Sports floors are known in many embodiments. The object of the invention is to provide a method with which a sports floor can be manufactured with great uniformity which meets very high quality requirements with an optimal spring characteristic between point and surface elasticity. A further object of the invention is to provide a method with which the laying of a sports floor is considerably simpler and cheaper when compared with that of the sports floor systems known to date in the same quality class. With an eye to the above the invention provides a method for laying a sports floor, comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a resilient first layer, consisting substantially of a bonded rubber granulate, foam material or a mixture of both; (2) placing the said first layer on a substantially flat ground, for example sand-cement, concrete, asphalt, anhydrite, wood, fibre board or the like with interposing of an adhesive layer, for example glue or a double-sided adhesive foil; (3) providing a mat which is adapted to absorb an optionally viscous, curable, plastic-containing liquid, which mat comprises for example a non-woven, a woven material, a porous material, a material containing cohesive fibres, a honey-comb structure or the like; (4) placing this mat on the first layer with inter¬ posing of an adhesive layer, for example glue or double-sided adhesive foil;

(5) applying to this mat the said optionally viscous, curable, plastic-containing liquid, for example a two- component mixture, an aqueous dispersion of plastic or the like, such that the liquid entirely impregnates the mat;

(6) causing the liquid to cure to form a force- distributing layer with a hardness of 50-90 Shore D; and

(7) applying at least one covering layer with a hardness of 70-90 Shore A.

Known from EP-A-0 453 045 is a sports floor which comprises from bottom to top the following layers: * at least one relatively thick layer of plastic foam;

* at least one relatively thin force-distributing hard layer, for example of multi-ply or a hard plastic;

* at least one hard elastic layer which is formed on the basis of rubber granulate and air cavities present therebetween;

* at least one thin polyurethane top layer with special friction properties.

The combination according to the invention is therefore not known from this European publication. In a particular embodiment the method according to the invention comprises

(8) performing step (5) such that the liquid can cure to a hard polyurethane, an epoxy, an aerylate or other hard plastic. The method preferably comprises

(9) performing step (6) such that a force-distributing layer is obtained with a hardness of 60-80 Shore D.

In a variant the method comprises

(10) performing step (7) such that the covering layer has a hardness of 75-85 Shore A.

Another variant is characterized by

(11) performing step (7) by applying a liquid curable to polyurethane and subsequently causing curing of this liquid. The method preferably comprises

(12) arranging a wear-resistant top layer after step (7) .

The invention finally relates to a sports floor which is obtained with one of the methods according to the invention.

The invention will now be elucidated with reference to the annexed figure. This shows in cross-section an embodiment of a sports floor according to the invention.

Laid on a concrete support floor 1 by means of a glue layer 2 is a layer 3 consisting in this embodiment of a granulate of rubber grains which are mutually adhered by means of a binding agent. A non-woven mat 5 consisting of fibres is laid onto this layer 3 by means of a glue layer 4. A liquid is subsequently poured onto this mat such that this liquid fully impregnates the mat. The liquid contains a plastic and is curable such that it can result in a cured plastic layer. It can consist for example of a two-component mixture or an (aqueous) dispersion of a suitable plastic.

After the liquid has totally impregnated the non-woven fibre mat, there is a waiting period until the liquid is fully cured. This can take for instance several hours. On the thus obtained smooth upper surface of the layer 5, which can consist substantially of polyurethane, an epoxy or acrylate, a covering layer 7 is arranged by means of a subsequent glue layer 6. Instead of an adhesive layer use can also be made of a pouring material which can adhere directly to the layer 5 and can form a covering layer of the required thickness by curing. A wear-resistant top layer is then arranged on this covering layer.

The different layers are not drawn to scale. The top layer 8 in particular can be very thin. It can lend the upper surface of the sports floor the required colour and a required skid resistance.

The hard, force-distributing layer 5 has a hardness of 50-90 Shore D, preferably 60-80 Shore D.

The covering layer 7 has a hardness of 70-90 Shore A, preferably 75-85 Shore A.

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