Sports Flooring Case Studies

Stockport secures Tact for new sports surface

When Stockport College needed new flooring for its main sports facility, it had a long shopping list to satisfy.

The areas the sports department wanted refurbished included its
•    main sports hall
•    disabled sports training room
•    store rooms
•    changing rooms

The department wanted a surface that would work across all these areas, and that would also
•    cater for the widest possible range of sports
•    allow for the basketball academy’s distinctive court colourings
•    relocate easily when the department moves to different premises
•    have an excellent safety record
•    be easy to clean
•    install with the minimum disruption to the facility
•    be very price-competitive

Sports Director Martin James says the college chose flooring specialist Tact for the major refurbishment, because the company showed that it was able to answer all the college’s needs.

“We did wonder if our long list of requirements might be a tall order,” says Martin, “but we still needed them satisfied.  Tact was able to respond to all of them while still remaining the most cost-effective solution.”

Tact laid its TactTiles product throughout the facility.  The sports hall was resurfaced in silver-grey Multi-Sport TactTiles, with the basketball court demarcated in light blue surrounds.  The changing room wet/dry anti-slip flooring was laid in stone grey Metro TactTiles.

John Highnam is Tact’s Sales Director.  “This was a fairly complex order as the areas we needed to lay each had a highly specific function, and the flooring and installation needed to reflect that,” he says.  “In the event the entire project took less than a week from start to finish.”

Sports Floor Information

Multi Colour MUGAs for Dundalk               

Dundalk, County Louth is situated on the border with Northern Ireland.   Close to local housing and schools lies the Dundalk Sports Centre.  The Centre has been undergoing complete refurbishment; part funded by Dundalk Town Council, the department of Arts Sports & Tourism and RAPID funding.  The RAPID programme is specifically for designated disadvantaged areas, known as RAPID areas.  There are two specifically in Dundalk, one being Muirhevnamor where the courts are based.  The Funding was awarded towards the development of playgrounds and MUGAs.

The Sports Centre Manager, Graham Russell, met Tact Enviro to discuss the upgrade of the three tennis courts.  After discussion it became apparent that by upgrading two of the courts to multi-use games areas (MUGAs) and one especially for tennis, it would be possible to increase the variety of sports that would be available to the centre and the community as a whole.   The main requirements for the refurbishment were durability, low maintenance and the use of vibrant colours for each court to attract people interested in hiring the facilities.

With an installation deadline and inclement weather on the horizon, the Tact team decided to lay and mark up the courts in the UK, packing them up and trans-shipping them as a ready-to-lay giant jigsaw puzzle.  With each court measuring 18 x 36 metres and marked up for tennis, five-a-side football, basketball and futsal, it was certainly an interesting game to put it all back together again.
 
However, the installation project was completed within five days ready for the formal opening by the Town Mayor on the 5th June 2007.  Dundalk now has enviable facilities for all the local schools, youth groups and sports clubs.

Game, set and match to Dundalk!                 Sports floor information

Action-packed activities arise from wet weather woe     

Sports hall information
 
A new sports floor is the cause of a dramatic transformation at Bromsgrove’s Blackwell Court Activity Centre. 
The Activity Centre, which is owned by the Birmingham Scouts Association, used to be an emergency wet weather shelter for up to 700 campers on the 50-acre site.  It is now a highly popular sports hall used for a variety of team games, thanks to the installation of a MUGA (multi-use games area) floor from Somerset firm Tact.

The floor is constructed from interlocking TactTiles that clip firmly together to form a durable, no-maintenance and foot-friendly surface.  The tiles are laid directly over the existing surface, so minimal preparation is needed.  As an added bonus, TactTiles also keep concrete dust from the original floor to a minimum.

The Scouts Association chose TactTiles because it offered the best multi-purpose, all-round use out of all the floors considered for the job.

“We needed a floor in strong, stable colours that was very hard-wearing and easy to clean,” says Gareth Roberts, Centre Manager at the Activity Centre.  “People come straight in off the grassed area outside, so they tend to track wet mud in with them.  We also need to continue using the building as an indoor shelter when the weather’s bad, so the fact that the floor is free-draining is a huge advantage.”

TactTiles were laid over the entire 30 x 60 metre area in just 8 hours, keeping any disruption to a minimum.   The floor was then marked up for a range of games including football, basketball, volleyball and hockey. 

“We even marked out an archery range,” says John Highnam, Tact’s Sales Director.  “The guys were sceptical about the anti-slip properties of TactTiles, but after they’d tested it to death, even they were convinced.”

Gareth Roberts says the new facility has a real ‘wow’ factor with people using it for the first time.  “We used to play a bit of kick-about on the old concrete floor, but you can’t have a proper game without a pitch,” he says.  “The new floor has promoted this barn-like space into a top-notch sports facility.”

