Having a home gym is a great way to maintain fitness and health. An important part of creating the perfect home gym is to incorporate home gym flooring that will support your workout and exercise needs.
What is the Best Floor for a Home Gym?
Well, that depends on what surface the flooring is going over and what kind of exercise equipment and routines you partake in. According to Men’s Health, it’s critical that all gym flooring surfaces are durable, have proper traction and have impact shock absorption. Otherwise, you run the risk of slipping, injuring yourself or incurring chronic joint pain. This buyer’s guide will help you figure out what the best home gym flooring is for your home.
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Rubber Flooring
Rubber is the ultimate home gym flooring option because it’s great for covering any surface, including hard concrete floors, and can support even the heaviest exercise equipment. Rubber is popular for home gym flooring because it offers maximum durability and shock absorbency.
Foam Flooring
Foam home gym flooring is like having exercise mats laid out all over the floor. Foam floor tiles interlock for easy installation and are portable. They offer comfort for floor exercises like yoga and Pilates. Foam is a lot cheaper than rubber, at $1 to $4 per square foot, but its also a lot less durable. It generally isn’t suitable for heavy equipment, super-intense workouts or to be placed over hard surfaces like concrete.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is another great option for home gym flooring. It’s water resistant, easy to clean and helps your gym blend nicely into your living space. Rubber Flooring Inc. touts vinyl flooring as the best option for a garage or basement gym.
One reason for choosing vinyl for garage and basement gym flooring is because it’s mold, mildew and moisture resistant. It’s also extremely durable and can handle the weight of your heavy gym equipment. However, vinyl isn’t the greatest when it comes to shock absorption.
Carpet
Carpet is also popular for home gym flooring. You can have wall-to-wall carpet installed or use carpet tiles for easy DIY installation. Just make sure you select low, commercial-grade pile for good traction and stability.
Carpet can seamlessly blend in with your home decor and will likely support the weight of your exercise machinery. Most carpet, however, tends to trap sweat and moisture, and has low-shock absorption, though carpet pads can help. Anti-fatigue carpet tiles that have higher shock absorbency, too. A 20-pack of self-adhesive Nispora heavy-duty 20-inch x 20-inch carpet tiles sells for $70.
Cork Flooring
Cork flooring offers high shock absorbency and support through intense workouts. It’s also an eco-friendly option that’s resistant to fire, mold, mites and mildew, making cork flooring a good choice for basements. That, plus the fact that cork is prone to fading in direct sunlight, makes a floating cork floor a fine choice for home gyms in the basement or garage, especially.
If you need your flooring to support heavy machinery or free weights, try doubling up with glue-down cork tiles on top of a floating cork floor, or choose another flooring style.
One fine cork option: these cork flooring planks for $3.50 per square foot.
