Bredon School Sports hall line markings lasted a quarter of a century

There is nothing we like better than being asked by a school to quote for remarking our own lines, we find masking them is a lot easier.

We marked the lines on the then new Taraflex Sport M vinyl floor at Bredon School in 1995 and this Easter the Assistant Bursar - Estates contacted us as he wanted to freshen up the sports hall and discuss ways this could be done. We met Bran on site and went through the 3 options with quotations and specifications for each for him to discuss with the Bursar.

Option 1 was a new floor if they had the budget and wanted to have the latest new Taraflex floor with improved Impact resistance complete with factory applied coatings to make maintenance and movement over the surface easier.

Option 2 at half the price was to recoat the floor with Pure colour PU coatings (any new colour could be chosen) new lines and a clear sports coating to look like a new floor + improve the maintenance and sliding characteristics (but not the impact resistance).

Option 3 was to deep clean the floor using the best Rotowash cleaning machinery, replace the missing welds and remark the lines for a fresher looking floor with new bright lines.

It was decided on option 3 and Estates chose to clean and rinse the floor themselves as they had a Rotowash machine and were happy they could follow our spec for deep cleaning. Estates also repainted the walls of the sports hall from green to blue to complete the revitalisation of the sports hall in the most economical way and working together i think you will agree that the result is outstanding.

Once the floor was deep cleaned and rinsed, we replaced the 100 linear metres of welds that had gone missing over the years using a Leister hot air welding tool + the Taraflex sport weld in green to match the floor.

Then we masked out the lines, including the old spec basketball lines (zone arms and 3point lines) to be painted in green, mixed carefully to try and match the floor. The rest of the lines were remarked and cricket creases added which had been taped before. Its better to paint all useful lines as tapes deteriorate, wear and then the adhesive picks up dirt - and they can even damage certain floor types if left down too long. The paint we used is Gerflor waterbased 2-pack polyurethane paint, chosen to suit the Taraflex floor + for it’s durability.

We don’t expect all our lines to last 25 years, however it just goes to show that line markings done well with the recommended paint can give great service and life.

Bran, Assistant Bursar - Estates, Bredon School had this to say:

“The floor was originally installed by Biddle Sport 20 years ago. True testament to the quality of products used and attention to detail and workmanship during the installation. This is the first maintenance work undertaken on the floor. Mark and Rosie re-welded the seams and re-lined the games on the floor. It looks fantastic they have done a great job. So as an Estates Manager who works with contractors on a daily basis. I would like to say that working with Biddle Sports to get the specification correct was a pleasure they are knowledgeable, passionate and honest. Costings and designs were returned back at lightning speed. Method statements and risk assessments were all sent prior to the start date. Meticulous throughout the whole process.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this company to anyone in the market for a sports hall floor or seeking an expert to bring an old floor back to life.”