Battle of the Locker Rooms: Main Differences

Exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by a high school locker room installation as compared with a college locker room installation may shed some light on the unique needs of each type of institution.

• A high school locker room may require multiple sport-specific lockers in a single space. Whereas most collegiate athletic facilities have areas designated for each sports team, where athletes can store equipment and prepare for their sport of choice, high school locker rooms require a multipurpose locker setup. This is due largely because…
• Budgets between high schools and colleges vary. Many times, athletic programs in high schools depend on state funding, grants, donations and funds that are somewhat limited. Conversely, college programs can sometimes rely on alumni donations or funds allotted for athletic programs, which, depending on whether the school is public or private, can determine the budget.
• A high school locker room may require more durability, while college locker rooms may require technology integration. High school locker rooms tend to be more multipurpose, which, combined with a tight budget, means that equipment storage, showers, benches, and lockers must be made of materials that will be strong and durable. On the other hand, a college locker room might be better served by technology integration, as teams work to boost morale and develop strategies that will help them gain a competitive advantage.
• High school locker rooms may use the same types units that are found in the hallways. However, without knowing the extent of the locker room application, how many lockers will be ordered, and the size and conditions of the area where the locker room will be built, it’s difficult to agree that a high school should consider using the same lockers in both locations. College programs, on the other hand, have the flexibility to order lockers that meet their needs.

Legacy Lockers: Custom Locker Room Experts

Whether you’re building a locker room in a high school or a college, Legacy Lockers knows how to outfit a functional, budget-friendly locker room from start to finish. Learn more about Legacy Lockers and their custom locker designs. For more information, call 866-291-3395 or visit www.legacylockers.com today.

Key Elements Influencing Locker Room Design

What key elements influence the design and functionality of a locker room? No matter what kind of facility you own or manage, there are a few questions you must ask yourself in order to effectively design a locker that suits its intended purpose and doesn’t interfere with the integrity, functionality, or budget of the overall operation.

• What size lockers are needed, and what function will they serve? Are you designing a locker room for a fitness center? Do lockers need to be very big in a fitness center? Facility managers often fail to truly consult a locker construction expert and they miss out on opportunities to understand size and functionality requirements for the designed locker room.
• Where will the locker room be located? If the locker room will be in a work facility, it may not need to be quite as large as a locker room in a gym. Knowing the exact location is essential for design.
• Will you need benches or other furniture inside the locker room? Furniture can make a custom locker room into a home away from home, particularly those in beautifully renovated collegiate facilities. Long Beach State University, for instance, not only added custom lockers, but also locker room furniture in an adjacent area for students to keep up with their studying.
• Will it be located near a high-moisture area? Locker rooms with showers, or those located near pools or areas of high humidity require materials that are resistant to moisture.
• What additional elements are important for this project? Study halls, shower locations, meeting places, equipment storage, changing area, restrooms, coaches offices, game strategy room… the list goes on and on in terms of what other elements and amenities may be important for the custom locker room you’re designing.

Legacy Lockers: Custom Locker Room Experts

Whether you’re building a locker room in a high school gym or a work facility, Legacy Lockers understands what goes into the planning and design of a functional, budget-friendly locker room. Learn more about Legacy Lockers and their customizable locker designs by calling 866-291-3395 or visiting www.legacylockers.com today.

Nowhere does that fact become more evident than when facility managers and athletic directors plan the sports locker layout of an athletic facility. That process isn’t always easy as they decide the best layout in an effort to maximize performance and functionality.

Considerations for Sports Locker Layouts

As you plan the layout of your new or renovated athletic facility, several factors will influence the build, style and features of the sports lockers. Chances are these are not merely school or even gym lockers; these lockers will house an athlete’s uniforms, equipment, clothes and incidentals throughout a season or perhaps even an entire school year.

Here are some of the most important things to consider as you plan a sports locker room.

