Rubber, Plastic and Foam Flooring Myths

There are many common misconceptions regarding rubber, plastic and foam flooring. Below are the nine most common specialty flooring myths, debunked:

Myth #1: Rubber flooring will add cushion and spring to your floor.

Rubber used for flooring is generally a very dense material. It provides thermal insulation and protection for the base floor, as well as absorb sound in the room. While it does those, it’s generally provides much less cushion than plastic or foam flooring. Keep in mind that most of these floors are made from recycled truck tires. Truck tires must be fairly rigid to withstand the rigors of tens of thousands of miles of travel. Any material that was soft enough to provide cushion to athletes wouldn’t be able to stand up to the demands of automotive use.

Flooring myths

Myth #2: Plastic flooring is hard.

It’s commonly thought that for a flooring material to be soft and flexible, it has to be made of rubber, but that just isn’t the case. Part of the beauty of plastic is that it comes in a wide range of hardnesses options. Most plastics used for flooring provide significantly more cushion than rubber floors and are commonly confused with rubber, due to their pliability.

Myth #3: All foams make good anti fatigue flooring

While foam does provide excellent cushioning and adds comfort to your flooring surface, not all foams are created with the same density, which is key for anti-fatigue benefits. Standing for long periods of time on hard surfaces can be taxing on the body, but so can extended periods of standing on surfaces that are too soft. Some foams are so soft that they provide very little resistance between you and the hard floor below. Others will keep you off the hard floor, but provide very little stability, increasing the risk of you losing your balance when standing on it. It’s important to ensure that any anti-fatigue flooring solution provides enough cushion to encourage shifting of position. This is important because it increases blood flow will still making standing on the flooring comfortable.

rubber flooring bounce

Myth #4: Rubber flooring is great for all athletic purposes.

It is true the rubber flooring is commonly used in athletic flooring applications. Rubber flooring is a great choice for use in gyms where the floor needs to be able to support the weight of exercise equipment and dropped weights. It isn't a great plan to use rubber flooring for areas where people will be running, changing direction and spinning however. One of rubbers best features is that it is slip resistant, but with activities such as basketball or dance, a certain level of slipping is necessary for safety, and rubber floors are usually too grippy to allow much slippage. If rubber is used for these types of activities, it can lead to an increased risk of athletes injuring their knees or ankles.

Myth #5: Foam floors contain rubber.

The majority of all foam flooring is made of of EVA or Polyethylene foam. Even though both of these material are very pliable, much like rubber, they do not contain any rubber. Foam rubber is a spongy material in which rubber has been manufactured with a foam agent to add air to the material and lesson its density. Commonly referred to as a “foam rubber”, it is commonly found in mattresses and furniture cushions but is not durable enough to be used in flooring.

Myth #6: Plastic floors are slippery.

The surface texture makes a world of difference in how slippery a floor can become when wet or dusty. Smoother surfaces will carry an increased risk of being slippery. Plastic floors often feature leather or orange peel type textures to provide traction as well as diamond and raised bump, non-skid patterns.

soft rubber flooring

Myth #7: Rubber floors are waterproof.

While rubber is very moisture resistant, most rubber flooring is made of ground automotive tires and can be slightly porous. This allows for water to ever-so-slowly permeate through the rubber. If power washed, the water is blasted into these tiny pores and forces them open, allowing the water in. If repeatedly power washed, water can become trapped within the rubber flooring and possibly even damage the flooring.

Myth #8: PVC and Vinyl flooring are completely different.

Vinyl is often the shorthand way of referring to Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). The term ''vinyl'' actually includes a broad range of thermoplastic chemical compounds that includes EVA, PEVA, PVA and PVB as well as PVC. PVC is unique from other vinyls because of the addition of the chlorine molecule to the chemical structure, which makes it highly fire retardant.

rubber flooring fatigue relief

Myth #9: Rubber flooring is just as good as plastic for garages

Rubber flooring is commonly used as an inexpensive alternative to PVC or Polypropylene garage flooring. If the garage isn’t being used for automobiles, then this is fine. There are some downsides to using rubber flooring when, cars, trucks and even trailers are involved, however. While rubber is strong enough to handle the weight of vehicles, some rubber floors can sometimes experience chemical reactions to some automobile tires, oils and other chemicals associated with internal combustion engines. These interactions can lead to the rubber breaking down and in turn shorten the lifespan of the flooring.

Rubber plastic, and foam are all great flooring materials, but they each have their ideal use cases and proper research should be conducted to make sure the best flooring is chosen for an area.