HEBRON – The final component of the new Hebron Academy Athletic Center – the new competition basketball floor – has been pieced together, marking the final transition from the academy’s original Sargent Gym to the newest addition to the campus.

At 104 feet long by 60 feet wide, the maple-strip hardwood flooring is comprised of 195 interlocking panels that have tongue-and-groove edges and bolted connections to secure the panels to each other. The majority of panels are 4 feet by 8 feet and weigh about 135 pounds.

The floor was assembled in the plant, sanded, painted to Hebron’s specifications, and sealed. The floor was then disassembled and packaged for shipping. Upon arrival at Hebron, the floor was unpacked and assembled according to a layout drawing depicting each numbered piece.

“This particular floor, known as Robbins Portable All-Star Zip-Floor Set-Up or ‘Zipper Floor’,” begins the installation by placing the center row of panels lengthwise from center under one backboard to center under the other backboard,” said Ken Hough of Warren Construction Group, the facility’s builder. “The floor can then be worked from both sides, effectively building a pyramid and then filling in panels to complete the floor surface.”

The floor also consists of a tapered ramp that makes the three-inch transition from the underlying floor to the playing surface of the wood floor.

With unpacking and learning the assembly process, it took 12 people a day and a half to assemble the floor the first time. As the installers become more efficient, the whole assemble/disassembly process could take as little as six hours with eight people.

The Athletic Center officially opened in December, providing 54,000 square feet of interior space for basketball, baseball, tennis, lacrosse, squash courts, fitness center, climbing wall and track, as well as an array of coaching, training and locker room facilities.