Basketball on Court Floor close up with blurred arena in background

Driving down the Mass Pike in Brighton, Massachusetts, the new Celtics practice facility is hard to miss. Championship banners and the iconic leprechaun logo, visible from the turnpike, showcase the Celtics pride.

The Auerbach Center at New Balance World Headquarters is a new 70,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility complete with workspace, weight and cardio training facilities, physical and hydrotherapy rooms. It is also the new headquarters for the Celtics team, which opened in June 2018. Central to the facility are two stunning new practice courts, a critical piece to the team’s success.

Implementing and installing the new practice courts was a challenging job. Housed on the fifth floor of the building, the Celtics needed to ensure the floor exceeded expectations and provided a perfect surface for the team to practice.

“The old facility was our home for 19 years, so this move was an important milestone in the growth of the Celtics organization,” said Jay Wessland, CTO and Vice President of Operations with the Boston Celtics. “Most importantly, we wanted this new facility to offer the best-of-the-best for our championship team. Not only did the NBA recommend Bona, but we knew from experience it was the right finish to create the perfect playing surface on the two practice courts.”

Wessland turned to the teams at Bona, Kenvo and Connor Sports to create, install and bring the new practice floors to life. Like all sport floors, quality and durability is paramount to the safety of the team.

“Sport floors require a unique set of products to ensure durability and quality,” said Bill Price, National Sports Manager, Bona. “When we got the call to step in on this project, we knew that the Bona Sport line of finishes, paint and maintenance products were the right system for the Celtics floor.”

Bona recommended its, Bona Sport Poly 350 and Bona CourtLines sport floor paint for the oak hardwood floor. Bona Sport Poly 350 is a premium quality, oil-modified polyurethane gloss developed specifically for sport wood floors. The MFMA approved finish provides an extremely tough, high build gloss finish with excellent chemical resistance to protect against perspiration and routine cleaning. Bona CourtLines paint is a fast-drying, solvent-based sport floor paint, manufactured specifically for use with both waterborne and oil-modified sport floor sealers and finishes. With fifteen vibrant primary colors the paint is blendable to achieve an endless array of custom colors.

“We’re thrilled with the result of the floor surface,” continued Wessland. “I’ve received great feedback from the players and coaches. We’re looking forward to a winning season thanks to the fantastic practice floors.”