Russian Baltic Birch is the wood standard for spring floors. This wood is vastly more durable than traditional plywood. The single layer floor design uses 5/8 inch thick plywood while the two layer floor is two sheets of 3/8th inch. The main difference in this wood is that the baltic birch has a solid core much smaller tolerances (it’s closer to perfection) compared to standard plywoods. There are almost no cracks, knots, holes or gaps in the wood layers as you find with traditional plywood. Standard OSB plywood is excellent for the side of a house however OSB is not built for the powerful impacts from tumbling. Additionally, the 3/8″ birch has 7 plys/layers of wood per sheet, while traditional 3/8″ plywood only has 3 plys/layers. These 7 plys/layers give the birch wood incredible strength and flexibility compared to traditional plywood. You will not see broken boards due to the strength of our spring assemblies.
Spring Assemblies for the spring floor
Springs can be attached with a rivet and a 2.25 inch washer. However this leads to springs coming off and dead spots in the floor. We at Glory and Power use a retainer cap with a clips to hold the spring. This secures the spring. Just as important is the hardware used with the retainer cap to secure the spring to the board. We use a T-nut and grade 5 glued bolts to secure the cap to the board. Some companies will use a screw to secure the cap. However, this can lead to issues later on with with weaker metal in the screw it can shear off or the head can waller out. Some builders may use liquid nails to secure the bolt we use thread-locker to secure the bolt in the t-nut. Under the spring there is an end cap to protect the floor and spring from constant scraping.
1 layer spring floor - Glory and Power does not manufacture this design.
A single layer floor will usually be made with 5/8″- 3/4″ thick plywood and use H-channels and straps to lock the boards together. Channels tend to move around, which is the downside. As a result, you will end up with soft spots over time as they shift out of place. This can also lead to boards shearing or breaking. Older athletes, especially male teenagers, will be able to break this floor apart over time.
Additionally, the straps can stretch and allow the floorboards to slowly shift. A single layer spring floor will not stay square over a period of time and gaps may form. Every so often, you may have to adjust the floor system and tighten the straps.
2 layer Birch Spring Floors
The Glory and Power 2 layer birch design uses a top layer of wood to cover up the seams of the bottom layer and to hold the floor together. The top board protects the cantilever of the bottom layer (the part of the board that sticks out past the spring at the edge of the board). Typically, 3/8th or 1/2 inch bottom layer is used with with a 3/8th to 1/2″ top layer.
Spring Floor Basics-Next Steps
Traditional plywood floors are the next step up from OSB. Over time, OSB or Chipboard spring floors will break up because of the lack of flexure. This wood is extremely weak and not ideal for spring floors. Standard plywood is more expensive but is dramatically stronger than OSB. Solid panel Plywood has a better ability to flex without breaking apart like OSB. Typically there are a lot of knots, gaps, and cracks within the wood, which weaken it over time, causing the floor to break apart. Although it won’t break as quickly as OSB, you will tend to have broken boards every 2-3 years.
Russian Baltic Birch is the new wood standard for spring floors. This wood is more expensive than traditional plywood, but the life-span is much longer due to its excellent construction. The single layer uses 3/4 inch thick wood while the two layers uses 2 layers for 3/8th. The main difference in this wood is that the birch is a very clean and flexible wood.
