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Having a home gym is highly convenient, and nothing beats the excitement of adding a new piece of equipment to your line-up. However, many overlook a crucial and important step to ensure long-term success and care in your home gym — proper flooring. The first time you drop a heavy deadlift or dumbbell on your concrete garage or basement floor, you’ll realize you need a solution — not only to protect your floors, but your equipment and ears too. Anti Slip Pool Vinyl Liner

Whether you’re equipping your home gym or a small commercial space, you’ll need to find the right gym flooring and mats to match your needs. There are tons of options with varying thicknesses, construction, and uses. We took all these factors and more into consideration when building out this best home gym flooring list. After a ton of testing and research, we landed on a few of our favorite flooring options for different needs that may be able to help you in your quest for home gym safety.

The best home gym flooring overall has to accommodate a wide variety of situations, from the average home gym to a small commercial space. Thankfully, we have a great option that should suit the needs of the majority of people — the Living.Fit Gym Mat Flooring. 

These gym floor mats are made from heavy-duty black rubber with white flecks throughout for a more elevated look. Each edge features an interlocking puzzle-piece design, so you can attach as many mats as you need to fill your space. They’re thicker than your average gym mat too measuring 10mm (0.4 inches) thick. No worries if you drop a plate or bar on them either as they’re spike-resistant and self-healing — meaning the rubber will naturally fill in and restore small gaps and indentations that may have been made from dropping weights.

As far as dimensions go, each mat measures one meter by one meter (40 inches by 40 inches) to allow for easy measuring and planning. These mats are priced reasonably for how durable they are and their interlocking feature (which allows you to set them all down without adhesive or floor tacks). Each mat will cost you around $99 before tax and shipping. They’re backed with a three-year warranty against unexpected wear and tear. 

Forget horse stall mats and pick up some gym mat flooring designed for home gyms. The Living.Fit Gym Mats are made from extra heavy-duty rubber to be resistant to damage from dropping weights. Each mat features an interlocking puzzle-piece design and measures 40 inches by 40 inches.

These floor mats are designed for gyms to help absorb noise and force, working to protect both your equipment and the floor beneath. The interlocking puzzle-piece design helps keep the mats in place without the need for adhesive and creates a seamless and visually pleasing look. Made from extra heavy-duty rubber and self-healing from small indents and tears, these will last you for years to come. 

If your home gym is more reminiscent of a commercial space, and you’ve got heavy machines all over the place, you may need some floor mats that can handle all the extra weight and wear. The Commercial Gym Tiles from Force USA are designed for this situation. 

The brand name for these gym tiles is VersaFit™. These tiles are 40 inches by 40 inches and just over half an inch thick. The extra thickness here makes these great for commercial or heavy-duty home gym applications because they can stand up to the weighty machines and extra abuse in those environments. Each tile weighs a manageable 27 pounds, so you can move them or rearrange them with relative ease. The actual tiles are made from recycled rubber pellets with a consistent size throughout to help prevent against cracking, tearing, and other damage.

The great part about Versafit™ tiles is that they can be used for both indoor and outdoor (covered) gym spaces. They’re available in plain black reversible tiles, so if you get a stain or tear on one side, you can simply flip it over. You can also choose the black with gray flecks color option for more aesthetic appeal. Each tile costs around $64.99 before tax and shipping — though there is a minimum requirement of eight tiles to order. For reference, you’ll need about nine tiles to accommodate a power rack and bench with some attachments.

These heavy-duty tiles are made for people whose home gym borders on commercial or those who have a covered outdoor gym. Their high-quality, recycled rubber is over half-an-inch thick and makes them tough enough to support heavy machines and racks in your gym. Each tile is 40 inches by 40 inches.

If your home gym resembles more of a commercial gym, and you’ve got heavy machines and racks then you’re going to need some heavy-duty flooring like these tiles. They’re thicker than most other tiles and offer a solid flooring solution for both home gyms and commercial spaces.

Home gym tiles come in many shapes, sizes, and designs. One of the most popular designs features interlocking puzzle-like pieces to hold the tiles together. Our favorite interlocking home gym flooring is the Living.Fit Gym Mat Flooring.

These mats are made from extra heavy-duty rubber and built to last with a self-healing design, which can recover from small indentations and tears due to dropping weights on them over time. Each edge features a puzzle-like interlocking design, so once they’re locked into place, they won’t be going anywhere. No need for adhesives, like floor glue or tacks. The interlocking design also helps to improve safety because the tiles are less likely to slide around or have an edge sticking up. The last thing you want to do is trip in your gym, especially with weight in hand or on your back.

