Rubber Gym Flooring Mats & Tiles

Getting your gym flooring right will ensure that you can work out safely, will help you avoid injuries and also ensure your equipment is supported and protected. In addition, for home gyms, the right flooring can vastly reduce the noise from your gym.

And don’t forget that the right flooring can all add to the look and feel of your gym, making it a place that you want to work out in and feel proud of.

What To Consider?

Before you jump in and buy your flooring, there are things to consider. It is imperative that you do this before spending out and installing equipment. Get this wrong and you will have the expense and inconvenience of having to get everything out of the gym, which is not a simple task (See our full gym flooring guide).

Firstly, think about how your gym is going to be used. What sort of equipment will be in it and how many people will be using it. As part of this you also need to consider your budget for doing this - as there are various price points.

Following the above, look at what flooring currently exists in the gym. If you have a home gym this could be a concrete floor in the garage or a wooden floor in the house. Commercial-wise it is likely to be a concrete screed. The condition of the floor is crucial to get the finish you want.

What Choices Are There?

With gym flooring you have a number of choices. For commercial facilities, you have to also think about the health and safety issues that go with each option. For home gyms it is often the choice to reduce noise and prevent damage to the floor.

Put simply for rubber flooring there are a number of options :

• Jigsaw rubber tiles (popular for small home gym spaces)
• Rubber Gym Mats (various sizes, 1mx1m, 0.5m x 1m, 800mmx800mm etc.)
• Rubber floor rolls (varying thickness and width - needs glue!)

The Benefits of Rubber Floor Tiles

One the most popular type of tile is the rubber tile. Rubber is popular due to its non-slip quality so you won’t hurt yourself whilst working out. Furthermore the elasticity of rubber gives it anti fatigue properties which means it resists most impacts. This is crucial if you are looking at installing equipment like racks, bikes and treadmills. Also, depending on the tile you choose many rubber tiles can be fitted yourself with fitting tools provided saving on installation costs. Rubber also provides good noise insulation and is easy to clean. Finally, rubber tiles can look amazing and make any gym look really sleek and professional.

Rubber Tiles v Rubber Rolls

In many ways we would suggest that rubber tiles offer benefits over the rubber roll. The rubber roll tends to be quite heavy, so the tiles are definitely easier for self-installation. Tiles also come in a better range of thicknesses and of course if there is a problem down the line it is much easier to take out one tile and replace it than take up an entire floor.

Understanding the Different Thicknesses of Rubber Tiles

Rubber gym tiles can be supplied in a vast range of thickness from 6mm to 60mm. Deciding on the thickness you require will depend on what you will be using the gym for and what equipment it will need to support. Most rubber tiles can be installed over concrete without underlay although some floors may require this. As a rule of thumb you should consider 20mm thickness to provide a medium impact of support, 30mm thickness to support plates, benches and most machines and 40mm thickness in areas of free weights where weights could be dropped so more support is needed.

Interlocking and Glue Down Rubber Tiles

Interlocking tiles are particularly popular in-home gyms and they fit together fairly easily and can be taken apart if required. Glue down tiles are as the name suggests, are glued to the floor so there is absolutely no movement. These tend to be more popular in large commercial gyms but as they have to be glued in, they do cost more to install.

Other Factors To Consider

Most rubber floor tiles come in dark colours as that is seen as more practical but do look for features like having a speckle or fleck pattern in the tile as this adds interest to your home gym and creates a less industrial look.