What Are The Best Uses For Gym Flooring? [UPDATED]

[UPDATED in 2025]

When it comes to setting up a gym—whether at home, in a commercial fitness centre, or for a niche space like a rehabilitation clinic - sprung gym flooring plays a huge role in ensuring both safety and functionality. With the right flooring, you can support different workout zones, protect your equipment, and create an engaging, comfortable environment for your workouts.

But with so many gym flooring options on the market, how do you know what’s best for you? Well, the choice boils down to your specific needs, workout type, and space requirements. Let’s explore the best materials for gym flooring and how you can put them to good use.

Table of Contents

What Are the Best Materials for Gym Flooring?

Selecting the right gym flooring is vital for supporting different workout styles while ensuring longevity and ease of maintenance. Below are the most common and versatile gym flooring materials:

Rubber Flooring

For example:

Foam Mat Flooring

Vinyl Flooring

Wood Gym Flooring

Sprung flooring in engineered wood finishes add a natural, sleek look to spaces such as yoga studios, pilates studios, or spaces focusing on low-impact training. While wooden floors are beautiful and calming, they are better suited to low-impact zones or areas with added mats for weight training to protect the surface.

Six Ways to Use Rubber Gym Flooring

Rubber flooring is versatile, functional, and practical, offering numerous applications beyond just standard gym zones. Here are six ways you can put rubber gym flooring to work:

Home or Garage Gym

Creating your personal workout space in a garage or spare room? Rubber is an easy choice for home gym flooring because it’s affordable, resilient, and straightforward to install. It also protects your floors from dropping weights and equipment damage.

Commercial Gyms

Rubber flooring is a staple in commercial fitness spaces due to its durability and versatility. Whether in cardio areas, weightlifting zones, or group fitness studios, rubber keeps the space safe, noise-free, and easy to maintain.

Rehabilitation Clinics

Gym-style spaces are used in rehab clinics to support recovery and low-impact movement. Rubber’s shock-absorbing properties and easy cleaning make it an ideal option for creating safe, accessible exercise spaces for recovery.

Customer Feedback:

"Absolutely delighted with the quality and aesthetic of our rubber flooring.  It was really important that the surface felt comfortable for our clients sessions and it has not disappointed".

Rest and Recovery Rooms

Recovery spaces like stretching zones, yoga, or pilates areas benefit from the comfort and resilience of rubber flooring. They provide a cushioned surface that can support movement while remaining easy to maintain.

Children’s Play Areas

Rubber tiles are a fantastic option for play areas because they’re shock-absorbent, non-slip, and safe for children’s active play. They are easy to maintain and can protect little ones from slips, trips, and falls.

Outdoor Training Spaces (Bootcamp)

Outdoor gym spaces are becoming more popular for bootcamps and garden-based fitness classes. However, when selecting rubber for outdoors, opt for thicker rubber tile gym flooring with integrated drainage systems. They can withstand weather conditions while preventing pooling and slippery surfaces during wet weather.

Thicker rubber tiles (typically 30mm or more) are necessary for outdoor spaces to offer adequate protection, durability, and support for impact.

Final Thoughts

Gym flooring isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about creating the right functional space for your workouts while prioritising safety and ease of maintenance. Whether you’re setting up a home gym, a commercial fitness facility, or an outdoor bootcamp space, the materials you choose will determine how well your space performs over time.