Each tile measures 40 inches by 40 inches with a thickness of just under half an inch (0.4 inches). The tiles come with a three-year warranty, but are built to last much longer than that — maybe up to a decade with proper care. You can purchase the tiles individually, so you receive exactly how many you need for about $99.99 each before tax and shipping.

Forget horse stall mats and pick up some gym mat flooring designed for home gyms. The Living.Fit Gym Mats are made from extra heavy-duty rubber to be resistant to damage from dropping weights. Each mat features an interlocking puzzle-piece design and measures 40 inches by 40 inches.

Whether you’re a fan of puzzles or not, these gym floor mats are easy to install since all you have to do is link them together and you’re done. There’s no need for screws, tacks, adhesive, or anything else. They stay together and, more importantly, in place under their own weight thanks to the interlocking edges. 

Home gym flooring can become expensive really quickly, especially when looking at heavy-duty options to accommodate heavy lifting. Thankfully, there’s a solution that offers solid protection for your floor and weight while being cost-effective — Force USA Residential Gym Tiles.

These tiles are durable, flexible, and slip-resistant, making them a great option for home gyms. The thick, 15mm (5/8-inch) rubber helps to reduce noise, which your neighbors and family members or roommates will thank you for. Force USA designed the residential tiles with many commercial-grade features — like smaller rubber pellets on the top layer for noise reduction, and larger pellets underneath for shock and impact absorption to protect both your floor and your equipment — at a more economical price.

The tiles are all black and each one measures 40 inches by 40 inches with precision cut sides for a tight and uniform fit. These gym floor mats are priced well at about $64.99 before tax and shipping. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a minimum requirement of eight tiles per order, which increases the price. But most folks will need at least nine tiles to cover the area of a squat rack, bench, and some accessories (like weight plate storage).

Trying to protect the floor of your home gym on a budget is easier the Force USA Residential Gym Tiles. Each tile is 40 inches by 40 inches and 5/8 of an inch thick. These are designed to help reduce noise and absorb impact for maximum protection of your floor and equipment.

Balling on a budget is common in the home gym community. That said, it’s not always a great idea to skimp on something as fundamental as gym flooring. This option isn’t the cheapest out there, but these floor mats are cost-effective and still high-quality, making them a great choice for those with a limited amount of money to spend. 

Weightlifters have fairly straightforward needs and are generally the minimalists of the gym world when it comes to equipment. A high-quality barbell, some bumper plates, squat stands, and a platform are all a weightlifter really needs. If you’re in the market for a high quality platform, then the Rogue OLY Platform has everything you need.

Many people opt to build their own weightlifting platform, but not everyone can or has the resources to even make that feasible. You need a truck or large SUV to transport the materials, power tools, and the handiness to actually build it. For most people, purchasing and assembling one is way easier and not much more expensive — plus you’ll know it’s done correctly. The Rogue OLY Platform is a six-foot by eight-foot platform with a two-inch by two-inch 11-gauge steel frame, which bolts together. The rubber tiles are shock absorbing and sound dampening for when you drop that PR snatch from overhead.

This sturdy platform will run you about $395 before tax and shipping, and comes with the option to add a band peg kit and a set of rubber tile inserts to complete your platform. The band peg add-on is around $175 and the rubber tile 12-pack comes in smooth or crumb for about $550, both before tax and shipping. If you’re going to use the band peg set, you’ll also need to bolt the platform to the floor using Rogue’s floor plate set, which costs about $120, but most weightlifters don’t do much banded training, so the band pegs may not be necessary.

Have your own dedicated weightlifting area to practice your cleans and snatches with the Rogue OLY Platform. Measuring six feet by eight feet, this platform is supported by 2x2-inch, 11-gauge steel and is built to last. Choose between your preference of crumb or smooth finish rubber tiles to make the platform yours. Optional band peg and floor plate kits are available as well.

If you’re a weightlifter, then you know you need a space dedicated to the Olympic lifts. Having a platform not only helps give you peace of mind when dropping weights from overhead, but can help protect your equipment and ears too. The optional band peg kit makes this a great option for powerlifters and strongman competitors too. 

Lifting on carpet isn’t ideal for many reasons. Rugburn sucks to start with, then you’ve got to worry about slipping and dripping sweat that gets into the carpet, and smells over time. Luckily, there’s a solution that can easily go over carpet and be removed when not needed — Living.Fit Gym Mat Flooring. 