1. What sports will be accommodated? The dimensions, style, and storage capacity of the sports lockers will depend on the sport played by the athletes using them. For instance, football players will need compartments for their helmets, pads and uniforms. Other sports, like baseball or lacrosse, will need different types of storage space.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
2. Will the lockers be assigned? In many athletic facilities, lockers are shared between athletes, but other facilities assign lockers to their players. If you are assigning lockers, you may add details to the design, such as nameplates or particular photos or carvings.
3. Will there be team storage as well as lockers? Team storage is usually designated for large pieces of sports equipment that are too big to fit into the athlete’s personal locker. In such instances, team storage lockers must be easily accessible, yet not intrusive on the space designed for athlete’s sports lockers.
4. Do you need locks? If so, what kind? Depending on the type of locker and whether they are assigned, you may need a specific type of lock, such as a combination lock. If the lockers are to be used by more than one person, it’s important to keep belongings as secure as possible.

The layout of sports lockers is an important part of any athletic facility, and certainly of any collegiate or high school program. Careful preparation can make sports lockers a tremendous asset. Legacy Lockers provides a team locker spec builder that can help you determine the perfect solution for the locker needs in your facility. To work with Legacy Lockers, call us today at 866-291-3395.

Well-crafted custom sports lockers give your athletes much more than just a place to hang their hats. When you invest in durable, quality lockers, you are investing in school spirit.

Sports Lockers: Sharing School Spirit

What is it about custom lockers in a top-notch sports facility that raises school spirit and can improve the overall morale of your sports teams? Custom sports lockers contribute to team pride in several respects:

1. Providing a comfortable place for athletes to change, share and interact. When high-quality construction meets team pride, athletes have a place where they can feel comfortable and at ease.
2. Motivating athletes to perform at higher levels. When athletes are surrounded by high-quality, customized equipment, the sense of pride empowers them to perform at optimal levels. This promotes higher team morale, which can positively influence their performance.
3. Customizing sports lockers as part of a renovation or in a new facility makes for a great recruitment tool. This was the case for both Benedictine University in Illinois and Long Beach State University in California. New facilities can greatly increase the opportunities for recruiting and retaining quality collegiate athletes.

Legacy Lockers: Custom-built Team Pride

Being part of an athletic program that boasts state-of-the-art, customized facilities with high-quality, custom-built sports lockers is not only good for team morale, it gives athletes and their teammates a reason to choose—and stick with—a program that benefits them in every way.

Legacy Lockers is a leader in creating customized sports lockers for a variety of athletic programs. Whether choosing wood, melamine or laminate materials, Legacy’s custom work provides athletic programs with the ideal storage solutions necessary for athletes to perform at their very best, while enjoying the comfort and peace of mind of working in a facility that meets all of their needs.

Let Legacy Lockers handle your needs for athletic facility sports lockers. To learn more about Legacy Lockers, call us at 866-291-3395 today.

Wood Locker Repair: Elements to Consider

Not sure if the custom wood lockers in your facility are in need of repair? Consider these three essential elements and their conditions to determine if you are in need of wood locker repair:

1. Finish. Is the locker’s finish worn, dented or otherwise damaged? Are signs of cracks, splinters or other damage evident?
2. Structural integrity of material and hardware. Checking knobs, handles, hinges, doors, shelves and other components of the wood lockers that are part of the structure of the locker itself can help determine if wood locker repair is necessary.
3. Condition of the floorboard or locker base. Inspect the floorboard or locker base to ensure that repairs aren’t needed.

Repair or Purchase?

One other key factor in determining repair is the extent of the damage. Is it worth getting your custom wood lockers repaired, or should you consider replacing them with newer models? One way to determine this is to price both repair and replacements. While repair may initially seem like the cheaper solution, replacing your line of lockers with ones that are of higher quality and more structurally sound might be the best choice because it’s an investment in efficiency and time.

Legacy Lockers: High Quality Custom Wood Lockers

Custom wood locker construction should be trusted to a builder with experience, understanding and know-how of custom locker construction. Legacy Lockers, a leader in custom wood lockers to suit various applications, prides itself in helping build quality lockers for different uses. Learn more about Legacy Lockers today by calling us at 866-291-3395.