Bubble trouble

Dorset’s agricultural college is located just outside Dorchester at Kingston Maurward.  The college sports hall is used for badminton and for kit assembly for outdoor pursuits, so the floor surface needs to be versatile, hardwearing and easy to clean.  Unfortunately the existing vinyl floor covering was bubbling and causing a trip hazard. 

One of the main attractions of TactTiles for the college was avoiding the need to rip up an existing floor that is uneven, but basically sound.  The Tact team sliced and flattened the bubbles of vinyl and TactTiles Fitness tiles were laid straight over the top.  The badminton courts were then marked up accordingly.

As well as being delighted with the bright and even result, the college says the floor provides an excellent anti-slip surface when the outdoor pursuit’s students come in with their wet muddy kit.  Added to the fact that the floor is so easy to clean, Kingston Maurward has an ideal answer to a challenge that needed a versatile, practical and hardwearing solution.

In-Line Hockey / Rollerblading

Nothing is more punishing to a floor surface than in-line roller skates.  TactTiles prove their toughness and durability in being strong enough to cope with in-line hockey and also provide an excellent skating surface.

A survey of the Swiss International Hockey team confirmed that this surface provides excellent acceleration, braking and turning.  They found that the puck slides faster and altogether the game was improved. 

TactTiles Multi-Sport surface can take the punishment of in-line skates and is also excellent for all other sports, making it a truly multi-sport surface and most economic option for youth facilities.

MUGA Pitches

True Multi Sports surface.  No other synthetic pitch surface has the capability of play such a wide range of sports as TactTiles Multi-Sport.

• Football
• Hockey
• Netball
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Floorball
• Badminton
• Tennis
• And roller-blading!  (in-line hockey)

Multi-sport pitches are all weather, free draining and can be used both inside and outside.  The tiles can be laid in various colours to delineate different pitch or games areas.

Multi-sport is needs absolutely minimal maintenance and is a highly cost effective and durable surface with good playing characteristics.

Fantastic Fitness Floor

Durham University’s Graham Sports Centre had a problem with the floor in their Fitness Studio.  The existing PVC tiles had begun to curl, causing a trip hazard.  The Fitness Studio is used for free weight areas and needs to be anti-slip.

The Sports centre management wished to replace the old surface with a modular flooring system which could be adapted to suit a new lay-out of the room and/or equipment as necessary.  TactTiles Fitness tiles were installed by specialist flooring company, Johnson Wright. 

Some weight training equipment was bolted to the floor through the TactTiles.  Despite the lack of protective rubber matting in the free weights area, the TactTiles surface is holding its’ own. 

TactTiles meets cost challenge

A Surrey sports hall found the perfect flooring solution – at the perfect price.

Keys Youth Centre at Horley sports hall had an unsealed asphalt floor.  The original polyethylene tile system had failed after several attempts at repair, meaning that the hall was out of use for eighteen months whilst the council searched for a replacement surface that could be sourced within their budget and would be able to adapt to the undulations of the old exterior asphalt playground substrate.

Surrey County Council obtained several quotes for laying a new floor, one of which was into six figures.  TactTiles quoted a fraction of this for its specially designed Multi-Sport solution – this is a specialist floor, which can be used for all sports, from aerobics to rollerblading.

Tact were asked for advice on the problem of the dust created by the old asphalt surface after the old floor had been removed.  Tact sealed the floor surface with Durafloor Fastcure WB coating and then laid highly durable Multi-Sport tiles over the top.  Finally the floor was marked up with a basketball court, four badminton courts and five-a-side football.  The customer is delighted with this most durable solution to their very real problem and, of course, delighted that it came well within their budget.

No Own Goals at Tiger’s Eye              Sports floor information

Tiger’s Eye is a children’s adventure play centre based in Wimbledon, South West London.  Alastair Wilson, Proprietor, decided to rejuvenate an area within the centre with a five-a-side football pitch, to coincide with the World Cup 2006, and the nation’s everlasting love of the beautiful game.

He contacted flooring specialists, Tact Enviro Ltd to discuss his plans.  His main objectives were to install a safe, hardwearing floor covering and which would allow the development of a physically stimulating play/sports area.  With the fast approach of summer holidays, it was also extremely important to have a quick installation, to minimise impact on his business, and indeed, an opportunity to increase revenue.

Tact’s contract team began installation, using TactTile ‘Pedestrian’ in green in an area measuring twenty metres by fourteen metres, with yellow tiles to create a border for the pitch.  In addition, they incorporated a chequered black and white running circuit for children to use for other games and activities.

Not only was installation time impressive - just one day; but the overall cost effectiveness and durability of this application ensures it will be a first class winner every time!

Mr Wilson was delighted with the project, which has opened up the floor area for use for 5 –a- side tournaments, a ‘Diddi’ car track, dance, music and games – something the whole community can enjoy.