The Living.Fit Gym Mat Flooring is a great option to go over carpet for when you need to get a workout in your living room, spare room, or are setting up a home gym in your carpeted basement. The mats are interlocking with puzzle-like edges, so you don’t have to use glue or screws to hold them in place. They’re also fairly lightweight, weighing around 25 pounds each despite being heavy-duty. Each mat measures 40 inches by 40 inches and is just under a half-inch thick (10mm). 

For those who don’t have a dedicated workout space and the room needs to serve multiple functions, you can set a couple of these up in seconds to perform your workout without worrying about damaging your floor or slipping on the carpet. Then, all you have to do is wipe them down and store them away when finished. Each tile costs around $99.99 before tax and shipping.

Forget horse stall mats and pick up some gym mat flooring designed for home gyms. The Living.Fit Gym Mats are made from extra heavy-duty rubber to be resistant to damage from dropping weights. Each mat features an interlocking puzzle-piece design and measures 40 inches by 40 inches.

We all have to make due with the (oftentimes limited) spaces we have to stick to our workout regimen. If that means throwing down a few gym floor mats over the carpet and banging out a kettlebell or band workout, then so be it. Not everyone has the luxury of a large space for a home gym and these floor mats are a happy medium to allow you to work out nearly anywhere. 

Just like you need to consider your flooring before beginning to outfit your home gym with equipment, there are a number of factors to take into account before purchasing your flooring, as well. The most important factors are the area that you’ll be covering, the materials you want to use, and your training disciple or type of lifting you’ll primarily be performing.

Budget is also a key aspect, but in flooring, sometimes it pays to go with the old home gym adage of “buy once, cry once.” Each of these is important to sort out before making a purchase and we’re here to help with that.

The area that you’re covering may seem straightforward — it’s the floor of your garage, basement, or commercial space. Yes, but more thought and nuance is required. Are you going to be covering the entire floor or just a section dedicated to free weights? Is the floor sloped? Few floors are usually perfectly flat, and if you are putting in a platform, you’ll need to account for that. If you’re in a garage or basement, you’ll want to consider if there is a drain in the floor, and whether you want to work around it or cover it up. 

Each of these factors will play into the type of flooring you choose. If you’ve got a drain, then some interlocking tile mats that can easily come apart and reassemble might be a good call. For those planning to cover only a portion of the floor that’s dedicated to free weights, you may want to consider a platform instead of floor mats. Envision how you’re going to be using the space, but keep in mind that gym layouts can change with the addition of new equipment or interest in different lifting disciplines.

What materials you decide to use for your gym flooring will be influenced by a variety of factors. If you’re lifting in a basement or garage that has water seeping in when it rains, a wooden platform probably isn’t the best choice, and you may want to opt for a metal platform with rubber tiling. If you’re covering the entire floor, then heavy-duty rubber may be a great option too.

Some materials are also inherently more sound-absorbing and impact-resistant than others, so factor in what your neighbors may (not) want to hear and possibly feel. The elderly folks next door probably don’t want to think Godzilla™ is rampaging through town whenever you have a heavy deadlift session. Thinking through the whole picture here will help guide you to the right choice.

This one is a bit more tricky as interests can change over time, but generally, the lifting discipline you’re currently or most likely to continue performing is a good option to use when deciding on gym flooring. Olympic weightlifters have it pretty easy in this department because the obvious answer is a platform. That’s what you’ll compete on, so it’s what you should train on — and it provides a nice area dedicated to just you and your barbell. That said, there’s no reason a weightlifter has to choose a platform. Why not cover the entire floor in mats, so you can snatch and clean all over?

If you’re a powerlifter or strongman, having a deadlift platform is a good idea too. That can be as simple as doubling up on the gym mat flooring in an area for extra absorption where the heaviest weights are going to be dropped. Once again, envisioning how the space will be used is crucial to helping decide what gym flooring is best for you.

Budget is always a factor when it comes to purchasing gym equipment. This is one of the rare cases where we are going to advise purchasing a higher-end product even if it stretches your budget a bit thinner than you’d like. We’re not saying go for broke here and spend thousands on custom flooring — if you’ve got the dough, by all means go for it though; just give us an invite to the next lifting session. If you’re torn between a cheaper and higher-end product that provides a better value or durability, then it makes sense to go with the latter option. 

Once your gym flooring is in and your equipment is all in place, the absolute last thing you’re going to want to do is to take it all out just to replace the floor in a short amount of time. Your gym flooring should last for years and in some cases, decades depending on the quality. Moving tons of equipment to replace tiling every year will get old really fast, and you’ll wish you went with the higher value and more durable product from the jump. 

