You’re watching a basketball game and right in the middle of the court is a massive school mascot. It might stretch across dozens of maple boards. The colors are sharp. The edges look perfect. From the stands, it almost looks like one enormous graphic was printed and dropped onto the floor. But how does a logo that large actually get onto a hardwood basketball court? It takes a little more than a really big paintbrush. It Starts With the Hardwood Before there’s a logo, letter

When you look at a basketball court, you see hardwood. Maple boards. Painted game lines. A center-court logo. A glossy finish. But that’s only the part you’re supposed to see. Underneath that beautiful hardwood surface is an entire flooring system—and depending on the court, what’s hiding below the maple can be surprisingly complex. So what’s actually underneath a basketball court? Let’s take a look. A Basketball Court Isn’t Just Hardwood on Concrete One of the biggest miscon

Look at a hardwood basketball court almost anywhere in America—from a high school gym to a major college arena or professional facility—and chances are you’re looking at maple. But why? There are plenty of hardwood species available. Oak is everywhere. Other woods can be incredibly durable. And modern flooring manufacturers have more options than ever. Yet when it comes to hardwood basketball courts, maple continues to dominate. The characteristics of hard maple make it parti

A leaking roof. A broken pipe. A sprinkler malfunction. A spilled cooler. Water tracked in from outside. Water and hardwood basketball courts meet more often than you might think. Sometimes it’s a small spill that gets cleaned up immediately. Other times, someone walks into a gym in the morning and discovers water covering part of the court. That’s when the big question comes: Is the basketball court ruined? Not necessarily. But when water reaches a hardwood athletic floor, t

When you watch a professional basketball game, the hardwood underneath the players probably looks pretty simple. Maple flooring. Painted lines. A center-court logo. But a professional basketball court is anything but simple. From the hardwood itself to the subfloor system, custom graphics, finishes, installation, maintenance, and sometimes portability, there is a lot more underneath an elite basketball court than most people ever see. So, how much does an NBA basketball court

If you watch basketball long enough, you’ll see it. A player bends down, wipes a hand across the bottom of each shoe, and gets right back into the game. It happens in high school gyms, college arenas, and at the professional level. But why do basketball players do it? The simple answer is traction. The more interesting answer has a lot to do with the basketball court underneath their feet. It’s All About Grip Basketball requires constant stopping, cutting, pivoting, jumping,

You know what your basketball court is supposed to look like. So when the floor starts looking yellow, amber, or noticeably darker than it used to, you probably have a few questions. Why is this happening? And more importantly: Can it be fixed? A change in color does not necessarily mean your basketball court is damaged beyond repair. There are several reasons hardwood floors can change appearance over time, and figuring out what is causing the change is the first step. 1. Th

For a lot of schools and athletic facilities, basketball season may come and go, but the gym never stops being busy. There are still practices, camps, tournaments, PE classes, graduation, assemblies, volleyball, community events, and everything else that finds its way into a busy gym. Your basketball court may not be hosting games every night, but the floor is still being used. So what should you be doing between basketball seasons? Take a Look at the Floor The time between b

If your basketball court needs to be refinished, one of the first questions you probably have is: How long will our gym be out of commission? That’s a fair question. For schools, colleges, athletic facilities, and professional organizations, a basketball court is rarely used for just one thing. Practices, games, tournaments, PE classes, events, and other activities must all be scheduled around the gym. So when the floor needs work, timing matters. The problem is that there is

You know your basketball court. You know how it normally feels under your shoes. The traction, the sound of a player cutting across the floor, the way the ball bounces, and the way the surface looks under the lights. So when players suddenly start slipping, sliding, or losing their footing, something has changed. But what? A slippery basketball court is not just frustrating. Poor traction can affect how athletes move, change the way they play, and create an unnecessary safety

At Professional Floor Systems (PFS) , we believe every basketball court flooring project should inspire greatness, and when you’re working with the Boston Celtics , the standard couldn’t be higher. We were honored to provide a portable basketball court floor using Aacer Sports Flooring for the Celtics, delivering a professional floor system designed to perform at the highest level of competition. Whether it’s for a special event, a temporary arena, or a high-profile showc