Home Gym Flooring Options (Best Options You Should Consider)
For many people, having a home gym is one of their biggest desires and it often takes time to collect all the equipment to have a fully functional home gym. However, the value of home gym flooring options should not be understated. The home gym floor should be durable enough to withstand the impact and rigors of weights,
It is important to make sure that you get a functional floor for your home gym and there are numerous good options to consider. To help you understand the differences and determine which floor is the best, we will look at the best home gym flooring options.
Home Gym Flooring Materials Explained
Rubber
Rubber is one of the most popular and durable flooring options to consider. Not only is it one of the easiest to install, but it has good durability for weightlifting and CrossFit workouts that often require you to drop the bar. It can protect the underneath flooring from damage and absorb most of the impact from the weight as it falls to the ground.
Additionally, the rubber floor stands out due to the ease of cleaning. Much like tiles, rubber would clean quite easily and you often only have to wipe down the floor to ensure that it is effectively cleaned.
Foam
Another great material alternative would be the use of foam. Foam might not have the durability of rubber. However, it is still one of the best materials for workouts like yoga and plyometrics. The foam would provide a great sense of comfort for exercises on the floor. You can also place some of your heavier workout machines on the foam.
This would help to protect the underneath flooring from the intense weight of these machines.
Carpet
Carpet is one of the top options for your workout equipment to sit on. However, a carpet can be daunting to clean due to the nature of the design. Dirt and other particles could get lodged in the carpet fibers. However, the carpets can also provide the same functionality as foam would provide. This would ensure that the heavy machines do not damage the underneath flooring.
Vinyl
The vinyl floor is very controversial and often looks great in many home gyms. It often resembles the same look as the hardwood floor. Unfortunately, these floors are not great for free weights and they might even be frustrating for floor-based workout routines like yoga and pilates. You will need to invest in a yoga mat.
The upside to the vinyl floor is that they are easy to clean and resistant to mold and mildew, which often occurs on many gym floors.
Turf
Many athletes would agree that turf is one of the best flooring options for high-impact workouts. It is a great option for your home gym and would be effective for workouts like the sled pull and other exercises that could involve pushing and pulling.
The biggest downside to using turf is the cost. It is one of the most expensive materials and can set you back a fair bit.
Plastic
From a personal point of view, plastic is one of the most rarely used materials in the gym. However, there are a few gyms that opt for plastic flooring. The benefit of the plastic floor is certainly the aesthetics. These floors are also easy to clean and a simple wipe-down with a mop would do the trick.
However, plastic floors can crack under heavy loads and they are not designed for you to be dropping weights on them. Even dropping a kettlebell from 5 feet of height could cause significant damage to your plastic flooring.
Why Do Gyms Combine Floors?
If you have ever visited one of your local gyms, you might find that they can combine floors in different areas. You might find that vinyl is often used in the studio for classes and HIIT workouts, but rubber is the preferred material in the weightlifting section.
In other areas that often give you access to sled pulls and other pushing exercises, the turf might be installed to help with the impact and to give an aesthetic feeling to athletes training for specific athletic events.
Essentially, it would come down to the specific purpose you have and which exercises or workout equipment you are planning to use in your home gym.
For the perfect mix of durability and functionality, the rubber floor is one of the top options. It might not be as aesthetically pleasing as the vinyl or plastic floor, but it offers plenty of pragmatic uses.
Can You Put A Home Gym On The Second Floor Of Your Home?
Many people often want to move their home gym to the second floor of their homes. In some cases, it might be the only available room to set up your home gym. You must take into consideration the weight capacity of the floor. You should not place equipment or weights on the floor if it is too heavy.
When selecting flooring for home gym on the second floor, you want to stress durability. Something like rubber would be a great option to help absorb some of the impacts from weights and protect the integrity of the floor.
How Thick Should A Gym Floor Be?
The thickness of your home gym floor would vary depending on the exercises that you practice. For the most part, you want to make sure that it can accommodate the workouts you are doing. If you are doing CrossFit or weightlifting exercises that require you to drop the barbells, you want to make sure that the floor is thick enough to sustain the impact.
Wrap-Up
If you are building your home gym, the floor should be one of the main focal points. You should create a solid plan that lets you see what exercises and equipment you will be using. This would make it much easier to determine the flooring ahead of time. We would love to know in the comment section which home gym flooring options you prefer.
