Best Rubber Flooring For A Home Gym

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The most exciting part of building a home gym has to come with the equipment – figuring out the kinds of weights to buy, which machines are best for your goals, and whether or not you really need that fancy weight rack. But before you get too ahead of yourself, don’t forget your foundation – the flooring! 

Having a well-cushioned home gym can protect both your flooring and your equipment, not to mention your body! The right rubber flooring will provide grip and reduce the impact of your workouts on your joints. 

As you can see, this extra layer of protection, while often overlooked, goes a long way in increasing the safety of your home workouts. 

So what is the best rubber flooring for home gyms? We’ve compiled five of the best rubber and foam mats and tiles for you to figure out the right flooring for you, plus we’ll walk you through a couple frequently asked questions so you can properly lay the foundation of your home fitness endeavors.

Comparison Chart

BalanceFrom Puzzle Exercise Mat with EVA Foam Interlocking Tiles, Black, All (BFPM-01BLK)
BEAUTYOVO Puzzle Exercise Mat with 12 Tiles Interlocking Foam Gym Mats, 24” x 24” EVA Foam Floor Tiles, Protective Flooring Mats Interlocking for Gym Equipment, Black
Amazon Basics Foam Interlocking Exercise Gym Floor Mat Tiles – Pack of 6, 24 x 24 x .5 Inches, Black
Yes4All Interlocking Exercise Foam Mats – Interlocking Floor Mats for Gym Equipment – Eva Interlocking Floor Tiles (24 Square Feet – Black – 6 pcs)
BEAUTYOVO Puzzle Exercise Mat with 12/24 Tiles Interlocking Foam Gym Mats

Reviewing The Best Rubber Flooring For Home Gyms

BalanceFrom

Puzzle Gym Flooring

If you love options, you’ll love the puzzle mat from BalanceFrom. The major benefit of buying the BalanceFrom Puzzle Mat is that it comes in varying degrees of thickness, so you can get the right mat for your exercise needs. You can choose thicknesses from ½ inch to 1 inch, leaving you plenty of room for your own personal needs. 

It also comes in three different color options (black, blue, and gray) to match your home gym preferences. The construction is a high-density EVA foam that provides great soundproofing, and it has double-sided non slip surfaces to increase safety and prevent the mats from moving around during your workout.

Pros

  • Three different color options
  • Available in different thicknesses
  • Great soundproofing
  • High-density EVA foam

Cons

  • Interlocking edges don’t stay together well during workouts

Key Takeaway

You should buy the BalanceFrom Puzzle Mat if you want mats of specific thicknesses or colors, since it’s one of the few that comes with that option. It may not be the most durable mat if you like to do high-intensity cardio like burpees, however, since some report that the interlocking edges can come apart.

BEAUTYOVO Puzzle Exercise

Rubber Floor Tiles

Beautyovo’s Rubber Tiles are high-quality rubber mat to add to your home gym. A precision cutting technique makes sure that every piece will fit soundly. Every tile with 2 end borders, make it look seamless. And it is cuttable to fit irregular corners.

These mats provide excellent cushioning for your body and prevents ankle sprains. You can use these tiles for more than just a flooring mat as well – some suggestions from Beautyovo include using them to adjust the height of your boxes or to build a lifting platform. 

Pros

  • Fit soundly
  • Water resistant
  • Heavy duty impact resistance
  • Multipurpose

Cons

  • Not durable enough for extreme heavy equipment

Key Takeaway

These rubber tiles might be a good choice for someone who likes to do heavy lifts like deadlifts, or someone who wants a multifunction mat. They are more expensive and don’t interlink, so they may not be the best choice if you just need a stable home gym flooring option for some extra cushion.

AmazonBasic’s

Foam Interlocking Floor Mat Tiles

Amazon offers a good basic floor mat if you’re looking for gym flooring on a budget. These come in an interlocking tile design so you can easily build the mat to fit your flooring specifications. These mats come with six pieces and will cover a total of 24 square feet, although you can buy more sets for this price if you need to cover a larger area. 

