Best flooring option for a home gym? - Project Sports
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Best flooring option for a home gym?

7 min read

Asked by: Jessica Jones

Rubber, foam, carpet, vinyl, and turf are the most popular flooring options for home gyms. Rubber is the most common because it’s relatively affordable, durable, easy to clean, and versatile. Foam or carpet tiles are the least expensive options, but they can be hard to clean and aren’t suitable for rigorous exercise.

What kind of floor should I put in my home gym?

Rubber: Rubber is the flooring of choice at most gyms, so it may be the best option for a home gym. It can prevent slips and falls while also absorbing impact, ideal for high-impact cardio workouts or working out with free weights. Rubber flooring won’t dent, scratch, or gouge as foam or hardwood flooring might.

What is a good thickness for home gym flooring?

8mm is today the most common thickness for commercial gym and home gym flooring. However, if you will be lifting heavy weight (Olympic Lifting / Cross Fit), you want at least ½ inch or more for safety.

What floor should I put on my garage gym?

Rubber gym flooring rolls: If you’re covering a larger area, like maybe the entire garage floor, rubber rolls are a good choice because the price per square foot may be less than tiles and they show fewer seams. However, rubber is heavy, so these can be harder to work with than tiles.

Can vinyl flooring be used for gym?

Before you’re ready to break that resolution yet again, we’re here to tell you why vinyl flooring is the best option for your gym and why you’d get bang for your buck. Not only is vinyl flooring waterproof, it is also mold and mildew-resistant, making it a great option for those sweaty sessions.

Can you put a treadmill on vinyl plank flooring?

Vinyl plank flooring can support a lot of weight, but can you put a treadmill on vinyl plank flooring? You can put a treadmill on vinyl plank flooring, but there needs to be a protective layer between the floor and treadmill to prevent damage from repeated usage of the treadmill.

Is it better to workout on carpet or hard floor?

Carpet is hard to keep clean if there are a lot of folks sweating on it. Wood or rubber and much easier to keep clean. We all want the gentlest impact for our joints, and a wooden floor provides that better than carpet. A suspended wooden floor is even better.

How thick should gym floor tiles be?

Best Mat Thickness for Gym Flooring for Weight Lifting



The thickness of this material — as it pertains to weight lifting exercises — is usually between ¼” to ½”thick. The most common thickness for most weight lifting gyms would be 5/16” or ⅜” however gyms designed for heavy lifting could go as high as ½” in thickness.

How do you put down a gym floor?

It is recommended to lay rubber flooring. Directly over your concrete or wood subfloor. As seen here where we have removed the carpet.

How thick should exercise mats be?

around 0.5 inches thick

For most people, an exercise mat around 0.5 inches thick will be the best. If you are injury-prone or have sensitive joints, you might want to opt for a thicker exercise mat up to 1 inch in height. Consider your activity, as well.

Is laminate flooring good for gym?

Ideal For:



However, laminate flooring is considered best for workout gyms that are mostly used for yoga, cardio workouts, calisthenics, and other lighter workouts.

Is epoxy flooring good for gym?

Installation of garage flooring is the first step in turning your garage into a proper home gym. By installing an epoxy floor, you’ll minimize dust, repair cracks, conceal stains, and provide the durability needed to withstand the wear-and-tear of gym equipment.

Is cork flooring good for home gyms?

It is true, cork floors are strong enough to support exercise machines and give them a level surface sit on. Unlike carpet, cork flooring is soft and flexible enough underfoot to give a comfortable surface for high-impact exercises, so your body and joints don’t suffer the harsh stress.

Can I put a home gym on carpet?

You can safely workout on carpet flooring, although carpet is soft, lacks support and stability for lifting and for machines and can absorb bacteria. It is advisable, therefore, to lay down hard rubber mats or build a lifting platform over your carpet to get the most out of your home gym.

What kind of wood is used for gym floors?

Maple hardwood

Maple hardwood is a popular option for gym and sports arena flooring. This type of flooring is so prominent that the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (MFMA) compiles the standards for sports flooring installation and maintenance.

How do you protect hardwood floors from gym equipment?

Rubber flooring also protects hardwood from scuffs and scratches, and because it’s waterproof, no moisture can soak through to potentially cause water damage to the wood. Rubber gym flooring offers all-around protection that will allow you to have a functional home gym in any room with hardwood flooring.

Will a treadmill damage hardwood floors?

It doesn’t matter if the floor surface comprises tile, concrete, stone, wood, laminate, vinyl, or another type of hard floor. The treadmill can damage them.

Can a treadmill go on hardwood floors?

Will a Treadmill Damage Hardwood Floors? The sad fact is that a treadmill will certainly damage your hardwood floors. Treadmills are typically heavy. The weight of this machine can make some deep indentations on your hardwood floors, carpet, and other wood floors.

How do I protect my home gym floor?

Popular materials for home gyms include rubber, vinyl, wood, EVA foam, and carpet. Materials like shock-absorbing foam are great for home gyms with weight machines and cardio equipment. This puzzle piece-like material should be around 0.32 inches thick or more to provide floor protection and traction.

How do I protect my floor from weight loss?

Rubber flooring can help to protect your subfloor from dropped weights and potential damage from weight racks and other heavy gym machinery. Rubber is versatile and can often be dry laid directly over your existing flooring.

Can you drop weights on concrete?

We know the worry about dropping or lifting on concrete often lies with damaging the bumpers, the concrete, or the barbell you’re using. The good news is, with great bumper plates, none of that is going to happen. Even if you have a slightly lower quality bumper plate, you won’t damage your concrete or your barbell.

Can I deadlift on my garage floor?

For this reason, you should never deadlift directly on the floor. The first step in ensuring the deadlifts don’t damage your floor is putting down protective mats in your workout area. You can purchase heavy-duty mats that are similar to what is used at the gym.

Do dumbbells damage floors?

The heavy weights typically used while deadlifting definitely have the potential to damage a floor. The possibility of damage increases if the loaded bar is dropped. Basic precautions like bumper plates and rubber flooring can prevent most damage. In extreme cases, a lifting platform is advised.

How do I protect my floor from heavy weights?

The 6 best ways to protect your floor from weights are:

  1. Do a lot of rack pulls.
  2. Use bumper plates.
  3. Put horse stall mats down.
  4. Use rolled rubber mats or interlocking rubber tiles.
  5. Build or purchase a lifting platform.
  6. Use crash mats.


How do you reinforce a gym floor?

All gyms should have some form of rubber matting or rubber underlay underneath the main floor. Rubber matting helps to spread load across the floor, and it makes it near impossible for a dropped weight to smash the floor.

Is it safe to build a home gym on the second floor?

Is It Safe? The simple answer is yes; you can safely include gym equipment on the second floor of your home. This may be different if you live in an apartment, as you’ll need to check with the landlord. The main consideration to keep in mind is safety, though.

How do I make my first floor at the gym?

The best type of flooring for a commercial gym is interlocking rubber floor tiles, which are available in 30mm and 40mm thicknesses. Rubber floor tiles should be paired with rubber underlay on the first floor to absorb sound and provide a soft surface to compress into.