Top 3 Flooring Materials for Your Home Gym

No home workout space is complete without an appropriate flooring that provides impact resistance, can withstand the wear and tear of heavy equipment, and that has enough grip to prevent falls and injuries. Not every floor is cut out for this job, but we put together the top three flooring materials that will take your home gym to the next level.

What You Need in Home Gym Flooring

Before diving into our top three choices for home gym flooring, there are a few things that must be considered:

Safe Flooring: Your flooring of choice needs to be able to provide proper grip and traction to avoid falls and injuries. It should also be highly stable to reduce injury risk, as well.

Shock Absorption: With heavy equipment comes the chance of heavy impacts. Whether from falling or dropping dumbbells or from high-intensity exercises, your floor will receive a lot of punishment and should be able to withstand it.

Easily Maintained: Home gyms not only see a lot of wear and tear through heavy equipment, but it will also have to resist against many different fluids like sweat and water. Be sure to choose a floor that is easy to clean.

# 3- Vinyl Flooring

If you are looking for a home gym flooring that will help blend the space into the rest of your home, vinyl flooring might be the best choice for you. Vinyl is water resistant as wall as mold and mildew resistant, meaning it can be a great choice for a basement home gym.

Pros-Vinyl’s biggest benefit is that it does not look like a typical gym flooring and is easy to clean. Vinyl floors come in many styles and colors, some coming close to matching the style of a hardwood floor.

Cons-On the other hand, vinyl is not as good of a shock absorber and indentations can occur from heavy equipment. Vinyl also does not provide a lot of traction and can potentially lead to falls. We recommend using mats for exercises as well as in between the flooring and heavy equipment.

#2- Carpet

Carpet is another good option that can also help your gym space blend into your home. When choosing the perfect home gym carpet, you’ll actually want to avoid most of the higher-end fabrics and choose a short, commercial-grade pile that will provide proper traction and stability for high-intensity workouts.

Pros-Carpet is shock absorbent, provides good traction, is easy to clean, and is generally affordable.

Cons-The only downside of going with a fabric-based flooring is that it can trap sweat and grime easier, as well as cause rug burn if no mat is being used while exercising. Every so often you will need to regularly clean the carpet to stop mold and mildew and to avoid unwelcome scents.

#1- Rubber Flooring

Commonly found in commercial gyms, rubber flooring is widely considered one of the best options for home gyms because it simply does it all.

Pros– It can cover any floor, absorbs impacts well, is water resistant, provides great traction and grip, and can support all types of heavy equipment from dumbbells to machines.

Rubber flooring offers a wide range of options on any budget. Johnsonite Vulcanized rubber can be more on the higher end, but recycled rubber can be a more cost friendly alternative. Rubber flooring is also extremely easy to install. Rubber flooring can be rolled out and glued, giving the flooring a seamless appearance and secure fit. If working with a larger budget, rubber puzzle piece tiles can be great option, coming in a range of colors, easy install with loose laying each piece and easy replacement if any tile is damaged.

Cons– While rubber flooring can offer sound insulation, it is not the best material for heat insulation.

With home gyms becoming an increasingly more popular option, it is important that you know that not just any flooring will do. Be sure to do your research and pick the perfect home gym flooring that can protect your home, your equipment, and—most importantly—you.

Need help choosing the right flooring for your home gym? Reach out to the flooring specialists at Scharm Floor Covering.