Home Gym Floor Covering

[xtinct]

I am going to convert one of my bedrooms to a home gym. It's not a big room and will probably only have a smith machine and maybe one or two other pieces of equipment. The size is 12 x 12. I removed the carpet and pad and now have the concrete floor. There are three options that I am considering:

1. apply a clear, glossy finish -- protects against moisture, provides traction, looks nice
2. use rubber gym mats -- durable, protects concrete from weights but expensive -- about $600 for good quality mats
3. apply concrete overlay -- also expensive but looks nice and provides protection similar to mats (?)

What would be the best choice?

[booey]

I'd go with the mats - that would be tight.

[Beverly McD.]

Clear, glossy finish is also slippery.
Concrete overlay will still crack if you accidently drop a weight or do deadlifts.
Go to a Tractor Supply (or equivalent) and pick up the rubber mats (much, much less expensive, @ $60 or so I think, but still very tough and durable). If you're going to deadlift put down a piece of 3/4" plywood then the mat.

[Shakes]

Clear, glossy finish is also slippery.
Concrete overlay will still crack if you accidently drop a weight or do deadlifts.
Go to a Tractor Supply (or equivalent) and pick up the rubber mats (much, much less expensive, @ $60 or so I think, but still very tough and durable). If you're going to deadlift put down a piece of 3/4" plywood then the mat.

I recommend the stall mats as well.

You can pick them up from Tractor Supply for under $40:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/equine/horse-stalls-accessories/rubber-matting/royal-mat-rubber-horse-stall-mat-4-ft-x-6-ft--2219003

[Mr. Pelham]

mats by far

[Jrod5150]

Mats all day.

[xtinct]

Thanks everyone. I will try those mats. $200 vs. $600 for gym mats is a great deal.

[Shakes]

Thanks everyone. I will try those mats. $200 vs. $600 for gym mats is a great deal.

The plywood is also a good idea, for $60 you can add an additional 3/4" buffer between the mats and your flooring. This will also provide a more stable footing if you currently have carpet in that room (and keep the mats from ruining the carpet).

One thing to keep in mind is that you will probably want to leave the mats outside or leave a window open for the first couple of days when you buy them. They are made from recycled rubber and don't smell very good.

[Beverly McD.]

Shakes , that's putting it mildly :rofl: They really smell BAD. It wears off after awhile though.

[MR. BMJ]

Awesome thread! Thanks, just the news I was wanting to see right now:)

Thanks!

BMJ
:bmj:

[MR. BMJ]

Just got 5 of these mats for a room in the house. Bought 5 mats from Tractor Supply Company, and it came out to I believe 210.00.

They are the exact same mats that are in Shakes link. They are really good mats. I might take some pics of the room if I get time. I'm mainly converting the room for the fiance so she can have easy access to training. I'll do some basic stuff inthere to tie me over.

Just something simple for now. Got her a tree-weight stand, a curl bar, 10 x 10-lb olympic plates, 2 x 5-lb plates, 2 x 1-arm adjusting curl bars, and a cheap adjustible bench from Wal-mart today. She also has a tread mill and stationary bike, 15-lb hex dbells, and 5-lb hex's.

I'm going to get my dad some squat rack dimensions, and he is going to weld me up a cage.

Anyway....TSC is great for those mats!!!


BMJ
:bmj:

[MR. BMJ]

I am going to convert one of my bedrooms to a home gym. It's not a big room and will probably only have a smith machine and maybe one or two other pieces of equipment. The size is 12 x 12. I removed the carpet and pad and now have the concrete floor. There are three options that I am considering:

1. apply a clear, glossy finish -- protects against moisture, provides traction, looks nice
2. use rubber gym mats -- durable, protects concrete from weights but expensive -- about $600 for good quality mats
3. apply concrete overlay -- also expensive but looks nice and provides protection similar to mats (?)

What would be the best choice?

xtinct, if you get 5 mats, they will fit perfectly!

[xtinct]

Just got 5 of these mats for a room in the house. Bought 5 mats from Tractor Supply Company, and it came out to I believe 210.00.

They are the exact same mats that are in Shakes link. They are really good mats. I might take some pics of the room if I get time. I'm mainly converting the room for the fiance so she can have easy access to training. I'll do some basic stuff inthere to tie me over.

Just something simple for now. Got her a tree-weight stand, a curl bar, 10 x 10-lb olympic plates, 2 x 5-lb plates, 2 x 1-arm adjusting curl bars, and a cheap adjustible bench from Wal-mart today. She also has a tread mill and stationary bike, 15-lb hex dbells, and 5-lb hex's.

I'm going to get my dad some squat rack dimensions, and he is going to weld me up a cage.

Anyway....TSC is great for those mats!!!


BMJ
:bmj:

Beverly mentioned the smell and after reading that I decided not to order them. I can't stand floor coverings that have a strong smell. How is that part?

[bigleemurali]

+1 for mats

my gym has a fiber matt which will be easy to clean and will offer more grip...

it will be like carpet cloth.. most of the gyms in my city have that and it is much inexpensive compared to rubber matts

cheers

[GTLifter]

Beverly mentioned the smell and after reading that I decided not to order them. I can't stand floor coverings that have a strong smell. How is that part?

Since when do gyms smell like roses and angel farts?

[Beverly McD.]

The smell eventually (mostly) goes away. If you have a place outside to air them out for a few days that would help a lot. Rain won't hurt them. In fact, a good hosing would be probably be a good thing.

[MR. BMJ]

Beverly mentioned the smell and after reading that I decided not to order them. I can't stand floor coverings that have a strong smell. How is that part?

xtinct, when I bought the mats, they were already outside, but tied down with a locked chain in front of the store. So they had already been "aired-out" to some degree. The smell isn't isn't bad at all, just a very slight rubberish smell that is definately tolerable. Her room was 10' by 11'8", to I had to cut about 3-4" off of one mat for it to all fit in snug.

I'm very glad I bought them, even the fiance likes them and she isn't exactly a gymrat...lol. My parents came over, when I was installing them (dad helped me), and they both thought it looked really nice too. We have a 32" plasma in there as well.

I highly recommend them. They were also in the hot sun when I got them, so even though they were aired-out, the sun probably didn't help....and even with that as a factor, it is definately not a problem in the house.

They are fairly heavy...or rather awkward to carry, so you may need a 2nd person to help carry them with you. best way is to roll them up, and carry them like that;)


BMJ
:bmj:

[MR. BMJ]

Here are some pictures of the room:


http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00761.jpg

[MR. BMJ]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00762.jpg

[MR. BMJ]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00763.jpg

[MR. BMJ]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00764.jpg

[MR. BMJ]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00765.jpg

[MR. BMJ]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00768.jpg

[MR. BMJ]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t63/crazyaas/DSC00769.jpg