|
  |
|
|
How Gym lines are created
By Franklyn Gallup of I Teach Wood Floors
I learned the wood flooring business by working with a company which resurfaced gym floors. I was always fascinated with the process of putting new games lines on. Most gym floors get screened and recoated with two coats of new finish every year during summer vacation. That's why when kids come back from summer vacation the gym floor looks awesome. After 15 years there is a buildup of 30 coats of finish. The company I worked for sanded all 30 coats off including the lines. Most of the dings and scratches are gone and a new surface of maple flooring is exposed. For all intents and purposes it is a brand new floor. Once the gym floor is sanded smooth two coats of sealer are applied. The first coat of sealer has to thoroughly dry before the second coat is applied. The first coat is lightly screened with a buffer to remove any roughness and to etch the first coat so the second coat has something to grab onto. This etching process creates a physical bond as well as a chemical bond between the coats. After the two coats of sealer are dry the fun begins. The floor is lightly screened and cleaned. The floor is cleaned with mineral spirits and once the solvent is dry the lining process begins. Careful understanding of the rules of each game are important for proper placement of the lines. Most lines are 2 inches wide so knowing whether the measurement is to inside painted edge or outside of the painted line is critical. Less important games often have 1 inch lines and are of a lighter color so as not to stand out as much as say the major basketball court or the practice basketball courts. Usually Volleyball is considered a major court and has a 2 inch line. If the games lines are to be the same as previous lines, 2 small holes are put in the old lines with a nail set approximately 5 and 6 inches away from the end of the lines in both direction. These holes are centered on the line and are deep enough to remain after the sanding. Two line people on each end of the line hold a string under their foot and pull the string very tight so that the line lines up with the marks. A third person uses a machine called a lining machine. This machine has wheels similar to a roller skate only the front 2 wheels are wider. It has a flat board going up about 18 inches ending in a handle like a hacksaw handle. Two spindles come out on each side of the board to hold blue 3/4 inch masking tape. There are guides that adjust from a 1 inch to 4 inch depending on the width of the line required. A pointer folds down on the front of the machine. The operator of the lining machine straddles the line and walks from on side of the gym to the other following the string line. In the case of 2 inch lines this leaves 2 straight parallel strips of 3/4 inch tape which are exactly 2 inches apart. The linemen move the string and the lining machine operator returns in the oposite direction. This process continues until all the tape for the lines is done in one direction. Then the process moves 90 degrees and all the lines in the other direction are done. Someone starts following with a razor knife and cuts the tape so there are no overlaps. Once all the straight lines are done two people go and lay tape for the circles and 3 point line. Everyone else grabs a paint brush and paints a different color. Each different color represents a different game. Major basketball is usually black or the school color. Every gameline stops when it hits a major basketball line. Practice basketball is often red and are the basketball courts usually used for gym class. Every other gameline stops when it intersects either major basketball or practice basketball. This priority of lines continues down to the least important game. Solid keys and center are just painting the rectangles formed inside the keys by the tape a solid color. Once all the lines are painted and before the paint totally dries the tape is removed and the games lines remain. Two coats of new finish are applied over the new lines once they are dry and the whole two coats a year process starts all over. |
Salvaging gym floors..Is it worth it?
PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
The copyright for this content entitled "How Gym lines are created" has been specified by the contributor as:
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Details 
This content may be copied, distributed, and modified, as long as a) it's for non-commercial purposes, b) the original author is acknowledged with a link back to the content page, and c) if the work is modified, the result is distributed with this same license.
If you use this content according to the license specified, you must link to the following URL:
http://biblefreeorg.qondio.com/
|
 |
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
