The replacement of the wood gym floor at Weber State University marks an exciting chapter in the University’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art athletic facilities. Engage was tasked with upgrading the Swenson Gym floor so that it can continue to provide the perfect playing surface for the school’s basketball, volleyball and pickle ball teams.
The replacement of the wood floor has posed a few unique challenges that the WSU Engage team has had to overcome. As part of the construction process, the temperature and humidity of the gym has been closely monitored since it is adjacent to the school’s pool. The sub-floor is now installed and the maple has been laid out in a puzzle-like pattern. This process allows time for the wood to acclimate to a new environment before it is nailed down and prevents any buckling. The new floor will then need to be sanded, sealed, painted, and finished to get that final glossy look.
"It is fascinating to see how the sub floor with its sleepers, sheathing, and rubber are engineered to help absorb impacts. This system is very effective at protecting player’s joints from injuries caused by repeated impacts.
We also have found some treasures under the old floor, such as tickets from basketball games dating back to 1972 and 1984."
As a Weber State alumni and project manager, Ryan Fernelius has focused on seeing this project finish. Subcontractors still need to complete preparing the floor so that branding and painting the various court lines can begin before the start of the next semester. The accelerated timeline has been a challenging hurdle, and we couldn’t be more proud of our team’s efforts to complete this project on time and correctly.