How to choose rubber gym flooring
The floor is the one part of a gym that every piece of equipment, every athlete and every dropped dumbbell touches. It protects the slab, the equipment and the people training on it. It controls noise, and it sets the look of the whole room. It's also the hardest thing to change once the gym is open. So it's worth getting right.
Rolls, tiles or multi-layer systems
Rolled rubber is our standard. Rolls are laid edge to edge and glued down, giving a seamless floor with no tiles to lift or edges to catch. The rolls we use are 1.25 m wide and butt-seamed along their factory edges, which gives a clean, continuous finish.
Tiles suit smaller areas, temporary set-ups and spaces where you might want to lift the floor later. Some interlocking tiles can be laid loose without adhesive.
Multi-layer systems combine a shock-absorbing layer underneath with a hard-wearing surface on top. They're used where heavy weights are dropped or where noise and vibration need controlling.
Thickness: match it to the zone
Thicker isn't always better. It needs to match what happens in each area. As a guide, these are the standard thicknesses for fitness floors:
Cardio and strength machines: 4 or 8 mm. Machines sit still; weights aren't dropped.
Free weights: 8 to 12 mm. Dumbbells and plates get put down hard.
Functional and CrossFit-style training: 8 or 12 mm, or a multi-layer system. Barbells, kettlebells, slams and jumps.
Heavy drop zones and lifting platforms: Multi-layer systems or impact tiles. See Drop zones and lifting platforms.
Most facilities need more than one thickness. We plan the zones on the floor plan first, then specify flooring for each. See Zoning a training floor.
What it's made of
Rubber gym flooring is made from rubber granules bonded together. The mix decides how it looks and feels:
Recycled black rubber (SBR) is tough and good value.
EPDM colour granules add the colour flecks and a finer finish.
A floor with a small share of EPDM colour is tough and good value. A floor made entirely with EPDM colour granules has a more premium look, in more than 20 standard colours. A sealed surface makes cleaning faster and easier.
Performance you can measure
Good rubber flooring is tested, not just described. Quality manufacturers publish force reduction (how much impact the floor absorbs), slip resistance to Australian standards and impact sound reduction for their products. Ask for these figures when comparing floors, along with environmental credentials. The rubber flooring we specify carries GECA certification, an Environmental Product Declaration and Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze, which matter on Green Star and WELL projects.
Why we're particular
Not all rubber flooring is equal. Cheap floors can smell, curl at the seams, break up under heavy drops and fail slip tests. We only specify commercial-grade rubber with a long sports pedigree, published test data and environmental certification, and we install it ourselves across the Sunshine Coast and Queensland, usually as seamless rolls with inlaid deadlift platforms.
Want to feel the difference? Our Cooroy showroom has our rubber flooring and sports turf down, so you can train on it before you choose. See flooring and turf or our Sunshine Coast flooring installer page.
