ZŠ Plamínkové in Prague has a high-quality wooden floor covering from Sweden in its gymnasium

Students of ZŠ Plamínkové in Prague's Pankrác enjoy their physical education classes on brand new, high-quality flooring from Swedish manufacturer Kährs. As part of a series of renovations that took place at the school, the damaged gym floor was also replaced. The gym is used not only for teaching purposes but also as a training hall for Sokol Vyšehrad and as a playing area for the youngest students and players of the Prague Championship. The original parquet strips, which were glued to the substrate with asphalt, had to be removed. The clean substrate, free of asphalt, underwent thorough treatment with a primer and mechanical leveling with a screed. A vapor barrier was then applied to the leveled substrate, followed by the installation of a 3-layer wooden flooring, Kährs Activity Floor, in an oak decor. The elastic and sturdy floor, with a lacquered surface, is manufactured with a high-quality locking joint Woodloc®, which allowed for the installation of almost 500 m² of flooring in a floating manner. “Thanks to the unique strength of the lock, the flooring could be laid across the entire area in one plane, without the need for interruption by a dilatation joint. Of course, the dilatation joint was maintained around the perimeter walls,” explains Milan Mrkáček, sales representative of Kratochvíl parket profi, s.r.o., the exclusive importer and distributor of Kährs flooring in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. After laying the flooring, the gym was finished with solid oak skirting and line marking for the court.

The original surface consisted of parquet strips interlaid with asphalt
The new flooring installation in the gym at ZŠ Plamínkové was backed by Parkety Wölfel s.r.o., a business partner of KPP. “On the original floor were parquet strips, glued with asphalt. Another layer of parquet strips was also glued with asphalt on top of them,” describes Jiří Král, managing director of Parkety Wölfel, s.r.o., adding: “We had to remove both layers and completely scrape the asphalt from the substrate. Then we used a water-dilutable, eco-friendly two-component epoxy primer Schönox EG, which is ideal for problematic non-absorbent substrates.” After filling the primer with silica sand, the surface was mechanically leveled with Schönox UniPlan self-leveling compound. This product excels in perfect flow, easy connecting, and minimal shrinkage with an optimal balance between sufficient strength and easy sandability. After the leveling compound dried and the evenness and cleanliness of the surface were verified, a vapor barrier was placed on the prepared substrate, and then the installation of the flooring itself could begin.

Kährs Activity Floor for a variety of sports activities
The 3-layer multi-layer sports flooring Kährs Activity Floor features a 3.6 mm thick wear layer made of oak, treated with high-quality UV-cured lacquer. This lacquer is abrasion-resistant and preserves the natural character of the wood. The total structural height of the flooring, even with a reinforcing and shock-absorbing layer, is only 30 mm. The middle layer consists of solid pine wood components, while the underside is covered with spruce veneer. The supporting and reinforcing part of the flooring is 6 mm thick HDF board. Impacts are cushioned by a 9 mm layer of cellular polyethylene/polyether, making the flooring suitable for various sports activities (gymnastics, aerobics, fencing, etc.). In addition to oak, the manufacturer also offers wear layers from beech, Canadian maple, and mocha oak.

High-quality locking joint Woodloc® provides a solid surface without gaps
“The flooring is also equipped with a solid locking joint Woodloc®, which represents new possibilities in the installation of wooden flooring even in larger areas of gyms and sports halls using a floating method,” clarifies Milan Mrkáček from KPP, adding: “The perfect, safe, and tight fit of the Woodloc® locking joint is its another unparalleled advantage. Ingress of dirt into the joints between individual planks is thus perfectly prevented.” Thanks to the unique strength of the lock, the entire area of the gym could be installed in one plane, without interruption by a surface dilatation. The appropriate dilatation around the perimeter walls was, of course, preserved. The Swedish company Kährs was the very first manufacturer of multi-layered wooden floors, introducing this mechanical joint system to the market in 1999. The Woodloc® system revolutionized the market for flooring materials. Wooden floors can be installed completely without the use of glue. The lock ensures a perfect flat connection of individual flooring planks without gaps and accelerates the installation process. The glue-free installation also offers the option to later disassemble the boards and reinstall them in any other place or replace damaged planks.

The correct installation of approximately 480 m² of Kährs sports flooring from Sweden was consulted by representatives of Kratochvíl parket profi with the executing company and continuously supervised the actual implementation. After the flooring was installed, the gym was finished with solid oak skirting, and a multi-purpose court was marked on the flooring for various sports activities conducted at the school. Sports equipment that is used on the floor was cleaned on the underside and reinforced with quality felt to prevent unnecessary scratching of the flooring.
 
Kährs Activity Floor in our country and worldwide
The Swedish manufacturer Kährs has installed the Activity sports flooring in 48 countries, from America to China. It has been tested by dancers, aerobics enthusiasts, boxers, basketball players, and gymnasts from all over the world. Owners of sports halls appreciate the combination of safety with durability and the easy and quick installation of the flooring. For instance, in 2004, the flooring was selected for the European Aerobics Championships held in Rotterdam. The international organization FISAF also chose the flooring during last year's European Fitness and Hip Hop Championship (AQUILA FISAF EUROPEAN FITNESS and HIP HOP CHAMPIONSHIP 2010), which took place in early June in Kladno. This event utilized flooring in beech decor on two areas, a smaller training and the main competition area.

For more information about Kährs Activity Floor, please visit www.kpp.cz or www.kahrs.com.