Abacus Sports Installations Ltd.

Scope Of Work

St. James School is a private boarding and day school in Hagerstown, MD. The school was founded in 1842 and enrolls 235 students from grades 8-12. The school boasts a rich history, with many notable alumni and annual events such as the St. James Invitational Tournament.

The school decided to completely renovate their main gymnasium in 2019. Instead of choosing a traditional hardwood gym floor, St. James opted for vinyl sports flooring. This unique decision is what got Abacus involved in their project. Tarkett’s Omnisports vinyl was the sports flooring selected for the gym, and Abacus was picked to install it.

They chose vinyl because of its cost-effectiveness, practicality, and design. Sports vinyl requires less maintenance than classic hardwood over a long period of time. It features similar ball rebound and cushion on joints for maximum athlete performance.

Color selection is another sports vinyl selling point. Tarkett offers twelve wood grain pattern designs and sixteen solid colors for their Omnisports flooring line. St. James used their school colors mixed with a classic golden maple finish to create a beautifully unique floor that they’ll host for multiple sports on for years to come.

St. James wanted this space to be multipurpose, with all three courts usable for both basketball and volleyball. We also installed a running track around the main courts, which allows SJS to take full advantage of its large space. The installation took place over the course of about a month from May to June of 2019.

We faced some challenges installing such a uniquely-designed floor. The seams of the vinyl were planned thoroughly in order to maximize safety, performance, and its aesthetic. The design called for mitered seams on the corners on the track and the red borders around the two outside courts. The inside seam of the track was also curved on its corners. These two designs meant that precise cuts needed to be made for the vinyl sheets to fit perfectly together.

We accomplished this task and made sure the floor’s seams where as unobtrusive as possible. Abacus added custom logos to the floor to complete the look, including two primary logos, two wordmarks, and a secondary logo.

St. James School will be hosting their annual invitational tournament in January and February of 2020. This tournament will feature some of the top high school teams in the country, and will be unique for the fact that it’ll be played on vinyl sports flooring provided by Abacus and Tarkett Sports.