Sport Specific Skate Flooring

Times Change and we changed with them

Towards the end of 2019, we moved our rink into the 21st Century with our new gold standard flooring, after years of research and testing. Find out more below.

Change can be challenging and costly, and there was much to consider, given our tradition of Epoxy Coated Concrete.  What encouraged us to reconsider?

FYI: Specialist skating floors have a variety of brand names like Skate Court, Ice Court, Sports Court, Stilmat and others. In the same way that the brand “Rollerblade(s)” became the common name for “inline skates” we will refer to the special polymer tiles by the name commonly used in our industry as Sport Court, as that is how most people we know refer to the product.

LOOKING FOR WHICH WHEELS TO USE? CLICK HERE

Sport Court Flooring is faster and offers better cornering than old-school concrete-epoxy floors, for both inline and roller skates.  ALL NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL hockey competitions, in Australia, and anywhere else in the world, are on sports court flooring,  and similarly, many elite level flat-track roller derby comps use the same flooring, all over the US and Europe.

The “new age” flooring keeps a more consistent grip and roll throughout the year and is less affected by humidity (that makes concrete floors very slippery, and which is a problem for many Australian roller rinks). We were possibly the only rink in Australia that re-coated the epoxy surface every single year, whereas some or most rinks do it every few years, and the quality and performance, for the level of competition we have at out centre, is far superior now than with the old epoxy surface.

Our style of sports court does not shed powdery residue, and in our tests, outperformed concrete-epoxy, concrete-urethane, concrete-paving-paint, and urethane or varnish finished wood floors.Quads on court derby on skate tilesOur sports court flooring is not as abrasive as urethane floors, which can “burn” skaters if they fall, or wear out their wheels at a much faster rate. (The Urethane used on concrete or wood floors has a “short life” leading to quality and consistency issues several times a year, requiring maintenance frequently, and going from too grippy to too slippery, in many places.)

Any falls on the polymer (sport-court-type flooring) tend to be less impactful than on concrete floors.  The material provides both real and psychological advantages on novices’ perceptions regarding “what if” situations.

Sports court floors are not affected (at least at our centre) by expansion joints or “saw cuts” common on concrete floors, or the loosening of floorboards, or fillers used in either of the latter.  During times of rapid temperate changes and seasonal rain or humidity variations, we sometimes needed to repair expansion joints 3-4 times per week, and a full resurfacing required us to close for at least a week, and even then, we couldn’t quite get the consistency we achieved with sports court.
Inline Championship BarcelonaIn closing, it may also be important to note that not only does our skating community like the changes, they enjoy the responsiveness of the floor, and the saving on equipment (wheels, etc.) that the polymer offers.  Incidentally, our general attendance (outside of COVID lockdowns) has increased by well over 30% since we introduced the sport court flooring, and we believe that the majority of people have voted with their feet (or skates rather!) in support of the changes we have made.Speed on court championshipsWe hope you enjoy it too!

MORE INFORMATION & CONTACT
Please call with enquiries or for Party Bookings – 0411 335544
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If you would like to know the types of wheels that may best suit your needs, for (1) roller skates or for (2) inline skates (rollerblades) please refer to the pictographs below.

WHEELS for Roller Skates what hardness to use

WHEELS for  inline roller skates - rollerblades - which hardness to use

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