They’re made of high-density EVA foam, which is great news for water resistance and cleaning. They’re also thick enough to provide noise reduction for your heavier workouts. They also claim to be non-slip and have a good grip, but some users report that this didn’t always work for them.

Pros

  • Easy assembly with interlocking design
  • Water-resistant
  • Easy to clean
  • Noise reduction
  • Good price

Cons

  • Users report that mats can cause some skidding/slipping

Key Takeaway

AmazonBasic’s foam mat is a decent solution if you want to get some noise-resistant home gym flooring without spending a ton of money. The interlocking design makes it easy to set up and install, but it may not be the bet if you plan on doing a lot of jumping or floor exercises because of its relatively weak grip.

Yes4All

Interlocking Exercise Foam Mats

If you want a floor mat but don’t want to sacrifice the look of your hardwood floors – you’re in luck! The Yes4All Interlocking Exercise Mats come in several colors and patterns including a couple of different faux hardwood floor designs, so it can blend in seamlessly with the design of your home gym.  

These are made of the same EVA foam and interlocking tile design as the other mats on this list, but they do come in bulk to cover up to 120 square feet. It also holds its shape pretty well without denting from your workout equipment, so it will be able to hold its own even if you don’t have off-the-floor weight storage. 

One thing to note is that the dimensions of this mat say that it measures at a half inch thickness, but a couple of reviewers measured it and found that it fell a little short of that claim.

Pros

  • Several different designs, including faux hardwood
  • Convenient interlocking tile design
  • Can cover up to 120 square feet
  • Holds up well against weights
  • Double-sided non slip grip

Cons

  • Less than ½” thick

Key Takeaway

 The Yes4All Interlocking Exercise Foam Mats are a solid choice for someone who wants to have a different look for their home gym. They cover a large area and can hold their shape, but they are relatively thin and may not provide as much cushion as you’d like.

BEAUTYOVO

Puzzle Exercise Mat

The BEAUTYOVO exercise mat is another relatively cheap home gym mat with an interlocking puzzle design for easy setup. You can buy this mat in multiple options, with the smallest package giving you enough tiles to cover 48 square feet, so it’s a good deal for larger gym setups. 

This mat is made of water- and sound-resistant EVA foam, and it also comes in an alternating black and gray pattern if you prefer that variated look in your gym. Because these mats are a cheaper option, some users did report that they were on the thin side and not very durable, which is something to keep in mind especially if you’re looking to use heavier weights.

Pros

  • Easy interlocking puzzle design
  • Water-resistant
  • Options to buy in alternating colors
  • Easy to clean
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee

Cons

  • Not durable enough for extreme heavy equipment

Key Takeaway

BEAUTYOVO makes another solid interlocking EVA-foam gym mat for basic gym flooring. This mat is probably best used as flooring for lower-intensity workouts since the durability is questionable when it comes to using heavier weights.

Our Top Pick, And Why!

Out of all the mats on this list, the BalanceFrom Puzzle Mat offers the best bang for your buck. It has that nice interlocking design to make it easy to build your gym, and it comes in varying thicknesses and colors depending on your needs. Overall, this is the most customizable and durable option for the best rubber flooring for your home gym.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do home gyms need rubber flooring?

Good flooring is often overlooked, but it’s a crucial piece of the puzzle when building an at-home fitness center. While it’s not an absolute necessity, having proper flooring is a good idea for your home gym for several reasons: 

Floor Protection

 Home gym equipment can be heavy and can cause scratching, denting, or even break your floor if there’s not an in-between layer to protect it. Rubber flooring provides cushioning and shock-absorption so that those dropped weights don’t mean damaged floors.

Equipment Protection

Similarly, your equipment itself should also be protected, especially if you’re working out in a garage or other area with concrete flooring. Having rubber flooring for your home gym can prevent cracked weights and prevent breaks from accidental drops. 

