Trying to choose the best option for your garage gym flooring? Even though it can be tricky, you can narrow down your choices and pick out the perfect option for you with careful evaluation. A good flooring choice will support your grunts and training styles and help you reach your fitness goal.

Garage gym floor materials need to endure the stress from your training and the gym equipment in the long run. Most people prefer home gym materials that dampen the noise — a feature missing from most garages’ usual concrete flooring. Additionally, it should have some level of shock absorption to prevent injuries. 

However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question “what is the best flooring option for a garage gym.” Your gym floor choice should reflect your personal preference and training style. 

Things to Consider Before Choosing Gym Flooring

• Your training style – Are you a powerlifter or bodybuilder? Will you be doing clean and jerks or snatches? Or do you prefer high-impact aerobics training? Will you be doing floor exercises such as Pilates? 
• Your exercise equipment – How much weight do you intend to put in the gym? Will you put a power rack or cage in the gym? Will you bolt down machines to the floor? What are the possible gym equipment additions in the future? What is the maximum weight of the pieces of equipment you intend to put in there? 
• Appearance – How important is appearance to you? Do you want a warm and bright look, or are you all about functionality?
• Moisture level in your garage – Do you live in an area with high moisture level? Do you sweat or spill a lot during your training sessions? 
• Cleaning and maintenance – Do you need easy-to-maintain flooring? How often do you intend to clean the gym floor? 
• Installation plans – Will you install the flooring yourself or hire a professional contractor? What is your budget for installation? 
• Your space and budget – What is the size of the space, and what is your per sq. ft. budget? How much are you willing to spend on the material and installation in total?
• Other alternate garage uses – Do you intend to use the area for other purposes, such as parking the car or DIY projects?

Best Garage Gym Floor Materials

When it comes to gym flooring, most people lay rubber or foam of some sort on the existing concrete layer and get it over with. However, the material that goes underneath the rubber or foam is just as important. For example, if you’re thinking in the long term, you might want to add a layer of epoxy to protect your subfloor. 

Here is a complete review of the top 5 garage gym flooring options that you should consider. 

Epoxy garage gym flooring

Price Range: $3/sq. ft. – $7/sq. ft.

Apart from adding an extra layer of protection to the concrete subfloor, epoxy adds color and shine. It minimizes dust, repairs cracks, conceals stains, and provides the durability needed to withstand the heavy stress caused by the gym equipment. Epoxy flooring has come a long way from its old grey days. They usually come in three different styles: 

1. Solid color
2. Partially “chipped,” and
3. Fully “chipped.”

Fully chipped epoxy is most famous nowadays that comes with decorative chips added to the mixture or sprinkled over the floor to create a unique look. It is also easy to install and perfect for DIY projects — taking only a few days to install. Another advantage of using epoxy is, it is also suitable for parking the car. 

Epoxy Garage Flooring Pros:

• Durable to sustain heavyweight 
• Easy to maintain
• Aesthetically pleasing
• Easy installation
• Protects concrete subfloor
• Long-lasting 

Epoxy Garage Flooring Cons:

• Slippery when wet
• Not suitable for a high-moisture environment
• Might require an additional layer of rubber or foam 
• Professional installation can be expensive

Epoxy Garage Flooring Cost:

The epoxy flooring kit and other necessary materials for a two-car garage cost $150 to $500. Depending on the installation cost in your location, it might add up to $1,500 to $2,500.

Epoxy Gym Flooring is Best for

• Free weight training (CrossFit, bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting)
• Aerobic training
• Pilates
• Yoga

Rubber gym flooring

Price Range: $2/sq. ft. – $150/sq. ft.

To this day, rubber remains the most popular gym flooring option for home gyms as well as commercial gyms. The strength, resilience, and sturdiness of rubber make it the perfect material that can withstand the shock of dropping a heavyweight and the weight of gym machines. It also dampens the noise to a certain extent.

In addition to that, it offers protection from injury to a certain degree compared to concrete or other hard materials. Another great advantage of rubber is it provides a tremendous amount of traction even when wet. 

Rubber flooring comes in a variety of sizes and types. For example-

• Rubber gym flooring rolls – Ideal to cover a larger area. 
• Interlocking rubber gym tiles – They are light, easy to handle, customizable, and mobile.
• Rubber gym workout mats – Ideal to place under heavy machines and in the weight training area; also suitable as bodyweight training mat.  

