HOW TO USE FLOOR GRAPHICS TO TAKE YOUR BASKETBALL COURT TO ANOTHER LEVEL

JUNE 15, 2020| SpeedPro Silver Spring

If you host basketball games, whether it be on the youth, high school, college or professional level, you know how important it is to brand your environment with sports graphics. Floor graphics are an excellent addition to any space and are especially useful to basketball teams whose fans look at the court throughout the entire game. Instead of a boring, personality-less court, floor graphics give viewers a much more attractive backdrop during a game.

As you consider adding floor graphics to your court, learn more about what floor graphics are, how you can choose the best ones for your court and why you need to install them properly.

WHAT ARE FLOOR GRAPHICS?

You’re probably already familiar with floor graphics for basketball courts. Just turn on the TV and watch a college or pro game. Floor graphics are simply decals placed on floors, often containing branded images, text and designs to help improve the appearance of a space or market a product. Since they will be installed on the ground, floor logo decals are designed to be walked on and handle the various environmental hazards associated with being placed on a floor.

You’ll often see the custom floor graphics at the center of the court, but you can also often see them in the images around the baskets. Another common location for these graphics will be in the area between the three-point line and half-court. Besides graphics on the court, you can also see floor advertising decals throughout arenas, directing fans to the team store or concession areas.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FLOOR GRAPHICS

As you look to upgrade your court’s appearance with custom floor graphics, you’ll need to develop criteria for finding the best indoor floor decals for your court. These are some of the top factors organizations and schools consider when choosing floor graphics for their courts:

• Materials: Most basketball courts are made out of specialty hardwood. As a result, you’ll need specialty wood floor graphics designed to go on the hardwood without damaging it. One material that is both compatible with hardwood and durable enough to handle the pressures of basketball games is cast vinyl combined with an anti-skid laminate coating and a strong adhesive layer.
• Branding ability: You’ll also want to make sure your floor graphics can brand your arena appropriately. Any floor decal you choose should capture the spirit of your team, whether that’s through team colors, identifiable imagery or whatever else fans associate with your team. Since your floor graphics will send a message about your team, you want that message to fit your team’s personality and culture.
• Visual appeal: Besides being on-brand, any floor graphic you select should look good and reproduce every detail of your design, ensuring a high-quality image your team is proud to display. Additionally, the floor logo decals you select should be able to facilitate all of the colors you use, matching team colors exactly, so there aren’t any visual inconsistencies in the arena.
• Size: Before you install any decals, you should figure out how large you want your decals to be. Since fans will be watching from the bleachers or even the rafters in bigger arenas, it’s important that the graphics are large enough for them and anyone watching from home to see clearly. Be sure you select a printer that can handle a large image, keeping it at a high resolution in the printing process.

INSTALLING YOUR FLOOR GRAPHICS SAFELY

After choosing the design for your court, you should know how to install the decals safely. Since athletes will be running across them hundreds of times during a game, you want to make sure the decals don’t cause any injuries. Improper installation can lead to uneven and slippery surfaces, putting players running at full-tilt at serious risk of injury. Improperly installed graphics are also more likely to become damaged, making your court unattractive.

To improve the safety of your court, anyone installing your custom floor decals should follow the top floor graphic safety tips listed below:

• Clean the installation area: Before applying your new floor graphics, you must clean and dry the installation area. If you don’t clean, you are more likely to apply your floor graphics unevenly and damage them during the application process. Additionally, if you vacuum or wax the surface during the cleaning process, it’s a good idea to wait 24 to 48 hours after doing so before you apply the graphics.
• Don’t install on floor end joints: It’s important not to place your decals on the floor end joints, although these joints are unlikely on a hardwood court. Decals applied onto wood laminates often pucker when placed even on the most shallow of end joints. This puckering causes the wood floor decal’s surface to become bumpy, increasing the chances of someone tripping and injuring themselves.
• Use a squeegee to install: As you apply your indoor floor decals onto the court, use a squeegee. The tool will help you stop any air pockets from forming during the installation process. Failing to secure your decals tightly can cause premature peeling, bringing along safety concerns for any floor, but especially a basketball court. With a squeegee, it’s much easier to prevent air pockets by placing smooth and continuous pressure on the decals while placing them.
• Add laminates: One of the best things you can do to ensure your floor logo decals hold up over time and provide a safe surface to play on is to apply laminates to them. Appropriate matte masks and laminates protect decals against people running across them and any liquids that come into contact with them, like water or sweat. Additionally, laminates keep players safe by reducing the chances a decal becomes slippery.

CHOOSE SPEEDPRO FOR ALL YOUR FLOOR GRAPHICS NEEDS

If you’re in the market for floor graphics for your basketball court, you’ve come to the right place. Let us turn your vision into a reality; please call us at 301.804.6356. A consultation is always complimentary.