Once the home looks good, many owners expand their creativity to a garage gym, which needs the right type of flooring.
“Most garages have a concrete slab, and that is not the best surface to work out on. In fact, it’s really hard on your joints. Aside from that, though, if you have expensive equipment in the garage, you won’t want it resting on cold concrete that may also be cracked and damp. Time to make some changes and make the inside of the workout zone safe and yet durable,” says Dean Dupre, owner of Champion Tile and Marble, Tampa Bay, Florida.
While the ideal flooring would be the kind in boxing gyms or other big-ticket fitness training centers, not everyone can afford it. Are there other options? “Yes, commercial flooring, rubber stall mats and interlocking rubber tiles. Each one of those choices has pros and cons. It is up to you to choose what works the best for your situation and location,” Dupre adds.
Commercial flooring is still too expensive for some. It is the kind found in large gyms, and it comes in a rainbow of colors. Right off the bat, the only way to determine a flooring budget is to ask for a quote. This may put a number of people off, as they interpret that to mean it is expensive. This kind of flooring also comes in a tiled version that may be worth considering because it can be less expensive.
Option number two is to use rubber horse-stall mats, which work out to be about $1.66 per square foot. A lot of garage floor area can be covered for a low price, for those with a limited, no-room-to-wiggle budget. Bonus: these mats are easy to cut down to fit any space and any odd corner. Additionally, they are very durable. Just be prepared to wait for the new-rubber smell to dissipate over time. Also, be aware that this type of matting is quite heavy, which means no bunch-ups when laid in a square.
“Another type of tile to consider is interlocking rubber tiles,” explains Dupre. “This option is the most economical of the three alternatives and is easy to find at sporting goods stores or online. However, the less you pay for something, chances are there may be issues with it. That old ‘You get what you pay for’ adage is quite true with these tiles. However, they do work well for some.”
Interlocking rubber tiles do not stand up to weightlifting equipment being dropped on them, but they may do well when placed under a treadmill or combination home gym rig. “It’s your choice, but at least you have a variety of options to suit your workout routines and equipment,” says Dupre.