Wood Locker Builder: Hiring Tips

Finding the best builder to take on your custom wood locker project is about more than simply finding the price that is right. In order to choose the right builder for your wood lockers, it’s important to follow these simple tips:

1. Choose an established builder. Whether you go by word-of-mouth or simply by researching several builders in your area, choose a builder that has a proven track record of creating custom wood lockers for various types of facilities.
2. Choose a builder that will customize wood lockers according to your specific needs. If a builder simply tries to sell product or services without considering your facility’s needs or your project’s application, walk away.
3. Choose a builder with quality references. Quality over quantity is always best, and never has that statement been truer than when you are hiring a contractor for a custom wood locker project. Be sure to speak with their references, ask a lot of questions, and consider whether those projects have similarities to yours.
4. Choose a builder with a process to help you get started. For instance, some builders provide spec building tools on their websites, to make it easy for you to determine what customizations you need for your lockers.

Legacy Lockers: Your Wood Lockers Builder

Legacy Lockers understands the importance of being the very best builder for a particular project. Whether it’s for an athletic facility or for a clubhouse, it is absolutely essential to work with a builder that will work with you to create lockers that add personality, functionality and style to your facility. To work with Legacy Lockers, call us at 866-291-3395 today.

• Location. When figuring out how to design a locker, it’s important to first determine the location of the project. After all, where the locker room design is located will help determine several things, from the materials to be used, to the look and functionality of the locker. For instance, a locker designed for use in a clubhouse with a pool would be designed differently from a locker designed to go into locker room that is adjacent to a high school gymnasium.
• Functionality. Another factor to consider is what features you want to include in the locker design. Fitness centers may only need a quarter height locker with a simple lock so members can store their valuables. On the other hand, a golf club would need ample space and length to accommodate club storage, hang clothing and keep shoes. Design your locker with functionality top of mind, always.
• Time constraints. Do you have a deadline for designing the locker? How much time would you have to design and build your locker room design? Be aware of time constraints and establish deadlines accordingly. Take time when deciding exactly what you want so that you can be happy with the finished product.
• Size. Depending on the function of the locker, size is very important. Size isn’t just important for functionality, though; when creating a locker room design, building and health codes can have restrictions on space size and, by extension, how big everything in the locker room will be, lockers included.
• Budget. Determine the number of lockers and what materials and hardware needed. All of these things should be included in the project budget, which will need to be reviewed accordingly..
• Lighting. Does your design configuration call for lighting? Consider how the lighting in the locker room design will be set up to figure out what features your locker design will highlight. For instance, if you design a locker with seating, consider incorporating small lighting above the seating area.
• Water exposure. It is essential to understand that the presence of elements like water—particularly chlorinated water— makes a huge difference in how your locker design’s lifecycle. Certain materials fare better in wet environments than others, so be mindful of it when designing your locker.
• Materials. Your budget, the installation and the life of the product will vary greatly depending on the materials used to build the lockers. At a high-end golf club, you might use exotic woods and higher-end fixtures, whereas a gym would probably use metal lockers with a simple lock or combination lock mechanism.
• Locks. Incorporating a lock when you design a locker –and what type of lock– depends on where the locker will be located and its purpose. A locker used for storage in your home may not necessarily need a lock, whereas one in a high school may require a mechanism for portable combination locks.

Get started on your locker design today. To custom design your own lockers visit www.legacylockers.com or call 866-291-3395.

Common Upgrades to a Facility

Many facilities today are in need of upgrading to keep services running as smoothly as possible. This can be especially important when it comes to facilities such as collegiate athletic departments, which often depend on the look and feel of their facilities to make a good impression on coveted recruits. Upgraded flooring, fresh paint and new lockers can help sway a recruit’s decision to sign a letter of intent and play for that school.

Bringing in Lockers

During a facility upgrade, there is bound to be a lot happening, between designers ensuring that the plans have been executed effectively and contractors attaching, removing, sanding and painting. With so many things happening at once, how can you know when it is time to buy lockers that will enhance your project?

