Flooring for garage gym.

[2K4CE]

Moving into a house with a three car garage.

Two spots are for workshop/cars.

One spot is going to be a gym (Power rack, barbells, powerlifting stuff)
So I'd expect to drop ~500lb barbells on the floor, knock plate stands over/all these things.

I have racedeck in my old garage. I'm thinking about leaving it there, because I don't really like it.

Also, some of the equipment has to be bolted into the concrete, so I don't want to worry about racedeck's expansion.

I don't like bare concrete, because it's rough on feet. But if the floor is soft, that's a problem too.

What about a really thin (thnk: office grade) carpeting with no padding?

Anyone do the same - thoughts?

 

[Darby Darrow]

Go to your local farm store and pick up some horse stall mats.

 

[77thor]

Go to Home Depot they have several types of thick foam tiles for workout rooms.

 

[2K4CE]

Go to your local farm store and pick up some horse stall mats.

Looks like a pretty good option. If they stand up to hooves, they should stand up to plates.

 

[Jeff95TA]

Does it have to be thin? I put down 1/2" heavy rubber mats that were meant for gym floors in my gym area. Luckily there was a local supplier that stocked them since he did some of the college gyms. You can drop dumbbells on them without worrying about damaging anything. Of course I'm not dropping anything close to 500 lb!

 

[getfamiliar]

Looks like a pretty good option. If they stand up to hooves, they should stand up to plates.

I have the 3/4" horse stall mats in my gym/garage w/ concrete floor. They run about $40 each for 4'x6', so they are on the pricey side.

I have all steel plates at the moment, so the harshest i've done is a pretty controlled drop of 315 on an errant front squat rep. That was unpleasant but no damage whatsoever.

 

[bdamico]

depending on your area, gym flooring is all over craigslist

 

[Scotie]

Some of the horse stall mats have a very strong odor in an enclosed area. I have done dog training inside a building that has a type of horse stall mats installed all over the floor. When I get home form being there for and hour my clothes and dog has the odor of the mats. I don't know the name of the material or where purchased.

 

[Garage Flooring]

You have lots of options here. Any time you use a rubber product there will be some odor. That said we have some premium, American Made interlocking rubber tiles that work great. The price on the site is high because we have to cover freight on small orders. Email me your needs and I will get you the GJ Special price

Another great option is Rubbertrax.

 

[RaceDeck1]

Moving into a house with a three car garage.

Two spots are for workshop/cars.

One spot is going to be a gym (Power rack, barbells, powerlifting stuff)
So I'd expect to drop ~500lb barbells on the floor, knock plate stands over/all these things.

I have racedeck in my old garage. I'm thinking about leaving it there, because I don't really like it.

Also, some of the equipment has to be bolted into the concrete, so I don't want to worry about racedeck's expansion.

I don't like bare concrete, because it's rough on feet. But if the floor is soft, that's a problem too.

What about a really thin (thnk: office grade) carpeting with no padding?

Anyone do the same - thoughts?

For a weight room/ gym floor that is 'soft' you will have expansion issues in a garage envrioment ( if there thermal swings exist). basically the softer the product the more the expansion...

 

[Robbo]

I went with the horse stall mats and have been very happy with that route. I've had them for about 3 years now and there is no discernible damage from any of the weights. It's pretty easy to cut to shape as well (if you wanted to put it around the bolted down equipment). It will smell for a little while, but it dissipates. It will also drop lots of little rubber fragments when you move or scrape it for awhile that you'll sweep up if it bugs you.

If I was creating a home gym again today, I'd make the same choice.

Rob

 

[Oxidd1979]

Like others said, horse stall mat. Thats what we have at the gym, and it's perfect when you drop your bar after a ******.

 

[2K4CE]

Horse stall mat does look like the best option. I /don't/ want a soft floor. I'd rather the floor not compress when I've got a lot of weight in my hands/on my back.

I wonder if hte horse mat will expand? My concern is that there will be a power rack bolted through the flooring into the concrete. I could potentially see buckling/tearing issues as a result.

 

[getfamiliar]

depending on the quality of the mat you buy, and as I mentioned they aren't cheap, you get what you pay for. My 3/4" are rated for something ridiculous like 2500 lbs. The damn things weigh nearly 100lbs themselves.

While I'm not concerned with compression, i do like the feel and "slipperyness" of a wood platform. I C&J quite often so having some foot slide can be important. My current plan is to plop a 4'x6' ply sheet (with high duty varnish/ lacquer) amongst my mats like this

 

[2K4CE]

depending on the quality of the mat you buy, and as I mentioned they aren't cheap, you get what you pay for. My 3/4" are rated for something ridiculous like 2500 lbs. The damn things weigh nearly 100lbs themselves.

While I'm not concerned with compression, i do like the feel and "slipperyness" of a wood platform. I C&J quite often so having some foot slide can be important. My current plan is to plop a 4'x6' ply sheet (with high duty varnish/ lacquer) amongst my mats like this

that's awesome!

 

[Ric in Richmond]

Horse stall mat does look like the best option. I /don't/ want a soft floor. I'd rather the floor not compress when I've got a lot of weight in my hands/on my back.

I wonder if hte horse mat will expand? My concern is that there will be a power rack bolted through the flooring into the concrete. I could potentially see buckling/tearing issues as a result.

I park my Motorcycle kickstand on my stall mats and nothing phases the matts. You wont find them compressing or creeping.

If you go to tractor supply buy all the mattes you need at once. They have several suppliers and the patterns are different. I have some that I am trying to match.
They aren't soft but they make concrete liveable.

 

[joallen001]

I would check out the rubber flooring that comes in 4'x50' rolls. I used this in my commercial gym and it is great. You can get it anywhere from 1/8" to 1/2" thick. Also if you spill something on it it does not soak the liquid up. Really nice for cleaning up spills. I cannot recall the brand of the flooring but I got it from Legend Fitness in TN. I got all my equipment from them and they had access to flooring also. It was cheaper through them than what I could find it anywhere else. If you interested ask for Don Carter. He was a great and patient salesman. It took me almost three months to decide on all my equipment, cardio, etc. He was there the whole time and sent dozens of estimates until we had it just right.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Lots of great feedback here. Horse stall mats are something I have never tried but it looks like people have had a lot of success with them. Regarding Rolls versus tiles in rubber. Select a quality manufacturer or distributor, such as the one mentioned in TN, I am sure. Within a same line its typically the exact same material in either an interlocking tile or rubber roll. The difference is the 4' rolls need to be glued.

Jorgen's point about expansion and contraction is an interesting one. I have actually noticed that with a lot of the materials that break apart when you fold them back, this is true. With a high quality material, there will always be expansion and contraction, but not to excess and nothing that proper install can't manage.

If your looking for a small temporary covering, I am not going to try and talk you out of horse stall mats. If you are looking for a quality permanent floor covering and perhaps need something between the options presented, a firm PVC tile may be a good option.

One more side-note on rubber, at least the products we sell. These are not 'soft sink into them' flooring. It is the same flooring used in commercial gyms nationwide. BUT PVC gives you a more mulch-purpose floor.

 

[GPM]

I've dropped couple of hundred lbs on my horse stall mats from tractor supply and no dents or tears. Very pleased with them. $65 a piece for a 4x5 or 6.