Carpet Gym Floor Covering Tile Upper Columbia Academy - Spangle, WA

When Upper Columbia Academy in Spangle, Washington, decided convert its gymnasium into a venue for its spring gala, Principal Eric Johnson, knew the existing hardwood gym floor may cause acoustic concerns as well as a less-than-ideal look and feel.

That's when he began researching temporary floor covering that would be more appealing for special events such as this and came across Greatmats' Gym Floor Covering Carpet Tile.

Impressed by their sound deadening qualities, durability and easy installation, Johnson says his school also uses the protective carpet tiles for graduations, parents weekends and concerts.

The carpet tiles get their heaviest traffic during graduations, which typically hosts about 1,000 people in the gymnasium. At the fundraising gala's, they'll place tables and chairs on the protective carpet where they'll feed the approximately 400 people in attendance.

''I worked with our maintenance crew to put them down,'' Johnson said. ''They're simple. They're very easy. We have a complete industrial arts program here, so our students made carts for them. We've got them on six carts, and we've got them stored in the gym. We just wheel them out and take them off and lay them down and pick them up.''

With plenty of help from the students, Johnson says it takes anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to cover approximately 12,000 square feet with the just over 3x6 foot tiles.

While Johnson said the tiles have done a great job protecting the hardwood underneath, that's not the primary purpose for which they purchased the flooring.

''We bought them for aesthetics and the sound deadening,'' Johnson said.

UCA, a private Seventh-day Adventist coeducational Christian boarding school in operation since 1945, draws students from all over the country is well known for its vocal and orchestral music programs, which as produced the likes of international classical singer Thomas Hampson.

And Johnson said, with the new Gym Floor Covering Carpet Tiles, it greatly improves the acoustics in the gymnasium when they are having concerts.
''We've been very pleased with them,'' Johnson said. ''They're great!''

Eric Johnson

Upper Columbia Academy

Spangle WA 99031