A Floor For The Fitness Studio - Point Elastic Finish

A floor for the fitness studio: Low emissions, impact sound insulation and, above all, hard-wearing should be in the gym area. This provider uses two studios to demonstrate how individual and yet simple studio operators prepare the best floor for their customers.

Photos: Fürstenhöfer Estrichtechnik GmbH

In the course of the renovation in the Fit Star studios in Fürth, an individual sports floor with a track look was installed. The central challenge for an attractive appearance and long durability as well as a healthy training climate: a concrete subfloor adjacent to the ground and the flooring used.

Barrier and leveling layer

The use of some special processes and materials was required. In a special vacuum extraction process, the cracked and also crack-prone surface was first shot-peened. This system guarantees dust-free processing of the substrate even during operation. After vacuuming, the floor experts closed existing cracks in the subsurface with an odorless, quickly hardening laminating resin and provided them with a tear bandage. In the next step, a synthetic resin primer with a high barrier effect prevents rising moisture from the ground. In addition, this layer could be used as level compensation, i.e. to prepare a flat surface, thus reducing the effort by a separate work step. The specially formulated barrier and compensation layer can be processed even at low (floor) temperatures and maintains its high functionality even with changing temperatures.

A floor for the fitness studio

A self-leveling filler forms the next and last step before the final covering. It is emission-tested according to the principles of the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) and has been awarded the "very low emission" certificate with the GEV-EMICODE EC1 Plus certificate and also meets the high requirements of the "Blue Angel" environmental label. The studio operator, in coordination with Oliver Fürstenhöfer, owner and managing director of Fürstenhöfer GmbH, relies on a linoleum sports floor for the actual covering, the layer that follows and ends with the leveling compound. Its bacteriostatic properties keep the floor particularly hygienic even when sweat accumulates in the highly frequented training area (note: according to recognized laboratories, it even protects against MRSA bacteria). A quick-setting 2-component dispersion cement adhesive with excellent filling capacity and high final strength fixes the covering permanently on the floor so that it is non-slip.

Seal joints

Cityaktiv expanded its studio rooms in Schwabach by a total of 450 square meters. In addition to adapting the desired impact sound-absorbing and joint-protecting floor to the existing surfaces, different altitudes and corresponding joint areas awaited processing by the floor experts.

Existing joint areas were closed by special bandages made of elasticized polyurethane resin. The crack reinforcement system used here relies on the structural advantages of state-of-the-art glass fiber materials. The subsequent priming was carried out with a quick-drying dispersion for absorbent and mineral substrates. "The fact that the primer is very low-emission according to the GEV-EMICODE EC1 Plus certificate and that it complies with the guidelines of the 'Blue Angel' environmental seal and the EPD environmental product declaration for sustainable construction convinced the building owners, as did the short waiting time for further processing," summarized Fürstenhöfer.

Edge joints soiled with old filler, mortar and glue were opened mechanically to ensure the sound-absorbing function and the change in length of the existing, floating screed. Highly functional, moisture-blocking and sound-decoupling edge insulation strips are responsible for this. In a final preparatory shift, the floor layers applied a sustainability-certified cement filler with high-performance plasticizer technology.

Point-elastic end covering

The end covering in Cityaktiv Schwabach is made from floor granulate that is strongly insulated against impact sound: When installed in two layers, the elastic floor covering has increased power loss with additional joint protection thanks to the slight point elasticity. The low light reflection supports a uniform room light and thus creates the best visual training requirements in addition to the acoustic and ergonomic ones.