Comparing Rubber Gym Flooring - Rolls, Mats, Interlocking Tiles

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Which Sports Use Rubber Flooring and Why?

Like all equipment in an athletic facility, it's essential sports flooring promotes health and safety.

As many sports include high impact activity, the flooring for the facility must be able to protect athletes from injury. Sports floors must also be resilient. Without a tough floor, wear and tear will yield any protective features ineffective.

Rubber flooring sports

Rubber is the standard flooring material for athletic facilities all over the globe. Customers lover for its durability and superior shock absorption. It can lessen the severity of accidents and safeguard against injuries. Rubber flooring can be used for multi-function flooring as it is very versatile. That being said, different thicknesses and styles of rubber work for different sports. Read below for an overview of the most common utilizations of rubber flooring, and what kind of rubber flooring works best for each area.

Weight Training

Rubber is a go-to flooring solution for weight rooms. There are many different kinds of rubber flooring, and it’s important to use the correct kinds of each kind of weight-training area. Heavy equipment requires a rubber floor that is dense and sturdy enough to hold tons of weight without bending or breaking. Free weight areas require a thicker rubber flooring that protects the flooring underneath from the dropper weights. For olympic lifts, it is essential that the rubber floor is firm enough to allow for maximum output as well as protecting the floor below.

rubber sports flooring

Running

Track and field also often uses rubber flooring in some capacity. This is especially true for indoor tracks. Obviously, rubber used for tracks need to be durable enough to withstand heavy foot traffic. Not only that, but the material has to be dense and resilient enough that it's not punctured or torn by running spikes. The rubber flooring used at tracks should be flexible enough that it can curve with the bends of the track.

Aerobics and Plyometrics

Plyometric drills are all about fast, powerful and explosive movements, which creates a harder impact upon landing. It’s typical or aerobic exercises to include jarring movements such as jumping, lunging, and running. Because of this, rubber flooring designed for plyometrics and aerobics should be more porous to allow for greater shock-absorption and cushioning. In order to help maintain a safe workout environment, this flooring has excellent grip that makes direction changes seamless.

Ice Rinks

You might be thinking to yourself, why would an ice rink use rubber? At first glance the use case is not very obvious. Common areas around the ice require protective surfaces where people can safely walk with skates on. Rubber is the most common material for ice rinks in areas surrounding the actual ice, including the bench. The rubber flooring used around the ice rinks will undoubtedly take a lot of use and abuse from skates, so choosing a durable, sturdy rubber flooring is imperative.

rubber athletic flooring

Multi-Functional Rubber Floors

While many sports don’t use rubber as their ideal flooring, it can still be used as a general sports flooring materials and work great. Basketball, soccer, and volleyball, for example, can all be played on rubber floors. That's why rubber flooring makes a good all-around flooring solution for rooms that will be put to many different athletic uses. If the flooring is going to be used for general use, choose rubber that is has a middle-density. That way, rubber will remain absorptive while balls can bounce on it.

When Not to Use Rubber

Rubber is a grippy material and yields too much friction for some sports. Dance is an activity that requires a surface which allows for feet to turn on without grip. Rubber isn't recommended for martial arts either. Again, the surface is too grippy and too hard for spins or learning throws and falls.

Rubber is a popular material for sport subfloor or underlayments if athletes need impact absorption and a flooring material with less grip.

sports rubber flooring

Types of Rubber Flooring

Now that you have an idea of the sports that use rubber flooring, you can start looking closer at specifics. Greatmats offer rubber flooring in three main forms: rolls, tiles, and mats. Rubber mats are a great and easy way to bring the benefits of rubber flooring into any room. Mats can be a great choice if extra cushion or thickness is needed over smaller areas.

Rubber tiles and rubber rolls are also extremely easy installations. Interlocking rubber tiles are one of the more popular options for spaces that need a sturdier and denser rubber flooring option.Tiles can be installed by your own hand just by laying down and connecting pieces.

Rubber rolls are just as easy to lay out, provided you have enough help to carry the heavy rolls, and can be adhered to the floor with double-sided floor tape or floor glue. Of the three options, rubber rolls are typically the most economical option and the final product will have the fewest seams after installation.

athletic rubber flooring

Keep It Clean

No matter what type of rubber you go for, it's important to keep athletic flooring well maintained.

Athletic facilities can be perfect places for bacteria and fungus growth if not properly cleaned on a regular basis. Rubber flooring should be cleaned with a pH neutral cleaner, as other cleaners can erode the material.

