St Francis of Assisi Catholic College in Walsall, needed to replace their existing flooring in their main sports hall, in order to cater for the demanding needs at the facility, they would specify an Olympic pedigree indoor sports surface. The sports flooring solution that would need to deliver in terms of its safety, comfort, and performance for all of its users and there could not be any compromise in its suitability for various sports and multi-purpose activities.
The new installation also required an extremely fast turnaround, and the desired sports floor would need to be the best-in-class quality. International flooring specialist Gerflor would in turn supply 650m2 of their world class Taraflex® Multi-Use vinyl sports flooring in Light Grey (Concrete) to complete the refurbishment project to the highest standards.
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic College is a mixed Roman Catholic secondary school in Walsall, England. The school has approximately 1,100 pupils on roll of which around 110 attend the sixth form (years 12 and 13). The philosophy is very much about providing as many opportunities for students as possible, to enable each and every child to make positive progress, as well as encouraging healthy active lifestyles for all pupils.
Chris Newey, Gerflor Specification Area Sales Manager, West Midlands said, “The existing sports hall floor was in desperate need of refurbishment. The new Concrete effect Taraflex has transformed the look of the hall from a dated school sports hall to a fresh and very modern look.”
The management and procurement process would be the responsibility of the Schools Site Manager Bernie McNally who is a former professional footballer for West Bromwich Albion and has also pulled on the green jersey for his home country Northern Ireland…so he should know a thing or two about sports performance and playing surfaces!
Bernie McNally said, “We needed to replace the old sports hall floor through necessity, as it was just concrete. We managed to view the Gerflor Taraflex sports flooring online and through our contacts at other schools, who highly recommended that we specify Gerflor’s Taraflex Multi- Use vinyl sports flooring which would give us the option of using our sports hall for both various sports activities as well as a raft of non-sports activities.”
The installation of the new Taraflex® Multi-Use floor would be undertaken by the Solihull-based FLR Group. With over 40 years’ experience in providing flooring for schools, FLR Group can transform any classroom, corridor, sports hall, toilets, and assembly hall to the highest standards.
Adam Kaid, Contracts Manager, FLR Flooring said, “We had an email enquiry which prompted the process of sourcing the correct flooring for the school. Gerflor have some of the best options and varieties out there and we are always extremely confident in the quality of their products.” Adam Kaid went on to further add, “We completed the project in just six days with three fitters meeting the project requirements for a quick refurbishment.”
On user experience of the Taraflex® floor Bernie McNally went on to add, “We have received exceptional positive feedback from our teachers, students and outside users hiring the Gym at night. The Taraflex sports flooring is so much more comfortable and safer under foot for our students and other users at the facility.”
The Taraflex® Multi-Use sports floor installed at St Francis of Assisi Catholic College is a P1 category sports flooring, designed with both sport and non-sport use in mind, making it ideal for multi-purpose areas. Taraflex® Multi-Use protects users with excellent shock absorption and impact protection of 25% to 35% (complies with EN Standard 14904). It’s also hard wearing enough to protect itself against non-sport demands often found in many demanding education environments, such as the movement of tables, chairs, and exercise equipment. This is due to improved indentation resistance and recovery through Gerflor’s new innovative CXP HD+ foam technology. This versatile Multi-Use sports flooring is available in nine wood-effect and six concrete-effect designs and four solid colours.
The Gerflor Taraflex® Multi-Use flooring was installed over an Isolsport membrane which allowed the flooring to be fitted quickly and with minimal preparation to the substrate, where the new Taraflex® flooring could be laid straight over the old floor with no extra uplift costs.
As with most new installations these days, the ever-present requirement for providing a sustainable flooring solution rest with the manufacturers to produce products that address the needs of the planet head-on.
In higher education facilities such as St Francis of Assisi Catholic College many decisions are made with the well-being and development of students in mind. Using flooring products that are sustainable, suitable, and fit for purpose is a crucial element of the specification process. The Taraflex® Multi Use installed at St Francis of Assisi Catholic College is made from 100% post manufacturing recycled waste, easily allying itself with this eco driven requirement. International flooring specialist Gerflor is a worldwide credible supplier of a complete range of eco responsible sports flooring solutions for a host of college and university environments.
Adam Kaid also said, “The new Taraflex sports flooring is exceeding our expectations. We very often specify Gerflor products and will continue to do so as they are easy to lay and produce exceptional results for our clients.”
Bernie McNally also commented, “We would most definitely choose Gerflor’s Taraflex sports flooring again. We were extremely pleased with the final installation, it was fast to fit and very cost effective, this perfectly suited our school’s urgent needs.”
Chris Newey concluded, “The end users at the college will benefit from increased performance and a much higher level of added safety. The Taraflex sports surface will be much easier to maintain for many years to come, which makes it much more sustainable when compared with alternative types of sports surfaces.”
Bernie McNally ended by saying, “We are delighted with the results and how less intrusive Gerflor’s Taraflex sports flooring was to fit, against digging concrete out which would have been a lengthy, costly, and messy process. Our Headmaster is really impressed with the new Taraflex sports floor, which is performing really well and also looks amazing, the before and after pictures speak for themselves.”
Taraflex® Indoor Sports Surfaces Overview
Taraflex® sports flooring has been fitted at every Olympic Games since 1976. Approved by many National and International governing bodies as a world class sports surface, it is also widely installed within the education, community, leisure, health, and fitness sectors. Taraflex® is ideal for new build projects and refurbishments and is extremely durable and cost effective to maintain. Over 6 million pupils everyday enjoy the benefits of Taraflex® sports flooring as it delivers a versatile range that can be used for various multi-specialist applications.
Taraflex® is treated with Protecsol®, which renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required, it contributes to easy maintenance and is anti-friction burn and slide/grip. Meanwhile, surface reinforcement which delivers durability and abrasion resistance is provided by a D-Max fibreglass grid.
The flooring offers maximum hygiene with bacteriostatic and a fungistatic treatment and comes with the Triple Action Protecsol® surface treatment which provides easy maintenance, friction protection and ‘intelligent’ sliding coefficient.
Sport can play a huge part in student life. With a complete range of shock absorption P1/P2/P3, Taraflex® sports floors from Gerflor, deliver the right solution every time whether it is for exercise or play for all ages and ability.
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 03332 412901, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visit www.gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.
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