How to Maintain an Antique Bowling Alley

Antique bowling alleys are a rare piece of nostalgia and are vintage Americana. A good antique bowling alley should have two key features to keep the bowlers happy. First, the lanes should be resurfaced and reconditioned prior to opening for customers. Regular maintenance should follow, as it is crucial to ensuring the lane does not deteriorate any further over time. While it would be easy to replace them with fresh wood and computerized scoring systems, there's something elementally pure that draws bowlers back to an antique alley.

Things You'll Need

  • Longitudinal sander
  • Rough-grit sandpaper
  • Fine-grit sandpaper
  • Dust mop
  • Cleaning towels
  • Tack cloth
  • Wax paper
  • Lane finish
  • Scour pad
  • Lane conditioner
  • Epoxy
  • Clear urethane
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Instructions

  1. Lane Resurfacing

    • 1

      Sand the bowling lane with rough-grit sandpaper on a longitudinal sander to remove the old finish and level the surface. Ensure the finish at the starting portion of the lane after the foul line is sanded. as it is generally thicker than the rest of the lane. If you also want to refinish the approach area, sand those areas as well.

    • 2

      Use a finer grain of sandpaper to sand the areas a second time. The second pass will not remove much wood, but it will make the surface much smoother.

    • 3

      Clean the lane with a dust mop and then cleaning towels. Remove the final bits of dust with a tac cloth. Tape a piece of wax paper along the foul line.

    • 4

      Apply the first layer of base coat. Allow it to dry. Once dry, buff the lane and clean it with a damp towel. Remove the wax paper and replace it with the white foul line. Apply the final coat of finish. Once dry, buff and clean the lane once again.

    Regular Maintenance

    • 5

      Dust the lane with a dust mop at least three times per day. Ensure the duster walks from the pins to the foul line and then lifts the dust mop into the next lane. This will prevent the dragging of dirt from the approaches onto the lanes.

    • 6

      Dust the approach area at least once a day. Use a gentle scour pad to remove any marks, but be careful not to scour the finish from the surface.

    • 7

      Apply lane conditioner to the lanes at least once a day. Do not apply too much conditioner, as the oil can penetrate the surface and damage the wood. The conditioner should be applied more heavily down the middle and less on the edge. You must apply at least three units of conditioner for the surface to be legal.

    • 8

      Strip the conditioner off the lane at least once per week. It is a good idea to strip the lane on the same day each week to maintain consistency. Be careful not to leave the cleaner on the lane for too long, as it can damage the wood and its finish. Using a vacuum lane cleaner will cut down on the amount of time the cleaner is in contact with the equipment. Ensure you recondition the lanes before using them again.

    • 9

      Regularly examine the lanes and take care of any cracks in the wood or nicks in the surface before further damage occurs. Epoxy should be used to repair cracks. Lane nicks should be patched up with small amounts of clear urethane.