Noise-reduction

Slamming around weights can cause a lot of noise, and it’s especially important to get a soundproof barrier if you have close neighbors. Rubber flooring can deaden the noise and soundproof your home gym so that your heavy workouts won’t disturb anyone outside of your home.

Joint and Foot Support

Working out on a hard surface can be hard on your joints and feet, and this is especially true if you’re jumping around and doing cardio. Rubber gym flooring can provide an extra layer of cushion to prevent injury.

Safety

Most rubber flooring options will have nonslip grips to prevent you from slipping and falling down during your workout – this is especially important when you’re around a lot of heavy and dangerous gym equipment! The proper flooring will increase your stability and help with your workout form as well. 

Is rubber gym flooring toxic?

You may be concerned about the toxicity of flooring because of the rubber manufacturing and potential mercury vapors. Luckily, research has shown that modern rubber flooring does not contain mercury and are generally safe to use. 

Foam flooring, like in the EVA-foam options on this list, may have traces of formamide, a chemical that can be toxic in its liquid state. However, tests on flooring have shown that the liquid evaporates during the manufacturing of foam flooring and the level of exposure to formamide in flooring is generally safe.

How do you lay a rubber gym floor?

Laying a rubber gym floor is a relatively simple, fuss-free process. Most rubber gym floors can be put directly on to your original flooring, although it might also be a good idea to put down another sticky rug pad between the two to add extra grip between the mat and the floor. 

The process of putting together a rubber gym floor will depend on the rubber gym floor you choose. Many of the most popular options for rubber gym floors come in separate tiles that have an interlocking “puzzle-like” design, so that you can connect the tiles together and customize it for your own floors. Other mats just come in one larger piece so you can just put them down and leave them, although you may want to put some weights on the corners initially to flatten them out if they were rolled up previously. 

Make sure that your mats are right-side-up: many rubber flooring options have a specific non slip grip on the bottom to adhere to your flooring.

What should I look for when choosing my gym flooring?

Durability

Take into consideration how much impact your flooring is going to get during your home workouts. Do you like to do a lot of high-intensity cardio activities like jumping and burpees? Are you slamming down a lot of heavy weights? 

In either case, you’ll want to invest in a higher-quality rubber mat that can take that abuse and not get damaged. On the other hand, if you mostly need your rubber mat for the flooring protection and don’t anticipate doing a lot of higher-intensity movement, a thinner mat is probably sufficient.

Design

You can either buy rubber mats in pieces (tiles), or as one whole piece. 

Many people like the convenience of the interlocking “puzzle” mats because they are easier to put together and can be a little more customizable based on your space. However, you can also buy one-piece mats if you’re confident they’ll fit your workout area, and these won’t run the risk of coming apart during your workout. 

Coverage

Take into account the surface area of your home gym and the amount of flooring you’ll need to cover it all. Many people want to cover the entire home gym floor, but others just want extra cushioning in certain places (for example, underneath a deadlifting platform). 

Figure out how many square feet you’ll need. You can easily do this by measuring the width and length of your area and multiplying them together. From there, you can buy the right mat set for your needs.

Thickness

This can go hand-in-hand with the durability of your mat. The thickness of your mat can directly correlate to how much cushion it provides for your flooring, your equipment, and yourself. The thickness of your mat can also increase its soundproofing ability, so go for a thick mat if you want to deaden the sound of your workouts. 

If you are going to be doing higher-impact workouts, you should definitely go for a thickness of at least ¾” of an inch to protect both yourself and your flooring. If you don’t anticipate doing anything that intense, you are probably fine with a mat that’s about ½” an inch thick, but you won’t want to go much below that.

Grip

The grip of your mat is one of the most important things to consider if you’re going to be using it as flooring for your home gym. Being nonslip is essential for your safety – you wouldn’t want to lose your grip during a complicated yoga move or when you’re carrying hundreds of pounds of weight! 

Make sure that the mat you choose is grippy on both sides for the best results. It will usually have some type of adhesive or gridded pattern to increase “stickiness” and prevent slips during your workouts. 

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