If you’re serious about setting up a home gym, then choosing a suitable flooring option is vital.
A good flooring solution will provide you with good stability, reduced impact on your joints (especially your knees) and also prevent damage to the under-floor.
However there seems to be a bewildering choice of suppliers out there.
So, I’ve created my list of the 9 best home gym flooring solutions in the UK – and provided a brief review of each one.
Bemaxx Interlocking Soft Foam home gym flooring tiles
Bemaxx’s interlocking soft foam flooring tiles are a good solution for protecting your floors from gym equipment. Given they’re soft you can’t expect to be able to drop a heavy barbell on to them, but placing them under a treadmill or an exercise bike will offer sufficient protection and noise reduction in your home gym. They’re made from BPA-free foam, are easy to fit together, are water proof and easy to clean.
Key points
- BPA-free – non-toxic
- Easy to fit together
- Not ideal for heavy duty weight training, but sufficient for under-machine floor protection
ComFy Foam Puzzle EVA Floor Tiles
ComFy Foam have designed a cost-effective but good quality floor tile here. They have considered what a lot of home gym tile companies miss – the movement of the tiles when placed on the floor. To combat this they include an adhesive to prevent the tiles from slipping around. They’re made from a high-density, non-toxic EVA foam which contains no phthalates, lead and latex. They’re easy to put together and comfortable under foot. Ideal for home gym use.
Key points
- Simple construction
- Different colours and styles
- Includes under-tile adhesive to prevent slipping
UMI By Amazon Foam Plush Interlocking home gym Floor Mats
The UMI foam tile is a mid-range floor tile that is good enough to use as a floor protector under equipment, but isn’t designed for high-intensity exercise on. If you are lifting heavy weights then look at a thicker option, but for yoga, stretching and basic bodyweight training this will be fine. It’s a lightweight foam, easy to clean and put together. It is covered with a short velvet so not ideal for sweating on and isn’t non-slip.
Key points
- Light weight foam with easy construction
- Covered in short velvet, so warmer underfoot and looks good
- Not ideal for heavy weight lifting – or dropping 🙂
JSG Accessories Interlocking Large EVA Foam Puzzle Tiles
JSG interlocking tiles are a great option for home gym flooring. They’re non-slip, absorb sound, are sweat/water repellent and are easy to clean. They’ll provide a good level of protection under most gym equipment and are suitable for careful weight training on (not crashing heavy weights on them). They’re BPA free so won’t cause any toxin issues and can be laid down easily.
Key points
- Good level of noise and floor protection
- Suitable for weight training
- Easy laying and cleaning
PROIRON Floor Protection Interlocking Mat tiles
PROIRON floor protection mats are amongst the best at the price point. They are thicker than most others on the market at 1.9cm (nearly twice the thickness of most others on the market), which offers better floor protection, more comfort for floor-based exercises and are more suitable for weight training at home. Being thicker than most they’ll absorb more weight, but they’ll also dent if a weight of more than 10kg is left in one spot for a while, so bear that in mind. They’re child-friendly and easy to put together.
Key points
- Thicker than most others on the market
- Suitable for home weight training
- Easy assembly
JSG Accessories Interlocking Large EVA Foam Puzzle Tiles (multi-colour)
These tiles from JSG are more suited to bodyweight exercise and floor protection from lighter kit. They’re certainly useful if you want to do bodyweight exercise on them such as Pilates and Yoga and they’ll protect the floor under lighter home gym equipment, but I wouldn’t use them under heavy duty kit. They’re easy to put together, easy to clean, add colour variety to a room and are waterproof.
Key points
- Easy to assemble
- Waterproof
- Multi-coloured for interesting designs
UMI By Amazon Wood Grain Interlocking Floor Mats
The wood grain tiles from UMI aren’t great for gym flooring beyond basic floor exercise. Whilst they may look better than a lot of other tile options, they’re not very big, they aren’t thick enough for heavy weight training or supporting heavy equipment and they can be a little slippy. They are covered with the wood effect topping and this can puncture if you put anything too heavy on it. The tiles will be fine for bodyweight exercise, stretching, yoga and Pilates.
