Sprung Flooring : What is it and When is the Best Time to Use it [UPDATED]

Sprung flooring is a type of flooring construction commonly used in activities where specific properties such as shock absorption and energy return are desirable. This is to help reduce injuries that may occur from repeated impact like gymnastics. 

In dance and fitness, you need a floor that has the right level of traction as well as good feedback. It should absorb impact as you move and create a good flow. All of this helps to enhance performance and allow a person to work at an optimum level. 

A good sprung flooring system helps to absorb shock and give a softer feel to the movement. It also plays a big role in the aesthetic of a studio. You can choose between wood and vinyl sprung flooring. If you’re designing a dance or yoga flooring and you’re looking for a particular style, you may lean to a wood finish, but we’ll get to that later. 

Typically, a sprung flooring consists of a damp-proof foam membrane, one or two layers of flexible material and a top layer of material. Generally, the top layer is vinyl or wood. High-quality sprung flooring should be slip-resistance, shock-absorbent, and provide plenty of traction and energy return. 

The idea with a sprung flooring system is that you choose a surface suitable for the activity. For example, shock absorption is equally important in specific sports such as basketball and volleyball as well as dance disciplines, though ball related games also look for qualities such as ball bounce, rebound and speed. Sprung floors are designed with certain features in mind to support specific activities and reduce the risk of injury from those movements. 

Safety, performance, and durability are all essential characteristics of sports flooring. Here are four ways to use sprung flooring in your next project. 

If you dance regularly on concrete or on a surface that directly sits on concrete, it can have a massive effect on your body’s impact on the ground. This means that over time, you can develop fatigue and are more likely to develop things like shin splints, knee issues and lower back problems. 

It’s so important to install a sprung wood flooring solution in a dance and gymnastic settings. On top of the protection it provides to the body, wood sprung flooring has a fantastic and professional finish that enhances the look and feel of your studio.

Wooden sprung flooring is one of the top choices for dance and gymnastic studios. It provides the right level of bounce and feedback that dancers need to perform at their best. 

Customer Feedback:

"I had the Boen Actiflex wood flooring installed in my new Dance Studio and it has surpassed my expectations. Not only does it look amazing, my dancers have given their seal of approval. They have commented on how good it feels underfoot which makes a massive difference for long rehearsals. What a boost it has given us!"

Sprung flooring is suitable for sports centres and community halls. Often, you don’t tend to look at the flooring when visiting your local sports centre, but the majority of leisure facilities use sprung flooring. This is because it creates the right foundation for a range of activities such as football, badminton, and more. 

Sports centres usually require a versatile flooring solution so that they can cater to a wider user base. Sprung flooring features multiple layers of material to create a bouncy yet firm surface with good energy return, to maximise functionality and space. Community halls and sports centres are more likely to welcome a range of fitness and non-fitness activities, including market stalls, dancing, physical education, and gym sessions. 

If you’re looking to update a school gym and sports hall, a sprung flooring system is a simple and efficient solution. School sports halls need to cater for multiple activities including circuits, football, badminton, dance, the occasional exam, and even parent’s evening. By creating the safest environment possible, you can craft a versatile facility that has multiple applications. 

A school gym or sports hall often has many uses, so it needs to be long-lasting, easy to maintain, and durable. The right flooring should last for years to come. In a school and exercise environment, floors can quickly get dusty and muddy from outside shoes. Sprung flooring is low maintenance with a simple installation process. 

When it comes to sprung flooring, generally, you have two options: a wood or vinyl finish. In the majority of cases, the best choice depends on your main activity or personal preference. The two feature a slightly different design in terms of the number of layers. Let’s break it down.

Sprung Wood Sports Flooring is the most popular type of indoor sports surface and is made up of foam and clips or a special batten undercarriage system.  Boen Sport is one of the most widely used sprung wood flooring suppliers in the UK and Europe and provides floor solutions for both schools and universities to professional training centres and sports arenas.  Find out more about their products here

One of the best qualities about wood flooring is that it can be sanded and resealed several times meaning the floor's lifecycle is longer than other floor types.  The engineered wood is also compatible with underfloor heating and will not react to changing temperatures or conditions, like some solid wood products.

Another option is sprung sports vinyl flooring. It features a foam layer with glass fibre reinforcement and a top polyurethane (PUR) layer. Vinyl sprung flooring is slip resistance with excellent durability suitable for various sports, dance, and fitness. Sprung vinyl flooring is available in different thicknesses, colours and finishes including oak wood effect, grey, green, and orange. 

Vinyl flooring is simple to maintain and has more options in terms of finish than wood options although it is not quite as durable as tradtional floor solutions which can be treated to remove age marks and wear.

The main difference between the vinyl and wood sprung flooring is the installation process. Although both feature innovative installation designs, they do differ slightly. The wood flooring features a 5G click system which does help to speed up the installation process slightly. But the best choice really depends on how you plan to use your facility and the type of movements you’re looking to support. 

In summary:

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re opening up a dance studio or looking for a new flooring solution for your local sports centre, sprung flooring is essential for optimal safety and peformance.  Both athletes and dancers need to perform on a surface that has plenty of shock-absorption, traction, and good energy return therefore a sprung floor system is required to prevent injury and enhance game play.

Choosing between a wood or vinyl surface is purely down to personal preference or the preference of a specific club or sport.  Wood is a more traditional choice which can last for many years with vinyl being the versatile and more contemporary option, although both materials are equally good for both sports and dance. 

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