Ultimately, it's key to know your environment before installing a rubber sports floor. Every activity has different needs. Weight training will undoubtedly require a thicker mat that an indoor track. Not only that, but you must factor usage into the equation. The same athletic flooring for a small community center may not work in a busy college training facility, even if the activity is the same.

Greatmats is here to be a helping hand in sorting through all the flooring options that we offer. Customer service representatives can help you choose a thickness and style that will meet your athletic flooring needs.

Recycled vs. Virgin and Plyometric Rubber Gym Flooring

There are many different materials that are now being used to make gym floor mats, including plastics and rubbers. Every flooring material has its own unique advantages and best use cases.

You can find recycled rubber gym mats, which provide environmental benefits while delivering quality performance, or you can find virgin rubber, which is often more durable and visually appealing. Plyometric rubber mats are another variety of rubber mats that are designed specifically for jumping and lunging exercises.

recycled vs. virgin rubber

Learn below about the advantages of recycled, virgin, and plyometric rubber.

Comparing Rubber Gym Flooring Materials

Recycled Rubber Flooring

Why Recycled Rubber?

The vast majority of rubber material is used to manufacture tires. So recycled rubber mats and other recycled rubber flooring is made from old tires.

There are many advantages to choosing recycled material over mats made from virgin rubber.

Price: First of all, it can be much more affordable than most other rubbers. One of the main benefits of recycled rubber is that it is often far less natural or synthetic rubbers. Recycled rubber often costs less than half of what comparable non-recycled rubber would.

Environmental Impact: If you consider yourself an environmentally-conscious person, you will likely appreciate the eco-friendly nature of recycled rubber. Producing gym flooring mats from recycled rubber requires fewer resources to be used and less energy be expended in the creation of the flooring. Recycling also keeps material about of the landfill and lowers the need for the harvesting of fresh material. Getting rid of old rubber materials is actually a difficult process. By its very nature, rubber is tough and durable. While this is what makes it so popular in the first place, it also makes it incredibly hard to dispose of properly.

Despite the advantages of of recycled rubber, many used tires go to waste. Around the world, tons of rubber is buried in landfills and not recycled for use in future products. But when recycled rubber gym floor mats and other recycled rubber products are purchased, it’s helping to keep rubber out of landfills and protect the earth’s natural resources.

There are many ways that rubber can be recycled. This includes acid reclamation, which utilizes sulfuric acid to breakdown the material, alkali recovery, which treats the material with heated alkali, and pyrolysis, which heats the rubber in an oxygen-free vacuum.

virgin rubber vs recycled rubber

Below are some of the recycled rubber products that Greatmats proudly offers:

Rubber Flooring Rolls 1/4 Inch 10% Confetti

These rubber flooring rolls are made from recycled material that is durable, pliable, and easy to install. These rubber rolls are 1/4 inches thick and are great for used in weight rooms and workout rooms as they provide traction to feet and shoes.

These mats are made in the U.S.A. and have a 10 percent color confetti design. The rolls have tiny flecks in them that form a varying color pattern which give personality and vibrance to the room. With strong materials and an easy installation process, these mats are perfect for home or commercial use. They can even be used for industrial areas, giving you better traction on the floor.

Rubber Tile Diamond 10x10 Ft Kit 3/8 Inch Black

This black rubber tile mat is perfect for gyms and weight rooms due to its durable and rugged design. Using a puzzle-edge interlocking design, the mats fit together in a firm hold that allows you to fill large or small rooms. The mat is made from 99% premium recycled rubber, and is guaranteed to be free of wire or other fibers.

This recycled rubber mat requires almost no maintenance outside of regular cleaning, and the material is non-absorbent, so it won't harbor bacteria or mold-growing water.

Rubber Tile Interlocking 2x2 Ft 1/2 Inch 20% Color Stocked Pacific

This rubber mat is stylish from its black or gray flecks that are in the rubber tile. This gives the mat visual depth and character and lets you add a little style to your workout center or weight room.  

This product, like many of our products, is made from recycled tires. It has a beveled-edge construction that results in no gaps, and it comes with a 5-year warranty, giving you added peace-of-mind when you purchase. As these made are made with an advanced wet-jet cutting technology, they fit together perfectly forming clean interlocks.