Key points
- Look good – better than most
- Aren’t suitable for heavy equipment
- Not very big, so you need a lot of them
We R Sports Interlocking Cushion Soft Foam Floor
The We R Sports mats are some of the best and most versatile tiles for home gym use. They’re thicker than most at 14mm and are very easy to put together. They are available in different colours, are easy to put together, easy to clean and are more than suitable for most home gym equipment. They’ll protect the floor, absorb sound and provide a stable base for most home exercise kit and weights. Their versatility is a big plus point for them.
Key points
- Thicker and more supportive than most tiles
- Sound absorbing, making them ideal for upper floor home gyms
- Waterproof and easy to clean
- Easy to put together and are long lasting
Sportstech 4-6 mm Protective Flooring Mat
This Sportstech mat comes in a variety of sizes, from the solo mat used for abdominal exercise, yoga and Pilates through to the bigger mats that sit underneath exercise machines at home. One thing to consider is that this is a thin mat so it’s not going to be suitable for very heavy equipment or weights, but if you don’t need it for that then there are big advantages to this – being a single mat it requires literally no assembly. It is non-slip, waterproof and comfortable to lie on. Good value for the price.
Key points
- Easiest of all to assemble – simply roll out
- Ideal under single bits of kits
- Non slip and waterproof
Why do you need home gym flooring?
The reality is that a home gym is most often a ‘normal’ room with a different use given to it. It hasn’t got flooring that has been designed specifically for the purpose, so you’ll have to provide a level of protection to it. Here are a few reasons you’ll need home gym flooring…
- To protect the floor – if you put a heavy treadmill on a wooden floor, you’re going to dent it, scratch it etc. Gym flooring prevents this.
- To absorb sound – your neighbours won’t necessarily want to hear you working out, so gym flooring can act as a sound barrier.
- It can be waterproof – Sweating all over a carpet is awful – it can leave a stain, it can make it wet and it can smell after a while. Gym flooring protects against that.
- Non-slip safety – a lot of exercise needs a suitable non-slip floor underneath. Some exercises such as weight training, plyometrics or yoga could be especially dangerous if performed on a wet, slippery floor. Non-slip flooring is much safer.
See also: Best whey protein powder – Best home spin bike
How to choose the right home gym flooring for your needs
There are a lot of different options to consider and you have to bear in mind what you are buying and why. Once the flooring is down it’s a big job to replace so you want to get it right the first time. Here’s a few points to consider before you make your purchase…
Durability
If you are intending to put heavy equipment such as a treadmill and weights you’ll need more durable flooring than if you just want to do yoga or Pilates on it. Think of thickness and foam density here, and get thicker, tougher flooring if you’re going to be putting more weight and stress on it.
Materials
Most of the home gym flooring is EVA foam, but some are topped with a harder plastic usually to provide a decoration. The EVA foam is generally the most versatile for home gym use where aesthetics aren’t as important as function.
Interlocking ability
Gym flooring typically interlocks in a jigsaw pattern. If you’re covering a whole floor this isn’t a problem, but if you are only covering a section the tiles can come apart during heavy use. To prevent this look for tiles with adhesive that can stick them down and prevent them from undoing.
Finish and colour
If you have a particular aesthetic look you want to achieve then pay attention to the finish and colour of the tiles. Bear in mind a finish can make them less suitable for some types of training though as it usually makes the surface slippy and susceptible to puncture.
Cushioning and thickness
If you are going to use the flooring with heavy weights, you’ll need to consider the thickness of the foam. Most tiles are around 10mm, but there are some that are 14mm or even 19mm thick. These are most suitable to heavier weight training, supporting heavier equipment and high impact bodyweight training.
Easy assembly
Some tiles lie flat very easily, whereas others can be a little trickier and need cutting (which is usually easy to do because they’re made from foam). Bear in mind the size of tiles – the larger the tile, the fewer you’ll need to cover a floor so that’s an important consideration when it comes to ease. In some cases you can buy a single mat, which may be your best option if you don’t need to cover much space.
Picking the best flooring for your home gym – conclusion
Flooring is an easy decision to overlook, but if you get it wrong it can be a disaster. Use this guide and you’ll make a well-informed choice that will see your home gym completed with an easy to lay, comfortable and suitable floor that will stand up to your workouts for years to come.