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.

Interlocking Rubber Tiles vs. Rolled Rubber Flooring Blog

If you're considering new rubber flooring for your home or business, one thing to consider is the difference between interlocking rubber floor tiles and rubber rolls. Both flooring options have their unique benefits and are best suited for specific scenarios. Rubber floors, mats and tiles are either made from a virgin rubber material, synthetic rubber material or a recycled content material and in some cases a combination of more than one rubber type.

interlocking vs rolled rubber

Home Gyms

For use in most home gyms, Greatmats recommends interlocking rubber tiles. This is because the tiles can be easily installed and don’t require any adhesive or tape to put them down. Because of this, they can also be easily removed and re-used in another room or home. Seams are typically very tight so the floor will appear to be one solid piece with no edges to trip over.

These tiles can be custom fit to any size room with only a simple utility knife.  (We recommend that you let your rubber flooring acclimate to the room temperature and humidity for at least 24 hours before cutting to size.) Rubber floor tiles are offered in a range of thicknesses and colors. Greatmats' knowledgeable customer service representatives are available to help find the perfect flooring for any space.

virgin rubber floor tiles

Commercial Facilities

In commercial facilities, you can also use interlocking rubber tiles although you may want to go with a thicker tile than you would for home gym use. Interlocking tiles are well-suited for use cases where the flooring needs to be relocated repeatedly. They are ideal if you are leasing your building, for example. Because interlocking tiles are available in various sizes, thicknesses, and colors, we can help you to find the right tiles to meet your needs.

Rubber rolls are typically less expensive but they have different requirements. All rubber rolls need a glue or tape-down installation to create a safe workout floor. Because of this, rubber rolls are a more permanent flooring solution than tiles.

rubber mat flooring

While some rubber flooring is known for its strong smell, this product is low odor. This can be important if you are using this flooring in a smaller room with low ventilation. You will find that the material binder in the rubber makes all the difference. In flooring where the rubber binder is sulfur, the rubber mats will often have a strong rubber smell. When the binder is urethane, the smell is very low.

One thing to note when considering rubber rolls is that they are not waterproof. They should be used in places where the flooring will remain dry. If your rubber flooring does get wet, you'll need to hand dry it if it has already been installed. Because of this, we recommend use rolled rubber for use in dry places such as weights rooms and supply rooms, but not wet areas such as laundry room and bathrooms.

rubber flooring rolls

Playgrounds

Playground rubber flooring is also available in an interlocking rubber tile. Greatmats offers a wide variety of different styles and fall height ratings. Playground flooring adds an extra level of cushion and protection for children in outdoor settings. It is a safer and cleaner playground flooring option when compared to both wood chips and rubber crumbs, as both of those options can be dug out, pushed aside, or thrown around.

If you have any questions regarding any of our products, please don't hesitate to call or send us a message. Our friendly customer service representatives are happy to help you.

gym flooring