The Ultimate Buying Guide for Gym Flooring [UPDATED]

[UPDATED in 2025]

Choosing the right gym flooring for your home or commercial gym may be more complex than you initially thought. This is because several factors come into play when making the best choice for your set-up. You need to pick the right material, thickness, and flooring system to support users and provide a safe foundation for exercise. From self-locking rubber mats to gym flooring rolls, you have many options to consider.

In this ultimate guide to gym flooring, learn all the options you have available so you can make the best choice for your gym flooring. 

In this guide:

• Choosing the Best Gym Flooring 
• Home Gym or Commercial Gym 
• 5 Important Things to Consider Before Buying Gym Flooring 
• How Thick Should Gym Flooring Be?
• 8 Types of Gym Flooring 
• How to Install Your Gym Flooring System 
• Conclusion: The Best Gym Flooring 

• Durable and resistant - flooring for gyms should be durable and resistant to heavy gym equipment and weights; it shouldn’t mark easily. On top of this, gym flooring should protect the subfloor.   

• Shock absorbent and anti fatigue - the flooring needs to provide cushioning to users to absorb the shock that would otherwise hit muscles, joints, and tendons. This is an essential part of creating a safe space for exercise and fitness.  

• Non-slip - flooring with non-slip properties reduces the risk of slips and falls. There should be enough traction to exercise without movement feeling restricted. 

• Easy to maintain - ideally, any gym flooring should be easy to clean, maintain, and last for years to come.  

• Noise and vibration reduction - if you’re dealing with large weight and heavy equipment, you will need to consider noise and vibration reduction properties as this can make a massive difference to the sound in a gym. 

• Visual impact - how your flooring looks can have a big impact on the overall feel of the space. It can make a strong first impression and pull together the whole look of the facility. 

It’s important to understand that the way you plan on using your gym helps determine the best flooring for you. Firstly, garage gym flooring tends to be different from what you would find in a commercial gym. Some gym flooring is designed with a commercial setting in mind, while others are more suited to a garage or outdoor garden gym.

Although there is a lot of crossover, there are more designer-inspired finishes for commercial gyms where aesthetic impact is more important than a home gym. 

Before you buy your gym flooring, here are five crucial things you need to consider. All of these will help narrow down your choice so that you invest in a high-quality and suitable option. By doing the research beforehand and speaking to gym flooring experts, you can avoid a costly mistake. 

To determine the how thick gym flooring should be, you need to figure out how you want to use the space. Gym flooring comes in a range of thicknesses and should always be chosen depending on the application. In general, thicker flooring is tougher and stronger. 

 Here is an overview of how thick gym flooring should be for certain uses:

• Cardio - at least 6mm 
• Functional fitness - at least 10mm
• Dumbbell area - at least 15mm
• Cross-training - at least 15mm 
• Weightlifting and rack areas - at least 30mm
• Olympic weightlifting - at least 40mm

Rubber rolls offer affordability and durability. These are especially good for larger commercial gyms and work out at a super affordable rate per square foot. Gym rolls are multipurpose and can still accommodate heavy equipment and free weights. 

It’s important to know that gym flooring rubber rolls are heavy, making the installation tricky if you don’t have some help.  

If you like a uniformed sheet-like look to your gym, rubber gym rolls are a fantastic choice. With a gym, you often find you need flooring to suit multiple applications. Rubber fitness rolls cater to a ton of different uses, from free weights to cardio. A shock-absorbent gym flooring option is ideal for larger spaces and commercial gyms. 

Rubber tiles offer extreme durability and shock-absorbing properties. From 15mm to 60mm, you can get rubber tiles in a range of thicknesses to suit a variety of activities. The heavy-duty rubber tiles deliver sound insulation and non-slip capabilities to support all training types. 

Typically, rubber tiles are more expensive than rubber rolls and foam tiles, but the durability is unparalleled.  

If you want value, durability, and something that will handle whatever you throw at it, including Olympic weightlifting, the 60mm heavy-duty rubber tiles are a no-brainer. 

Foam tile flooring are light, easy to install and can double up as a play zone for children. The 40mm EVA dual colour reversible foam tiles are suitable for multipurpose fitness facilities and home use. The closed-cell foam makes them perfect for activities like gymnastics, yoga, and general fitness. 

These tiles are less durable than other options and not suitable for heavy equipment and weightlifting. If you plan on doing more floor-based workouts like bodyweight exercises and yoga, these are a good choice. 

Foam tiles are affordable, look fantastic, and have multipurpose benefits. These tiles are perfect for creating a floor-based exercise space within a wider gym environment or for home fitness use. If you’re looking to do weightlifting and use heavy machines, rubber tiles or rolls are much more suitable. 

Interlocking gym flooring brings the benefits of rubber tiles with an innovative installation process. If you love to use rubber gym tiles but are looking for something straightforward to install, these self-interlocking rubber tiles are ideal. They use a simple interlocking system to speed up installation. 

Self-locking tiles are more expensive per square foot than, say rubber fitness rolls. However, the premium HD rubber and simple assembly are a significant draw for those looking for simple installation. 

The self-locking tiles are available in a Fleckz finish or smooth one block colour, depending on your preference. For complete support during high impact activity, these tiles work for garage, home, and commercial gyms. 

Artificial gym turf can add another level to your gym. Create a functional space for plyometrics, sled pulls, and more. This can be hugely attractive for members and personal trainers looking to work at your gym. 

This type of flooring is a more expensive option, and you would need to use it alongside another surface like rubber rolls or tiles. It’s really for creating a specific type of training space within your facility. 

Artificial turf looks great in your gym and can add more versatility to your training space. It’s not as easy to install and maintain as rubber rolls or tiles, but it allows you to offer more function to your members. 

When buying gym flooring, you will find that often you have some choices when it comes to shape and installation. Although your options change if you choose rolls over tiles, here is a general overview of different types of flooring and installation: 

• Interlocking puzzle edge or straight edge tiles - the tiles will either look like a jigsaw or have straight edges.  Some products come with hidden connections pegs or pins for extra stability.

• Self-locking - the flooring is designed to slot together easily. 

• Loose laid or adhesive - this means that you can either lay the flooring loose or glue it down with an adhesive. Some tiles don’t need any adhesive and are heavy enough to slot together while remaining sturdy. 

As you can see, there’s a lot to think about when choosing the best gym flooring for your facility. Whether you’re building an outdoor gym, installing gym flooring in the garage or creating a large commercial gym, non-slip properties and durability are non-negotiable. By finding the most suitable flooring for your gym, you can invest in high-quality flooring once and minimise the risk of slips, falls, and injuries. 

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