If you were lucky enough to have access to a time machine, you could head to almost any school across North America and you’d likely find a set of removable wall pads in the facility’s gymnasium.
At the time, it was a great choice. Teachers and staff were convinced that giving students the ability to remove their own gym mats for use in gym class was a fine idea. And it was.
To a point.
The truth is, there are some facilities that still use removable padding on their walls. We manufacture and sell it ourselves, so we know it does still have a limited use out there in the market. In some cases, this solution is exactly what facility operators are looking for, depending on the specific programming that school or facility provides.
On the other hand, many have been witness to deteriorating, messy, dirty and out-of-place removable wall padding displays. With teachers busy schedules, students are asked to replace the padding on the wall after it has been taken down and through no fault of their own, it ends up crooked or hanging off the wall.
Safety wall padding is in place for just that reason and a series of pads barely hanging on to the wall is not going to save anyone from injury. In fact, oftentimes these configurations can lead to injury rather than prevent it.
For this reason alone is why we almost always recommend a permanent wall padding configuration in school gymnasiums and other athletic facilities. With varying age groups and sports at play, a student running into a cement wall is something we, along with facility operators, don’t want to see.
With a permanent installation, these pads are in place for the long haul. Just as their name suggests, outside of irregular play or abuse, these padding systems should be in place for a very long time. Without the wear and tear of being dragged around a gymnasium, these wall padding solutions truly do withstand the test of time and look good doing it.
We’ve made incredible progress in improving our wall padding products and even offer logo printing services to properly brand your school’s athletic program. In the event that the use of floor mats is required, we always recommend an extra set of folding gym mats - ones that will be folded up while not in use rather than haphazardly hung upon a wall.
When it comes to student and athlete safety, a permanent installation won’t beat you up.