When two top-performing Wakefield schools needed to source high quality flooring for their sports halls they turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor to supply 1300m2 of their world class Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring, together with 1350m2 of Isolsport isolating membrane to complete the refurbishment project. The transformation was completed and the client is delighted with the refurbishment.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School for boys (QEGS) and Wakefield Girl’s School, Wakefield are both something of academic legends.

As one of a family of three schools that make up the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation. At QEGS, ‘sport for all’ is a principle they live and breathe every day. At every level of sport at QEGS, pupils are encouraged to wear the crest and live the values and this philosophy has helped the school to develop an enviable reputation for sporting excellence, with individual and team successes ranging from county to national honours. Countless opportunities for sport exist both within and outside the curriculum and within QED for all ages, interests and abilities, forming an integral part of school life. All pupils can get involved either individually or as part of a team in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Climbing, Cricket, Cross-Country, Fencing, Fitness Training, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Mountain Biking, Rugby, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis and Volleyball.

Similarly, at Wakefield Girls High School (which is part of the same foundation) sport is deemed for everyone, whatever their standard. It’s about the joy of being part of a team, learning critical team working and leadership skills, developing courage and resilience, building an appreciation of fair play, developing a healthy, active lifestyle and giving everyone the freedom to discover and play their favourite sports. After all, the best sportspeople in the world never knew what they were good at, until they gave it a go.

So, it’s no wonder that specifying a sports floor for both schools that could deliver both outstanding performance, comfort and high levels of safety for all users regardless of their ages, and sporting ability would be top of their agenda.

Wayne Andrews, Gerflor Sports Manager North UK said, “I made contact with their Estates department the previous year and they initially required some repairs to the existing granwood floor, so I put them in touch with a local contractor and this issue was temporarily resolved. During this time, we built up a good working relationship and kept in touch.

The following year, it became apparent that a refurbishment was required and a new Olympic pedigree indoor sports surface would enhance the facility even further.

Kent Oliver Estates Manager at Queen Elizabeth Grammar Wakefield said, “We had an urgent need to refurbish our Boys’ and Girls’ tired granwood main sports hall flooring. We engaged with a number of Gerflor’s previous clients, who could not speak highly enough of the quality products installed and the fantastic levels of service provided by the Specification and Technical teams.”

On making the decision to specify Gerflor flooring, Kent Oliver went on to say, “We were in search of a surface that was ideal for a variety of sports. Offering a good level of shock absorption, minimising the force of impact on the body, and reducing long term injury risk. We are delighted with the final results. The surfaces are better performing than the granwood and offer a lot more protection than the previous flooring. Both floors installed are of the highest quality with a superior finish to them.”

On specification, Wayne Andrews also commented,” We proposed an Isolsport overlay with Taraflex Performance onto the existing granwood floor, this  provided a robust solution avoiding high labour costs that would be incurred from the uplifting of the existing granwood floor and also any sub floor preparation costs. The boys and girls sports halls are used by professional players for a wide variety of sports.”

The fitting of the new Gerflor sports floor would be undertaken by one of the country’s leading installers of sports floors. Stockport-based Recreational Coatings Limited has over 30 years’ experience of installing sports surfaces in various prestigious events some of which include the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, World and European events throughout the UK and beyond.

Jed Hill, its Managing Director said, “with a strong reputation to uphold, the school entrusted our team here at Recreational Coatings Limited to overlay the existing granwood floor with a new, high-performance, cushioned surface.” Jed Hill added, “The school had taken the time to find out more about other local Taraflex® installations in other eeducation establishments. Gerflor’s Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring ticked all the boxes for its sport and multi-use requirements. Taraflex® Performance vinyl sports flooring can be specified for a wide range of sporting applications and leisure activities. It has excellent safety, comfort and performance qualities, as well as being available in vibrant colours and realistic wood designs, thus it’s an ideal solution for a vast array of areas.”

Wayne Andrews concluded by saying, “The client is extremely pleased with the final installation. A number of Gerflor people were involved, right from the Specification Team through to high level management who all agreed how important and unique this project was. Kent Oliver, the Estates Manager at the school was very impressed with the service received from Gerflor. In addition to this the impact protection and playability of Taraflex was a big talking point for him.”

Kent Oliver ended by saying, “We would definitely specify Gerflor again. The performance and appearance has surpassed our expectations and we have received nothing but positive feedback from the schools, and other sports hall users. I would also like to add that Wayne Andrews from Gerflor was very knowledgeable and professional during our initial meetings and throughout the entire project.”

Product overview of Taraflex Performance

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 six million children everyday enjoy the benefits of Taraflex® sports flooring as it delivers a versatile range that can be used for various multi-specialist applications.

Taraflex® Performance is available in 17 all over colours and 3 wood-effect designs as standard, with an addition of 110 solid colour options available. It offers a P2 category shock absorbency of 35% to 45%. Taraflex® Evolution is also available in 20 designs as standard and it offers a P1 category shock absorbency of >25%.

Both indoor sports surfaces are treated with the Triple Action Protecsol® surface treatment so that no polish is ever required for the lifetime of the floor.

Taraflex® is a sustainable solution thanks to its unique product construction:

• Indoor air quality – Meeting ISO 16000 standards, it has some of the lowest VOC emissions on the market.
• Energy saving – A colour selection with high light reflectance values assists with lighting energy saving
• Reduced maintenance costs – the Protecsol® surface treatment is the most durable on the market. It ensures minimal maintenance and exceptional sustainability of the product
• Proactive post manufacturing waste management – Use of recycled content in product design and the PVC is also 100% recyclable.
• A second life programme for post installation waste – Re-use of post installation waste and redundant materials
• Selected and responsible raw materials – NO heavy metal, NO solvent, NO formaldehyde, NO substance potentially subject to REACH* restrictions

*REACH is the European regulation on registering, assessing and authorising chemical products within the European Union.

Isolsport is a vinyl isolating membrane, specially designed for sport environments. Its design enables loose laying on sensitive subfloors (risks of humidity, coated) when it is associated with a Taraflex sports floor. The raised effect allows humidity to circulate.

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 visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.