Athletes require health, safety, and performance in their playing surfaces. Northern hard maple has been called ‘nature’s perfect flooring surface.’ One major sports flooring authority is the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) Inc.

In selecting a sports floor, there are a number of important factors. Cost, appearance, elevation requirements, end users, and performance characteristics are all considerations. Cost includes not only the install cost, but also the subfloor system and grade type. The length of the life cycle of the flooring will also affect the overall cost. Choices for the appearance of the flooring include finger-jointed strips or parquet. The typical grades are 1^st, 2^nd and better, 3^rd and better, and 3^rd grade.

In selecting a sports floor, the environment is another factor. Some of the choices are fan forced air, radiant, and geothermal systems. A manufacturer should be consulted for proper slab depression in new installation and measurements for systems. The Performance and Uniformity Rating (PUR) is another guide for selecting the best sports floor by activity.

Grading rules are enforced by the MFMA. This is done through third-party inspections by unannounced MFMA mill members. Completing a successful inspection and receiving an MFMA mark assures that the standards are met by a manufacturer. Grading rules applied to flooring are mostly aesthetic. 1^st grade is hand selected to minimize the grain and is the most expensive. 2^nd and better is most commonly specified of the grades. 3^rd is more natural in appearance, but includes value engineered pieces. 3^rd and better contains approximately 40% to 60% second and better grades.

Unfinished maple should be sanded and finished for sports floors. A minimum of three cuts is required using fine, medium, and coarse sandpapers. Four coats should then be applied to new wood floors. This application should be done as soon as possible after the final sanding. For better coordination of the various elements, color selections for court lining or game line drawings by the architect or project specifier should be made prior to the final selection of flooring. Finishing must be completed on floors that are free of dust, dirt, abrasives, particles, and debris. Never use water, instead use silicone or wax mops for a smooth surface.

Another category of sports floors, synthetic is not a preferred flooring selection. In addition, point-elastic as opposed to area-elastic and compared to Northern hard maple, is more uniform in response to athletes. A floating and resilient anchor may be installed at around 1 ½” to 2” void at the perimeter. Pad and pour polyurethane is a seamless, monolithic material that is commonly used with heavier equipment. Linoleum has over 100 years of use for sports floor. Linoleum is also easy to care for and is mostly natural/renewable. Other types of sports floor material include vinyl and vulcanized sheet rubber. However, in sports areas like exercise and weight rooms, these materials may offer no significant shock absorption.

Besides the PUR standards, other important characteristics for selecting sports floors include shock absorption, vertical deflection, area deflection, ball bounce, and surface friction. Surface friction is a function of the specified floor finish. Vertical deflection for a jump on a concrete floor is zero. In addition, the subfloor system will need to be specified as a floating system, fixed system, or anchored resilient system.

Synthetic flooring include sheet rubber, pad and pour polyurethane, or vinyl. Maple has benefits over synthetic flooring, such as being dense, strong, durable, and hard (12% harder than red oak). Maple is also a sustainable resource, renewable, recyclable, biodegradable, and reusable.