Are you ready for March Madness? Regardless of which teams you want to see in the Final Four, there is one thing that will definitely make it there: beautiful, hand-crafted hardwood flooring. In fact, gym floors are a vital part of basketball that are often overlooked. Want to browse through different styles of these type of floor? Check out our Pinterest board.

March Madness: Creating Gym Floors for the Final Four

From harvesting the wood in Wisconsin to hand painting the basketball floors' logos in Ohio, this video gives you an inside look at the entire process:

2012 NCAA Final Four Basketball Court Story from Jack Gruber on Vimeo.

As you can see in the video, a lot of time and effort is put into these hand-made basketball floors. Extra time was even added to the timeline several years ago when the NCAA decided logos needed to be painted on for this event instead of just using vinyl logos, which are common in regular games (coaches complained players were slipping on the surface).

As the Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee explains, "Getting a floor in proper shape is not done quickly…besides the sanding and the sealing, the lines and the logos have to be painted. And this being an NCAA-sponsored event, the NCAA is particular about the details." If the paint color is off by just a small amount, the NCAA rejects the hardwood flooring; attention to detail is important.

Finishing Basketball Floors in the Home

March Madness isn't the only place you may come across hand-crafted gym floors. In fact, some homeowners even choose to install basketball floors in their home. If you do need to finish this type of hardwood flooring, we'd suggest using Bona Sport Finish or Bona Traffic. Both are good quality, although the Sport Finish is significantly less expensive and not quite as durable.

Hand-Crafted Hardwood Flooring for the Masses

Not sure if gym floors are the best fit for your home? Not to worry! There is a wide variety of hardwood flooring options for those that want meticulous attention to detail, even if the final product isn't destined for March Madness or your in-home basketball floors. Come visit our showroom to learn about species, styles and patterns that would be a good fit for you! Make sure you contact us for a free in-home estimate, too.

Photo Credit: bradleypjohnson