks.

Poured urethane should be resurfaced and refinished every five to eight years. Depending upon foot traffic, this may need to be done more frequently.

Rubber flooring care varies. Some types require periodic dry polishing and optional burnishing. Other manufacturers recommend annual scrubbing or periodic stripping followed by refinishing several times a year.

Resilient vinyl floors need a biweekly automatic scrubbing, depending upon use.

VCT should be spray buffed according to use, scrubbed and recoated twice yearly, and completely stripped and refinished annually.

Here are some questions to think about and include in your discussions with your colleagues, the architect and general contractor.

* How are the different types of flooring installed?
* Which floors do not introduce harmful emissions?
* If adhesives are required, what level of VOCs do they emit?
* Which of the recommended floors can be used immediately?
* Which ones need to have the space vented before usage?
* How long will the venting take?
* What types of cleaning products will be used daily?
* Do they have low or high VOC fumes?
* Are environmentally friendly, low VOC products an alternative?
* What kind of coatings or treatments does the floor have to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and fungus?
* Are the treatments permanent or temporary?
* If temporary, can they be reapplied?
* Will they be as effective?
* Do the floors have the potential to contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)    certification?
* Are the flooring producers members of the U. S. Green Building Council?
* How much water is required for cleaning?
* Is it a minimal amount?
* What type of temperature and/or humidity control is needed?
* Will the flooring retain some, most or all of its performance properties throughout its lifetime?
* Can the flooring be fully or partially recycled at the end of its lifespan?

By selecting the right sports floor with green qualities, your stewardship will have lasting benefits for your students and the environment for many years.

Robin Traum is the public relations consultant for Taraflex Sports Flooring by Gerflor, www.gerflortaraflex.com .