Gym & Basketball Court Restoration

What a court restoration includes

A gym floor takes a beating for decades — years of play, sneakers, folding chairs and moisture leave the finish gray, the boards scratched and the old game lines faded. Restoring the original maple is far cheaper than replacing it, and the results are dramatic. Here's what goes into a full court:

• Deep multi-grit sanding down to bare, raw maple
• Board repair, re-nailing and gap filling
• Regulation game-line layout and masking
• Hand-painted lines, wording and team logos
• Multiple coats of commercial-grade polyurethane
• Full cleanup and cure before the court reopens

Our restoration process, step by step

This is exactly how we restored the basketball court shown below.

1. 1

   Assessment & moisture check

   We inspect the whole floor for cupping, loose or damaged boards, and moisture, then confirm there's enough wood left to sand and lay out the plan for lines, lettering and logos.

2. 2

   Deep sanding to bare wood

   Working through successive grits, we strip off the old gray finish, oxidation and faded lines until we reach clean, raw maple — the foundation for a floor that looks brand new.

3. 3

   Board repair & prep

   Damaged and lifting boards are repaired or replaced, fasteners re-set, and gaps filled. Then the entire court is buffed, tacked and vacuumed dust-free so the finish bonds cleanly.

4. 4

   Game-line layout & masking

   We measure and snap regulation basketball lines — boundaries, the key, three-point arcs and center circle — and carefully mask every line, letter and logo before any color goes down.

5. 5

   Painting the lines, wording & logo

   Using court paints, we paint the lines and hand-paint the custom work in the school's colors — the navy "THE LORGE SCHOOL" wording and the gold-outlined navy "T" center logo you see below — with crisp, clean edges.

6. 6

   Polyurethane finish coats

   Once the paint is fully dry, we seal the whole court under multiple coats of commercial-grade polyurethane. It protects the wood and the painted lines, gives the right sheen and ball response, and stands up to years of play.

7. 7

   Cure & hand-back

   We let the finish cure, do a final walkthrough, and hand back a court that's ready for game day — brighter, smoother and better protected than the day it was built.

The Lorge School — before & after

This gymnasium court came to us gray, scratched and worn, with faded lines and damaged boards. We took it down to bare maple, repaired it, repainted the lines, wording and logo, and sealed it under polyurethane. Same floor — restored.

During the restoration

Hand-painted lines, wording & logo

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Common questions

Can you match our school colors and paint our lettering and logo?

Yes. We lay out regulation game lines and hand-paint custom lettering, center logos and team colors — like the navy-and-gold "THE LORGE SCHOOL" wording and "T" logo on their court — then seal everything under the finish so it lasts.

How long does a gym floor restoration take?

A full court usually runs about one to two weeks, depending on square footage, board repair, line and logo work, and finish cure time. We schedule around summer breaks and holidays to keep the gym available.

What finish do you use on a sports floor?

Multiple coats of commercial-grade polyurethane. It gives the court the right sheen and ball response while protecting the wood and painted lines from heavy traffic for years.

Do you only do basketball courts?

No — Special Services covers custom and large-format sports and institutional floors: gymnasiums, multi-purpose courts, stages and any project that needs sanding, custom line and logo work, and a durable finish. Ask us about yours.