The Purpose Behind Each Padenpor Layer

Poured polyurethane gym floors are meticulously built on site, layer by layer. How well do you know the process?

Think about making your favorite sandwich. You have all your ingredients on the kitchen counter in front of you. Do you carelessly start piling them between two pieces of bread, paying no attention to the order? Maybe if you’re starving, but most of the time you probably think about layers. We all have our preferences: mayo first, then bacon, next lettuce and tomato, then obviously another layer of bacon.

Now what does a Padenpor sports floor have in common with the perfect BLT? The answer is layers. Layers build the optimal experience one component at a time. Flooring layers serve different roles and have a specific order that makes them most effective. Thinking about the layers of a Padenpor floor and understanding the function of each component can help you design better gyms. By the way, if you’re interested in learning about sports floors (and perhaps a BLT too) contact Abacus Sports and schedule a Lunch & Learn for AIA continuing education credit.

Padenpor is “field constructed.” It’s what distinguishes poured polyurethane gym floors from other types of flooring. A field constructed floor is one that is primarily assembled on-site from various components. Let’s imagine we are on a job site and all of our materials are ready to start building the new floor. For the sake of this illustration, let’s assume the concrete subfloor is level and moisture levels are within the acceptable range (if not, that’s an entirely different newsletter). What is our first layer? A recycled rubber base mat.

Rubber Base Mat: The foundation of a Padenpor gym is the rubber base mat. This layer supplies the shock absorption that creates a comfortable playing surface for athletes. It is typically a 4 foot wide, 5 to 9 mm thick roll of post-consumer recycled rubber. The rolls are laid out to cover the subfloor and adhered to the concrete with acrylic adhesive (adhesive types may vary depending on site conditions and the project specifications). The density of the rubber base mat layer can be customized for special circumstances. For example, higher densities might be necessary underneath bleachers or heavy equipment areas of the gym. Once the rubber base mat is installed, we move on to the next layer: the pore sealer.

Pore Sealer: The pore sealer layer is applied over the rubber base mat. Although the purpose of this layer isn’t very mysterious (its function is literally in the name), it couldn’t be more essential. The pore sealer encapsulates the base mat layer, changing its surface from a porous rubber to a nonporous foundation for the remaining poured layers. Next is the all important wear layer.

Wear Layer: The wear layer is a polyurethane coat that is poured onto the surface. This step in the process gives the gym floor its durability and resilience. You might see poured polyurethane floors specified with a shorthand like 7+2. The 2 in this formula is the thickness of the wear layer, and the 7 refers to the thickness of the base layer. With the wear layer installed and cured, there is one final step: the top coat.

Top Coat: With the top coat layer installed, it’s starting to resemble a gym floor.
This layer adds color to the surface. There are numerous color options available in a Padenpor gym. It’s one of the benefits of this type of flooring. However, the top coat serves more than just appearance. This layer is designed to have the optimal amount of surface friction for sports. Surface friction is a property of sports floors that should never be overlooked. It is essential to minimizing sports related injuries; athletes depend on proper surface friction to slide or pivot during a game. It is also critical that surface friction be consistent across the entire area. That’s what the top coat of Padenpor provides.

Game Lines and Graphics: The top coat may sound like the final layer, but we are not quite finished yet. The next step in a Padenpor installation is adding game lines and graphics. Using prepared stencils and specialized paint, installers can add a center court logo that turns an ordinary space into something truly unique. In fact, game lines and graphics on a Padenpor surface have more clarity and precision than other flooring materials. This is largely due to its uniform surface without seams.

That’s it. From the cushion of a rubber base mat, to the foundational pore sealer, to the resiliency of the wear layer, to the optimized playing surface of the top coat, Padenpor is a thoughtfully designed sports surface. Each layer builds a gym floor that will last and perform for years to come. Because it is highly customizable, contact Abacus Sports Installations if you are interested in specifying Padenpor for your next project.