5 types of floor for your home gym

Upgrading your home gym? Now’s the best time to replace your gym’s flooring with an aesthetically pleasing alternative to the carpet that came with your home. Here are five different types of floors that can be used in your newly renovated home gym:

Concrete

Concrete is one of, if not, the most popular flooring options in commercial gyms and professional training facilities. Its durability and aesthetics make it a natural choice as a platform for weightlifting, powerlifting, and functional fitness. Consider choosing this long-lasting flooring solution for your home gym. With proper care and maintenance, you can expect your concrete floor to last decades before requiring resurfacing or replacement.

When considering concrete flooring, also consider padded mats that can be used when doing exercises that include you making contact with the floor. For example, any kind of exercise with kettlebells or activities like pushups and situps should be done on a well-padded mat to prevent injury.

Vinyl

Vinyl is a popular option for home gyms because it can typically look nice without significant cost. The downside to using vinyl is that it is easy to damage when moving equipment. If you have a vinyl floor, be sure to use a standing mat beneath your equipment and wipe down your floor with water before you roll it up each night.

This flooring type is typically used in place of wood or tile flooring due to the price. However, when it comes to damaged vinyl flooring compared to wood and tile, you will likely need to replace the entire floor instead of just one tile or one plank of wood. Additionally, if you decide to deal with the less than flattering seam that comes with replacing a small piece of the flooring, it is more likely to get water damage in the seams.

Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy flooring is another favorite for home gyms. Epoxy has a high resistance to impact damage and abrasion, which makes it great for high-traffic areas. This flooring also works well in damp areas like bathrooms or kitchens because its moisture content is low enough that it won’t expand or contract as much as other materials.

This material is made up of two parts: a liquid resin and a hardener. To install, you’ll need to clean your floor first, then paint it with an epoxy base coat. Once it dries, you’ll pour on the epoxy topcoat. You can do this on your own or you can outsource it to a company that typically creates a budget based on the square footage being covered in the epoxy flooring.

Rubber Mats

Rubber is an ideal material for flooring if you are trying to build a home gym on a budget. Rubber mats can be less expensive than wood or tile, and they are easy to move around when necessary. Rubber mats are also easy to adjust and move should you need to rearrange your flooring on short notice. Moreover, they easily protect the floor from the impact of exercise equipment like heavyweights.

In addition to rubber mat squares, there are ways to get rubber pre-cut to the exact size of your room so there are no seams on the floor. When considering what color mats to consider, also consider getting flooring that is thicker than ¼” so that it can help cushion the impact of your exercising. In addition to cushioning your body while exercising, it will last longer. For example, a thicker piece of rubber can handle a little chip from moving the equipment compared to a thin piece.

Wooden Floor

Many homes have wooden flooring in the gym. This can be an ideal flooring for studios that include a lot of light impact on the floor such as yoga and cycling. When it comes to cross-fit or using weights, wood flooring isn’t recommended as dropping a weight on the wood floor could ruin the wood. The amount of padding under the wood flooring also makes a big difference with the amount of impact that it can handle. Additionally, if you are using equipment such as a cycling machine, it’s ideal to purchase a mat that goes under the machine, just in case there is a slight movement of the equipment while using it.

Compared to laminate flooring, wooden flooring is easier to replace when it breaks. For example, you can replace one plank of wood flooring without needing to replace the entire flooring space. In addition, when planks are replaced, there aren’t typically any exposed seams that would be concerning for water damage.

Whether you’re building out your first home gym or simply want to refurbish the one you already have, keeping these four different types of floors in mind will help you make the right selection. Use this guide as you navigate different flooring materials for your home gym upgrade.