So today I got curious about school gym floors after tripping on one. Yeah, totally ate it during pickup basketball. Got me thinking: what even are these bouncy floors made of? Took me down a rabbit hole.
The Starting Point
First thing I did was poke around my nephew’s middle school gym after hours. Knocked on that sucker – sounded hollow but kinda springy. Smelled like… chemicals? Not wood at all. Weird.
Hands-On Investigation
Grabbed my toolbox and went full detective mode:
- Scraped a hidden corner with my pocket knife – no wood splinters, just weird layers
- Tried burning a tiny sample with my lighter – melted like plastic instead of charring
- Called my contractor buddy Dave who installs these – he laughed at me for 5 minutes straight
The Dirty Truth
Dave schooled me hard. Turns out gym floors are giant sandwiches:
- Bottom layer: Concrete slab (thought it was dirt under there!)
- Middle part: Cushy rubber foam blocks – explains why my knees don’t explode when I jump
- Top surface: Fake wood vinyl planks glued together – feels like wood but won’t warp when kids spill Gatorade
Reality Check
Got super excited thinking I could DIY my garage floor like this. Dave crushed my dreams:
- Installation hell: Requires laser leveling and industrial glue machines
- Maintenance nightmare: Gotta polish it with crazy chemicals twice a year
- Price tag shock: Costs more than my whole car per square foot
The Final Verdict
School gyms? Not wood. Basically fancy plastic sandwiches floating on foam blocks. Makes total sense why they feel like trampolines when you’re running. Still pissed I can’t put one in my man cave though.
