Best Home and Commercial Gym Flooring Options

When it comes to flooring for your home or commercial gym floor, there are some things to consider. If rubber flooring is being considered, think about if it is important to have the flooring be low-smell. For home gyms, we generally recommend a low-odor option. This is because, if you have forced air and decent insulation, that smell can disperse throughout your home and be a nuisance for some time. Some rubber flooring has a strong “new tire” smell, but it’s not determined by whether or not the rubber flooring is made from recycled rubber. The binding agent (usually sulfuric or urethane based) will determine the power of the odor.

Home and Commercial Gym Flooring

If rubber or foam tiles seem to be the best option, We typically recommend a smaller sized tile option (such as our Interlocking 2x2 tiles).For a larger area, we will usually quote you a larger tile size (Geneva 3x3). This is because, in a smaller area, you will typically find yourself wasting less product when cutting for a wall-to-wall installation if your tiles are smaller. For use in a larger facility, the larger tile size is nice as it leads to fewer seams in the floor.

best commercial gym flooring

Top 5 Foam Exercise Gym Floor Mats

Foam exercise gym floor mats can turn an arduous exercise regimen into a fun and exhilarating experience. Our foam mats add comfort to any space and can help reduce fatigue and injury. They can also add color and style to your exercise area, putting you in the mood to work up a sweat.

With so many foam mat options, it’s important to consider the differences between the product offerings. The most popular mats for exercise come in either puzzle tile or roll out mat forms. You'll want to consider what form of exercises will be performing before choosing an exercise mat.

Below are the top five most popular foam exercise gym floor mat options

1. Home Sport and Play Mat

Home Sport and Play Mats are 2x2 foot squares with puzzle style interlocking edges. They are made of 7/8 thick closed-cell EVA Foam. These durable puzzle mats feature a thatch surface that can stand up to athletic shoes. They are also waterproof and are reversible with a different color on each side. Use these puzzle mats to make a solid color floor; alternate two of the six tile colors for a checkerboard look; or create a pattern all your own. Use Home Sport and Play mats for Kickboxing, Aerobics, Home Gyms, Taekwondo and more. These soft foam mats are perfect for use over a cold, hard, concrete basement floor.

floor mats exercise

2. Foam Floor Mats 5/8 Premium

For a similar, but more economical exercise gym floor mat option, take a look at Greatmats Foam Floor Mats 5/8 Premium mats. The difference between these puzzle mats and the Home Sport and Play Mats is that these are slightly thinner and are not reversible, but both mats are made with the same high-quality materials. These are especially popular for softening kids playroom floors as they are available in 15 different colors and are stain resistant.

exercise floor

Foam Floor Mats 5/8 Premium mats are excellent for aerobic or floor-based exercises with low levels of impact. These puzzle mats have a universal interlocking design, allowing for the tiles to be connected together in any direction. For these foam mats all four side are the same, which isn’t a property of every interlocking mat.

3. Gmats Roll Out Mats

If your exercise regimen involves more intense activity, such as combat sports or wrestling, you'll want to check into roll out mats. A convenient 5x10 ft size, Gmats Roll Out Mats are designed home use. They are 1.25 inches thick and offer better impact absorption than the thinner previously-mentioned puzzle mats. The mats include a resilient tatami-textured vinyl top surface that can withstand the demands of wrestling and grappling workouts, as well as workouts that include shoes and boots. Multiple mats can be connected together with vinyl tape.

exercise floor mats

4. Gmats Cheer Mats

Similar in design to the roll out mats are Gmats Cheer Mats which feature the same roll out design in a 5x10 foot size. At a slightly thicker 1 3/8 inch, these exercise made have a carpet-bonded surface as opposed to vinyl. The carpet surface offers more rebound and makes it great for stunting type exercises such as gymnastics, tumbling, and cheerleading. These cheer mats can be combined used connection strips.

foam exercise gym floor mats

5. Pebble Top Foam Gym Floor Tile

These Pebble Top Foam Gym Floor Tiles are made with a high-density EVA foam that can handle the weight of exercise equipment, making them perfect for home gyms and weight room flooring. The reversible puzzle mats are 2x2 feet in size and 3/4 inch thick. These tiles offer a non-slip pebble-textured surface and a universal interlocking design. As these foam gym floor tiles are much denser that other foam flooring, it won’t indent as easily under heavy equipment.

While there are many different forms of foam exercise mats, these five should give a you a good start in knowing what to look for to meet your exercise room needs.

gym foam mats

Foam flooring for home gyms and kids play rooms

Greatmats’ lightest, softest, and most vibrant home gym flooring option are out foam floor tiles. Our interlocking foam tiles are available i

Foam home gym flooring

n a variety of thicknesses and mat densities. This determines how hard they feel when you jump (or fall) on the tiles as well as how long the foam tiles hold up. Density is a measurement of the amount of foam there is in each square inch of material. One foam floor tile can be thicker but less dense than another foam tile. As an example of this, our denser 3/8 inch Elite Exercise Tiles are a longer lasting product on average for aerobic use than our Premium 5/8 inch tiles even though the Premium tiles are the thicker of the two products.

kids foam flooring

When choosing between different types of foam tiles, it's important to keep in mind how the flooring is going to be used. If you're creating a play area for toddlers, the Premium is an excellent choice. Available in a variety of colors, they create a fun play floor for kids to run around on. If instead the flooring is going to be used for adults practicing Judo, Greatmats' suggest a different foam tile option, such as our Grappling 1-5/8” mats.

foam tiles for kids

Foam is lightweight and easy to install. It’s as simple as putting the tile together with their interlock system and then cutting down any border tiles to perfectly fit the tiles to your space. Border strips are available for most foam mats and allow you to turn your puzzle tiles into border or corner tiles. The border strips make creating an island an easy and hassle free task. It also aids in creating a wall-to-wall layout because you can start against the wall with a straight edge piece.

kids foam gym

Foam mats are available for barefoot use as well as for shoes and boots. How the flooring will be used, who will be using the flooring, and how long the flooring is expected to last should all factor in the decision on which foam mats to purchase.

Home Gym Flooring - Rubber vs. Foam

When it comes to flooring for your home gym, the most popular options are rubber and foam. Both flooring materials are good options, but they each serve different needs. Your priorities and how you'll be using the space should help to determine which product is best for your application.

Rubber v.s. Home - Home Gym

Rubber is the best choice and most popular option for home gym flooring. It is also inexpensive, easy to install, and incredibly durable. Rubber is most commonly found in areas where weights or exercise equipment will be used. It doesn't add much by way of cushion for aerobic activities such as jumping or bounding. (An an option, Plyometric rubber does work well for aerobic option as it is less dense than normal rubber and subsequently offers more cushion)

Home Gym Flooring Ideas

As a rule, rubber is more challenging to install than foam simply because of the sheer weight involved. Rolled rubber rolls are heavier than a single rubber tile or mat, but rolled rubber once installed will lead to fewer seams in the installed floor. Rubber flooring does NOT need adhesive for installation in your home gym - no matter what the purpose. However, a double sided carpet tape can be used around the perimeter and at the seams for a rolled installation. Most tiles can be installed without any adhesives, although some rubber tile products use a dowel connection system.

Flooring for Home Gym

Foam is typically cheaper than rubber because it is lighter than rubber. Foam flooring comes in a variety of densities and thicknesses. Foam gym flooring is more geared toward home gyms where cardio exercises, floor workouts, tumbling, or grappling will be done. Foam will not be as durable as rubber and will not hold up well from weights being dropped, or exercise equipment being put on top of the foam. As foam is lighter it usually is easier to install than rubber, as well as less expensive to ship.