Rubber has been chosen as the preferred flooring material for commercial gym and home weight room flooring for decades. Because it's such a popular flooring option, there are a wide range of sizes, thickness, designs, and densities. Read on below to learn about the differences between the rubber flooring option.
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| rubber floor mat roll |
Gym Traffic
The first consideration to make when choosing gym flooring is to think about the amount of traffic and abuse the floor will need to withstand. If you have a weight training facility used for competitive college or pro athletic teams, bodybuilding and powerlifting, it will need to be thicker and much more durable that those used in most home gyms or senior centers.
Rubber has built a reputation for protecting the subfloor through impact absorption, reducing vibration and cutting noise from machines and free weights. It is capable handling heavy exercise equipment and foot traffic. Rubber flooring is a popular choice because its very durable, simple to clean, and is often times made from recycled rubber. It can also be recycled at the end of its life.
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| gym floor mat |
Rolled Rubber
The thickness of rubber flooring is going to have the most noticeable impact on the overall durability of the flooring installation. A 1/4- to 3/8-inch rubber floor will suffice for light to moderate use while heavily-used areas will require a thicker rubber surface match that lifespan. In areas where weights will be dropped, 1/2- to 1 1/2-inch rubber flooring is better equipped to handle the impact without damaging the subfloor. While most thick rubber flooring will outlast a 15-year warranty under standard use, regularly dropping kettlebells, dumbbells, and barbells will decrease the lifespan of even the best flooring.
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| rubber rolls, mats & tiles |
Rolled rubber is the most economical flooring option for weight rooms (per square foot) for larger installations, and it also leaves the fewest seams. However, due to the nature of its size and weight (often coming in 25-50 foot long rolls), installation can be difficult without help. Thickness options are also limited - generally to 1/2 inch or thinner.
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| rubber gym floors |
Rubber Floor Mats
Rubber floor mats, often sold in 4x6 foot sizes, offer another economical option with the capability of a thicker surface than rolled rubber flooring. Rubber floor mats, also often used as horse stall mats, range from 3/8 to 3/4 inch thicknesses. While the mats are very heavy and don’t move very easily, these straight edge mats will slowly started to inch apart from each other over time. They are often used as supplemental padding in areas where heavy weights will be dropped during olympic lifts.
Interlocking Puzzle Mats
Interlocking, puzzle-style tiles offer convenient installation and a tight, durable fit without shifting. These tiles are commonly only used in smaller rooms because their higher cost per square foot and the fact that they are easy to custom fit to an irregularly shaped space. The smaller 2- to 4-foot tiles (1/4 to 3/4 inch thick) are easier to manage, especially if installed by a single person.
For cardio areas, where shock absorption is less of an issue, thinner rubber flooring will suffice just fine.
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| gym floor rubber mats |
Alternatives to Rubber
Some customers report enjoying the comfort and warmth or carpeting for cardio workout areas, but we warn against it as stains and bacteria can be hard to remove from carpet areas.
Foam and plastic materials can also be used for weight room flooring. Like carpeting, however, great care should be taken when or if you decide to use these materials. Foam mats will become indented from heavy objects, so it’s important to make sure there is proper weight distribution.
PVC Plastic flooring, such as StayLock tiles, is rugged enough to handle heavy weight equipment and offers cushioning similar to foam, but typically carries shorter-term warranties than rubber weight room flooring.
We offer a perfect flooring solution for every use space, whether it be a commercial gym or a home user in their basement. There is a weight room flooring option out there to fit anyone's needs.
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