Performance Rally 14.5 mm Interlocking Tiles per SF

The unique appearance and peak performance of these interlocking tiles sets them apart among similar rubber mats. You can choose between colors like ''Steel Appeal 2,'' ''Mocha Latte 2,'' or ''Blue Premium,'' allowing you to get the perfect design for your personal taste.

These tiles are great for busy workout areas that have lound exercise machines and free weights. This is because these tiles are both shock absorbent and sound absorbent. They can also be used for tracks, making them one of the most versatile gym floor mats you can find.

Virgin Rubber Flooring

virgin rubber

Why Virgin Rubber?

While recycled material certainly has its advantages, there are many reasons that you may want to choose virgin rubber instead. Whether the reason behind the choice is the appearance of the virgin rubber flooring or their long-term performance, new rubber might be the best solution of a specific rooms needs.

Appearance:Many people feel that virgin rubber has a better appearance than recycled. New rubber often has a bold solid color all throughout the material, even when the surface is worn away. A problem with some recycled-rubber mats is that once the surface is worn away, the mats will carry a full or faded appearance. This is not typically the case with virgin rubber.

Smell:The smell is also another advantage of new rubber. In some cases, recycled mats can have a rubbery tire smell, which is off-putting to many people. Because of this many gyms and workout facilities will choose new rubber over recycled rubber. In an enclosed area, such as a weight room with low ceilings, sometimes new rubber is a better options because of the smell.

Longevity: In some cases new rubber will have better long-term performance when compared to recycled rubber. Often times virgin rubber will have superior shock absorption and will be able to provide cushion for longer. If you are going to put your rubber mats through years of abuse from exercise shoes, free weights, cardio activities, and workout machines, then you may want to choose new rubber. This is of particular concern if the mats are considered a long-term investment. People who need mats for businesses or municipal workout centers, which often receive lots of traffic, will often prefer new rubber.

Below are some of the amazing virgin rubber flooring products that Greatmats offers:

UltraTile Rubber Weight Floor Black

Made with a recycled rubber base and virgin rubber top, these mats are durable and effective, making them an ideal choice for college weight rooms and workout facilities. The mats are built with precision to exact specifications and are made using high-quality rubber. This results in these tiles creating a workout surface that is both soft yet durables.

This material is perfect for any facility that will use lots of workout equipment, and they can be placed over interior flooring to provide protection for gym floors and other surfaces. By using a dowel-pin connection system, these mats will hold together and can be used to cover large rooms.

Geneva Interlocking Rubber Tile All 3x3 ft Sizes

These 3x3 tiles can be used to fill a large workout facility, giving you better traction and protection for the flooring. These rubber tiles have a puzzle-edge connection system, which allows them to fit together quickly and not require the use of adhesives or pins of installation. Because they are made from a blend of recycled and new rubber, they also have a low odor, making them ideal for small indoor facilities.

While these mats are great for facilities, they can also be used for home gyms. To create the perfect home workout area while also still protection the homes interior flooring, these virgin rubber blend tiles are perfect.

Plyometric Rubber Rolls

what is virgin rubber

Why Plyometric Rubber?

Plyometric rubber flooring is a softer alternative to traditional rubber flooring. It is made specifically for plyometric exercises, which involves a heavy amount of jumping. The flooring is designed specifically to be used for plyometric exercises, which involves a heavy amount of jumping, but can also be used for other aerobic exercises. In fact, ''plyometrics'' is by definition a jump-training workout. Plyometric rubber is less dense than most rubber mats, so it has a more cushioning for joints and absorbs shocks better than many other materials. It also has a smooth surface that is perfect for push ups, planks, and handstands.

Plyometric Rubber Roll 1/2 Inch

This product is a perfect example of the benefits of plyometric rubber flooring mats. It has a shock-absorbing body that allows you to perform many different exercise, including jumping and lunging. This rubber product can be easily rolled up if it needs to be stored, and is light enough for anyone to handle. If you are using it for temporary surfaces, you don't need extra materials, but if you are going to place it permanently, securing it with tape or adhesives is suggested.

For maintenance of this roll, all you have to do is vacuum as needed and occasionally mop the surface. Please give the rolled rubber time to dry being storing it.

The Perfect Rubber Gym Floor Mat is Waiting for You!

Greatmats offers a wide selection of gym floor mats, so there is a perfect flooring material out there for every home or facility.

Whether you want eco-friendly recycled material or the long-lasting durability of new rubber, you'll find everything you need, including selection, service, and reliability, when you purchase from Greatmats.com!

rubber recycled mats