Hardwood / Maple

Hardwood maple requires controlled humidity (45–65% RH) and temperature to prevent expansion, contraction, and warping. In India, this means an air-conditioned indoor hall is mandatory. Without HVAC, wood floors in coastal, high-humidity, or extreme-temperature locations will suffer warping and gap formation. For facilities with proper climate control, maple performs excellently.

Solid maple is 22mm thick planks of pure maple hardwood. Engineered hardwood uses a thin maple veneer (3–5mm) bonded over plywood core layers — this is much more dimensionally stable in variable humidity. Engineered hardwood is recommended for most Indian installations as it tolerates humidity variation much better than solid maple, at a lower cost.

A maple floor needs resanding (machine sanding of the entire surface to remove scratches and level the surface) every 5–10 years depending on use intensity. Resanding restores the surface to near-new condition. The finish coat (polyurethane lacquer) needs reapplication every 2–3 years. Daily maintenance involves damp mopping and dust-mopping.

Yes — multi-sport line markings in different colours are painted on the maple floor. A typical FIBA/FIVB hall will have basketball (orange/yellow lines), volleyball (blue/red lines), handball (black lines), and sometimes badminton (white or red lines) all on one floor. Only one sport is played at a time and the full line set is always visible.

A sprung floor system has shock-absorbing elements (springs, rubber pads, or resilient foam) between the hardwood surface and the concrete slab. This 'spring' reduces the impact forces on players' legs and feet. FIBA requires that all Levels 1 and 2 basketball floors have a minimum shock absorption of 25% per EN 14808. NBA courts use elaborate spring systems under the maple.