Home Gym Floor Mat Article

Home Gym Flooring
Rubber Mats, Interlocking Tiles or Rolled Rubber Flooring?

Which flooring is the best type of flooring for a home gym. Are rubber mats the best way to go or perhaps Interlocking Tiles – or maybe rolled rubber flooring? There are many home gym flooring options on the market today. Following is a brief overview of a few of the more popular home gym flooring products on the market with a discussion of some of the pro’s and cons.

Rubber Mats

Rubber Mats were initially designed for the animal husbandry industry (horses, cows, etc.) to help protect livestock from the cold ground and from slips and falls. As a result, these rubber mats are quite durable – after all – they are required to withstand the abuse of 1,000 pound animals as they stomp around with their sharp hooves.

Thick Rubber Mats generally consist of a very dense rubber that is 3/8 “, 1/2″ or 3/4″ thick. These home gym flooring mats are solid black in color. Rubber floor mats for weight rooms are also available in thinner gauges but their uses are usually for under machines. If you are planning on using free weights with very heavy weights for squat racks or have free weight drop zones, it is recommended that the 3/4″ thick rubber mats be used. The price differential is not that great between the 1/2″ and 3/4″ so it is better to go with the 3/4” thick rubber mats.

Regardless of which thickness of matting you go with, you may wish to stay away from the rubber mats that consist of 100% recycled rubber, unless they have a latex odor killing additive added. They tend to emit an odor that becomes quite strong – especially in an enclosed area like a gym. If the thick rubber gym floor mats are going in a garage setting where there is plenty of ventilation, you may be able to use the mats with a high concentration of recycled rubber and save a few dollars.

Interlocking Tiles

Interlocking Rubber Tiles are usually made from a crumb rubber material with a color fleck. The interlocking tiles are cut from rubber rolled flooring like puzzle pieces. These interlocking rubber tiles are usually 3/8″ or 1/2″ in thickness. One of the strong reasons to use an interlocking tile is that it is easier to install, pick up and move, etc. And should one part of the gym\flooring become damaged, you can simply remove the interlocking tile or tiles that are damaged and replace them with new tiles rather than ordering an entire floor.

The interlocking rubber mats are available in a solid black, but it is generally recommended to use color flecks in a 10% or 20% mixture to hide footprints and dirts. Solid black gym flooring really shows white dirts like hand chalk, foot prints, lint, etc.

Rolled Rubber Flooring

Rolled Rubber Flooring offers the ability to cover large areas quickly. The rubber rolls are usually 4′ wide and can come in lengths up to 70′ or 80′. Roll rubber flooring is available in 1/8″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ Thicknesses. In a nutshell, the thinner gauge rubber matting should be glued down to help prevent tearing. These rubber floor mats are great for rooms where you need a durable product but want to dress it up. The color flecks really add to the aesthetics of the room. Another great feature of using rolled rubber flooring is that seams are almost invisible. And it is simple to cut out any damaged part of the gym flooring and replace it with a new piece. The color flecks really hide any seams.

As you may have surmised, thicker goods will hold up to the rigors of dumb bells, free weights and abuses associated with weight rooms.

These are a few suggestions for a home gym flooring. Should you have any further questions or particular concerns, please visit us online at www.madmatterinc.com. We look forward to the opportunity to help you find the gym flooring that is right for you.