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Scattered thunderstorms, especially during the morning. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High around 85F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.

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IRONTON -- Ironton High School installed Fieldturf at Tanks Memorial Stadium this year and its football team made the playoffs.

The Fighting Tigers would love to experience similar results in basketball now that Ironton has installed a new basketball floor at the Conley Center. The new wooden surface replaces a rubberized floor that was put in place in 1974. The new floor cost about $115,000.

Tartan-type floors gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Boyd County and South Point high schools featured a rubberized surface, as did Marshall University. All since have returned to wooden floors. Ironton athletic director and boys basketball coach Mark LaFon said the floor definitely was due to be replaced.

"It's been gone for a long time," LaFon said with a laugh. "We did a good job maintaining it. The old floor had been beaten down.

"It was hard on the joints. It wasn't performing the way it did 30 years ago."

The benefits of hard wood surfaces are that they usually offer a truer bounce of the basketball than other courts. Soft wood floors are regarded as easier on players' legs and lead to fewer injuries, although dead spots in the floor can be a problem.

Ironton's floor in made of maple and was installed by Cincinnati Floor Company.

"They did a fantastic job," LaFon said. "They put the last coat on it on Friday. We should be on it no later than Monday."

The strength of a tartan floor is traction, but older rubberized floors have been blamed for increased ankle and knee sprains, as well as "turf toe," traditionally more of a football injury from artificial turf. Some coaches have blamed rubberized surfaces for increased patellar injuries. Others claim the softer rubber surface decreases pressure on the joints.

Tartan offers more flexibility for non-sporting events such as graduation ceremonies, as it doesn't need to be protected as diligently as does a wooden floor. The Ohio Department of Health, however, expressed concern that rubberized floors emit mercury vapors, which have been deemed hazardous.

"ODH is currently currently recommending schools examine their facilities to determine if they may have a rubber-like gymnasium floor," the department wrote in a release.

"Other companies have manufactured similar products and it is unknown whether or not these products used mercury in their production. If a facility has one of these flooring types, ODH recommends the school obtain the services of an environmental contractor to determine if these products contain elevated levels of mercury.

"If the flooring is determined to contain elevated levels of mercury or mercury vapor, ODHrecommends the schools examine the feasibility of removing the polymer flooring product and replacing it with an alternative flooring option."

LaFon said mercury wasn't a problem with the old floor.

"We had it tested and the mercury levels were fine," LaFon said. "That wasn't a problem and it was disposed of properly."

LaFon said the school will install new wall pads and likely some new doors, as well as some other "surprises" he is excited for the public to see.

"It's something to be proud of," LaFon said. "We have a ot of good things going on with our facilities. The basketball floor was the last major piece. I feel our facilities are as good as anyone's. I give credit to our staff, faculty, fans and so many people who were a part of this."

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