Rubber Gym Flooring Thickness

Rubber Thickness	1/4″	1/3″	3/8″	1/2″	3/4″	1″	2″+
Bodyweight Exercise	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Exercise Machines	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Free Weights up to 50 lbs.	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Free Weights up to 120 lbs.		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Free Weights over 120 lbs.				✔	✔	✔	✔
Intentional Weight Dropping					✔	✔	✔
Vibration/Noise Reduction							✔

Rubber Gym Flooring Pros:

• Low maintenance
• Easy installation
• Soundproof
• Shock absorbent and waterproof

Rubber Gym Flooring Cons:

• Might be costly
• Heavy 
• Might have unpleasant odors initially
• Poor insulator

Rubber Gym Flooring is Best for

• Free weight training (CrossFit, bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting)
• Aerobic training
• Pilates
• Yoga
• HIIT workouts

Carpet gym flooring

Price Range: $1.50/sq. ft. – $10/sq. ft.

For home gyms, nothing beats carpet as a flooring option, and there are good reasons for it. It’s low maintenance, soft on the joints, and most people already use them in other areas of the house. It is also an incredibly economical choice for home gyms. 

However, if you want to use carpets in a garage gym, choose low piles and tight weaves to sustain the everyday stress from the heavy machines and the weights. To avoid fraying the carpet flooring, you can place a foam gym mat or interlocking rubber mats under heavy machines. Depending on the subfloor, you should put a rug mat under the carpet for better traction. You can also glue it down to avoid any movement. You might want to consider waterproofing your carpet or opt for water-resistant materials to prevent damage and bacterial growth from sweat and moisture. 

Carpet Gym Flooring Pros:

• Easy to install and maintain
• Lots of options
• Homely aesthetic
• Soft and comfortable
• Good insulator

Carpet Gym Flooring Cons:

• Can develop odors caused by moisture and sweat
• Poor shock absorption
• Stretches and flattens over time
• Not suitable for lifting heavyweights

Carpet Gym Flooring is Best for: 

• Aerobics training
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Bodyweight exercises
• HIIT

Foam gym mats 

Price Range: $1/sq. ft. – $4/sq. ft.

If you are not aiming to do a lot of heavyweight training in your home, dense EVA foam mats are a perfect budget-friendly and practical choice for you. It is the best option for floor-based workouts such as Pilates, yoga, PiYo, or HIIT. Its excellent shock resistance minimizes impacts on joints from high-intensity training. However, this same property makes them a non-viable choice for weight training as they don’t allow you to transfer force efficiently. Foam mats quickly get dents and tears from heavyweights.

Foam gym mats are lighter and cheaper than rubber, making them incredibly mobile and easy to use. They are also a multi-purpose option that you can utilize in other house areas. If you want to use your garage for other purposes, you can put them away very easily.

Foam Gym Mats Pros:

• Lightweight and mobile
• Lots of options to choose from
• Easy to install and store 
• Multi-purpose
• Shock absorbent

Foam Gym Mats Cons:

• Not durable
• Not suitable for heavyweight or machines

Foam Gym Mats is Best for: 

• Yoga 
• Pilates 
• PiYo  
• Aerobics training
• P90X
• Bodyweight training
• HIIT

Artificial Turf Gym Flooring

Price Range: $2.50/sq. ft.- $7/sq. ft.

Artificial turf is the perfect choice for athletic training to boost performance with a lower risk of injury. It provides traction and resistance ideal for functional movements like sled pushes and pulls, sprints, and carries. It is ideal for any weighted exercise and plyometrics. The grass-like material also enhances the aesthetics of any home and commercial gym. 

Turf is easy to clean and maintain, and they are usually waterproof. Good quality artificial turf is long-lasting and will not show dents or cracks even from the roughest use. Interlocking turf mats are easy to install in any part of the gym and move around.

Artificial Turf Gym Flooring Pros:

• Enhances athletic performance
• Aesthetically pleasing
• Supports functional and high-intensity training
• Lowers the risk of injury
• Long-lasting and waterproof

Artificial Turf Gym Flooring Cons:

• Expensive than most other gym flooring options
• Can trap sweat and moisture and grow bacteria if not cleaned regularly
• Can feel abrasive against the skin

Artificial Turf Gym Flooring is Best for: 

• Functional movements
• High-intensity workouts
• Plyometrics

Gym Flooring Materials to Avoid

Even though there is no hard and fast rule of choosing the best gym floor material, your safety should always be at the top of the priority list. Avoid using cheap flooring that is not intended for gym purposes. You’ll end up paying more in the long term due to frequent replacements or, worst-case scenario, injure yourself. 

Another big mistake a lot of people make is choosing the wrong material for their training style. For example, if you do yoga or Pilates, foam gym mats are an ideal choice for you. But for powerlifting or bodybuilding, foam is a terrible choice that can lead to injuries. Similarly, training on slippery or water absorbent materials can cause potential harm. So, do your research before investing in your garage gym floor to make the most out of your money. 

Do you own a home gym or garage gym? What is your best tip that you can share? Comment below and let us know!