Gym Flooring

Setting up a floor for your gym may seem like a no-brainer, but there are actually some very important key components to choosing the right gym floor that you need to be aware of, whether you need a floor for a home gym or a larger commercial gym.  You should only go with the cheapest available options if you don't care about quality and safety, because you'll most likely end up with a product that is both inferior as well as a health hazard.  This guide is intended to show you the most important components of gym floors, and explain to you the different designs and options on the market so that you can make an informed choice that will work well for your gym.  As gym flooring usually means rubber gym flooring these are the types we will be focused on.  Rubber flooring most often consists of gym floor mats and are usually made up of interlocking squares. 

The Virgin Rubber Gym Floor Mat
Usually when we talk about quality materials, we think of things like rare or exotic woods used in woodworking, or perhaps marble when used for buildings.  While rubber gym flooring is in another, lower league, the choice of materials is still more important than most people realize.  But as anyone who has slipped and had an accident on cheap flooring will tell you, quality does indeed matter with gym floor covers.  The best quality you can get is olympic quality, meaning these are the same kind of mats used in the olympics, when any shoddiness will be visible to the eyes of the world.  Any slip that occurs on rubber gym floor at the olympics is likely to be blamed on the mat- which is why you rarely see slips happen during the olympics.  It is also not enough for the mat to be slip-resistant only when wet; it is highly likely that sweat and other kinds of liquids will get on the mat, with a high potential for injury and perhaps even lawsuits.  Even if you have a commerical insurance policy, it would be wise to go with a mat made of materials that are strongly anti-slip even when wet.  Virgin rubber is the best choice for a gym flooring tiles that are durable, slip-resistant, and do not have an overwhelming rubber or chemical smell.  They are a solid color and are the same material the whole way through- much better than gym floor coverings that consist of a thin material glued onto a thicker base.  With these two-layered gym floor tiles you could possibly see the layers separating or the upper layer being scuffed up to expose the underlying layer.  Virgin rubber also absorbs shock better and provides better rebound.  It is also easier to clean due to its closed-cell construction which keeps dirt and moisture from penetrating the surface of the tile.  Also, they are manufactured to be perfectly uniform, so the totality of the resulting gym floor covering will be the same height everywhere.  Again, these are the top of the line in terms of interlocking gym flooring, and are the best choice for when you need the very best quality. 

Recycled Rubber Gym Flooring Mats
Recycled rubber, though not of the same quality as virgin rubber, is still suitable for many applications depending on whether or not it is of high quality.  Low quality recycled mats are often made in countries where it is easy to get away with practices that are harmful to the environment and health, and the lower priced mats that you get from big retailers often come from such sources.  These mats are usually made from inferior recycled rubber that is not vulcanized (not bonded by polymer chains) but instead glued together using toxic and smelly glues.  Buy these mats for use in home gym flooring and guess what- you will be inhaling these fumes during each and every workout.  Not exactly in line with keeping fit.  But the home is not the only place where these mats would be a health hazard- they are equally dangerous when used as rubber flooring for gyms.  Not only that, but tiles are made from rubber from a wide variety of sources and tend to be uneven, even within the same tile, which creates a tripping hazard out of a gym floor cover. 
A rubber gym floor made of higher quality recycled rubber will be more uniform in height, and because the rubber tiles are made though the process of vulcanization, are more durable and also have much less smell than cheaper rubber gym floors. 
High quality recycled rubber gym flooring is a good choice for areas that are less critical, such as under machinery or other locations where you won't be relying so heavily on the floor.  The cheaper gym floors, however, cannot be recommended for much of anything.  It doesn't matter if you are looking for a home gym floor or commercial gym flooring; it's best to keep in mind that you get what you pay for and to buy quality.