Home gym flooring is not all created equal, and that’s something we keep in mind when assessing different products. We curated our choices for a variety of needs and situations. Home gyms are no longer made up of just a dinky rack and some hand-me-down bars and weights — though it’s totally cool if yours is, and we’ve got a flooring solution for that in this list. Many people have near commercial-quality setups, and we’ve varied our picks in this article for that reason.

To help us decide on our favorite picks we considered a couple of key characteristics when training at home. First, can the mats support different types of equipment? If so, what types of equipment? Second, how easy is the flooring to install, and does it look aesthetic? Finally, we assessed the overall value the flooring provides. You won’t find compressible puzzle foam meant for a playpen on this list.

Great home gym floor mats should be able to protect floors, support workout needs, and also be durable. This is why we considered home gym floor mats that are thick and made with high-quality materials. Construction is key for durability and longevity, and top-tier materials (like heavy-duty rubber) are great for ensuring both.

Floor mats made with high-quality and dense rubber or foam are supportive, but are also fairly great at resisting drops with lighter weights (so they do a decent job of protecting the floor). To provide context, heavy-duty and high-density rubber is what is used to make horse stall mats. If a horse that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds can stand on it all day, it should be good for your lifting needs and support even the largest pieces of gym equipment.

By understanding the construction of the home gym floor mat in question, a better selection can be made based on the gym’s needs. Thicker gym floor mats will be better for supporting heavier dumbbells, kettlebells, and equipment while thinner ones are better for moving around and maneuvering when you want to rearrange or take your workout outside.

Another aspect to consider when looking for home gym floor mats is their ease of use, as this can be huge for those who want flooring that installs easily and also looks good. Lopsided gym floors, especially in homes, don’t exactly look great. They can also pose a safety risk with rolling barbells or cause a tripping hazard. 

For this aspect, we assessed each home gym floor mat’s outer construction, and analyzed how they interlocked with one another to see if they remain stable and secure. Gym floor mats that interlock well together will look more aesthetic, as they’ll lay flat without air bubbles or bumps. They also don’t require any extra steps, like adhesives or floor tacks, to hold them down. 

We understand that gym flooring isn’t exactly as exciting as a new power rack or specialty bar — though it can be more expensive than both combined. That’s why we put a premium on the value the floor mats provide. Some floor mats we chose may be more expensive than other options, but they’re made to last for decades and have inherent safety features, like an interlocking design. That said, we made sure to include some more budget-friendly options for those who need to count their pennies (like many of us do). 

Home gym floor mats come in all shapes and sizes, from platforms to interlocking mats and standalone tiles. The most important aspect to consider when shopping around for new home gym floor mats is the equipment you have (or will have); then, you’ll want to compare that to a mat’s construction. Taking the actual floor into account is also a great step to ensuring success with your floor mat purchase. 

Heavier weights and machines will require more heavy-duty mats that are designed for commercial use, and we even included an option for those. By taking into account the type of lifting you’ll be performing, the actual area you’ll be covering, and the other factors we’ve discussed, you’ll have an easier time figuring out which floor mat option is right for your gym.

The ideal material and thickness for you will depend on a few factors, such as the type of lifting you’ll be doing and whether you want to move the floor mats around a lot. If you’re going to be performing heavy deadlifts pretty often, then a platform or exceptionally thick floor mat is a great option (0.75 inches or thicker). If you prefer to take your lifting outside onto the patio or driveway when the weather’s nice, then a thinner, yet still solid, mat that’s lighter and easier to maneuver will serve you well.

Most gym floor mats are made from heavy-duty rubber and thankfully require minimal real cleaning to upkeep. They’re not exactly Persian rugs. That said, make sure you vacuum up chalk fairly often and use a cleaning solution (Simple Green or the like is great) and mop every month — that should be enough unless you’re dripping tons of sweat all over. During the hotter, summer months, you may want to use the cleaning solution every two weeks instead of monthly. For other specialty gym flooring, refer to the cleaning suggestions provided by the company.

Gym floor mats can become expensive quickly if you’ve got a decent-sized area to cover. At the least, you’ll want to cover a four-foot by eight-foot area to make yourself a makeshift deadlift platform from the mats. That way, you’ve got somewhere dedicated to lifting weights that you can feel confident that if you drop your weights, you’re not going to break your floor. Another great option would be to purchase a platform for extra confidence since they’re made and designed to accommodate lifting heavy weights.

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

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