• In addition to planning ahead, it is very important to seek the help of a professional installer before you buy lockers for your project.
• Locker installation would be best done after flooring is installed.
• Choice of aesthetic elements and locker elements should be chosen as part of the design phase, early in the process.

A facilities upgrade is bound to be one of the most exciting and fruitful events in your company’s history. Knowing exactly when to buy lockers in the upgrade process is necessary in order to ensure a successful result. Choose Legacy Lockers to buy lockers for your next facility upgrade. Visit us at www.legacylockers.com today.

Depending on the size of the facility, some may choose to either toss the old lockers or store them as a contingency for some future use. However, there are many ways to either get rid of them or re-purpose, resell, or rearrange them to make room for the new custom lockers. Make room for beautiful new custom lockers by getting rid of the older ones with these tips:

• Place an ad online. Put old lockers for sale on Craigslist or through an ad in the paper. This is an easy way of getting rid of the old lockers while making some money.
• Donate to a local charity. Donations are always welcomed at local nonprofits. You may consider contacting nonprofit organizations that deal specifically with athletic programs, youth centers, or similar missions. These organizations often are in need of equipment such as lockers.
• Sell metal lockers for scrap. Depending on the locker material, you may be able to sell old lockers as scrap metal to yards that pay for metal by weight. The only limitation to this plan is that the old lockers for sale must be made of salvageable metal.
• Turn lockers into storage. Turn your old lockers into a do-it-yourself project. One way to do so is to remove the doors in the lockers, repaint the units and use them as bookshelves. Depending on the size of the lockers, you can also re-purpose them for use as display cases or storage units.
• Recycle. Contact your local recycling center to determine if the old lockers can be picked up and recycled rather than simply throwing them away.
• Arrange for pickup. Just as you can place an ad to sell the old lockers, you can place a curbside alert ad, giving the units away with a stipulation that the person who wants them should pick them up. This will save on space and transportation to dispose of the old lockers.

Make room for your new Legacy Lockers custom lockers for sale. Visit us at www.legacylockers.com today.

When considering custom wood lockers for your facility, it is essential to look beyond the cheapest alternative to find the highest quality products while staying within budget. Here are some ways to identify quality craftsmanship in custom lockers:

1. Type of woods used. High-quality custom wood lockers can be made of one of three types of wood: hard, soft or engineered. Hard woods like oak and maple are heavy, strong and give lockers a strong, durable quality, particularly when cut and treated properly. Exotic woods add an air of sophistication and uniqueness while providing strength and sturdiness. Softer woods like pine and cedar require more care, while engineered woods like plywood can provide sturdy quality, provided high-quality veneers are used.
2. No chips, dents and splits. Quality custom lockers are beautifully treated and are free of chips, dents, splits, knots, or any other imperfections that could compromise the integrity of the locker, or that would cause the custom wood lockers to weaken or become damaged.
3. Hardware quality. What are quality custom lockers without quality hardware? From the hinges and the handles to the bolts and the locking mechanisms, quality-crafted lockers are created with the right hardware to perfectly suit the installation. Locking mechanisms are particularly important, as quality craftsmanship includes fitting a locker with safety and security features that will keep the piece intact.
4. Smoothness of cuts. Each panel of wood, each shelf, and each door should be perfectly cut according to the dimensions supplied by the client, and the cuts should be consistent, clean and accurately measured every time. How smoothly a wood panel is cut determines how clean and smooth the overall look of the custom lockers will be.
5. Wood finish. Whether it requires a smooth, glossy finish or a distressed, antique look, quality craftsmanship is seen almost immediately in the finished product. Proper sanding, staining and finishing are essential to create quality custom wood lockers that showcase the wood as much as they showcase the entire piece itself.

Legacy Lockers employs the highest quality craftsmanship when creating custom lockers for a variety of applications. To learn more about high-quality custom wood lockers, visit www.legacylockers.com today.