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4 Reasons to Use Carpet for Gym Flooring

There are lots of gym flooring options out there, but one you may not have considered is carpet tiles. Carpet, in particular, carpet tiles, is a great option for both home and commercial gyms. Many people use carpet as their home gym flooring and you will even see carpet in many commercial gyms, as well. Find out why with these four reasons to use carpet for gym flooring.

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Pros of Gym Carpet

Crete II Carpet Tile

First thing’s first, we’re not talking about a luxurious, soft, high pile, plush carpet. Gym carpet is durable, low-pile, and ready for anything. There are many benefits of using carpet as your gym flooring. Let’s take a look.

Carpet is Durable

While there are some duds out there that don’t hold up well, low pile gym carpeting is really very durable. This stuff is built to last, and it can handle the wear and tear of some pretty hardcore workouts.

Carpet is Cozy

Not sure you want to dedicate an entire area to working out? You can easily create a basement gym with some padded carpet tiles that doubles as a family area.

Although you’re not using ultra-soft carpeting, it’s still cozier than trying to have a movie night on rubber flooring. I mean, I love me some rubber gym flooring, I just don’t want to lounge on it at home. Carpet has just the right softness and look to easily double as a natural living space.

In fact, some padded carpet tiles are even backed by a foam underlayment. This is great for working out (extra cushion on your joints!) and lounging around.

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Carpet is Approachable

If you’re just dipping your toes into the fitness world, traditional gym flooring options can seem overwhelming. Even self-proclaimed fitness fanatics still felt confused by the gym flooring when first starting out.

Odds are, you’ve likely lived somewhere with carpet. You know what it looks like, what it feels like, and it’s a little easier to choose carpeting than some new flooring you’ve never heard of before.

Starting a new routine or making a big purchase like this for the first time is scary enough. Carpet isn’t.

Carpet Creates Fun, Colorful Looks

4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

Okay, so this is probably not the most important part of your gym flooring, but color is fun! Think about it – you want a space that makes you want to be there and want to workout. There is nothing worse than dreading your workouts and, while that is sometimes unavoidable, I recommend doing everything you can to try!

Since you typically use carpet tiles for gym flooring, you have the option to create cool, unique designs. Many people go with the more traditional (but still fun!) checkerboard look. But really, you can be as creative as you like!

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Cons of Gym Carpet

4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

It’s true, nothing is perfect. Here are some drawbacks you might want to consider before you make a purchase.

Commercial Installation

If you use interlocking carpet tiles or peel and stick carpet tiles at home, installation is a breeze! The interlocking and peel and stick tiles are perfect for even a first time DIY-er.

However, a commercial space really needs to have glued down carpet tiles to ensure they stay in place. For the glue-down approach, we recommend going with a professional installer.

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Stretching4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

You know how the harder we work out and the older we get, the less our bodies want to stretch? Well, carpet tiles are just the opposite.

Over years of hitting it hard in the gym, the carpet can stretch and become warped. If that happens, you will eventually need an installation professional to come in and fix things for you.

Not Waterproof

Unlike traditional rubber gym flooring, carpet can hold onto water. Most carpet tiles are built to resist water, but that doesn’t always do the trick, especially if you’re putting your gym in a flood-prone basement.

A little bit of water in a contained area isn’t the end of the world. If that happens, you can easily replace just the damaged tiles. But if you have an entire flood, you’ll be in the market for a whole new floor. And you probably won’t be thrilled about it.

Not Ideal for Heavy Lifting

Although you can put down a shock-absorbent underlayment, carpet isn’t designed to handle heavy barbells, especially if you’re like me and you like to be able to drop the barbell from any height.

Without a shock-absorbent flooring built to handle that kind of abuse, you can easily damage your subfloor and equipment.

Related Content >> Why Choose Carpet Tiles?

Is Carpet the Right Choice for Me?

4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

While I’m not psychic and can’t speak exactly to you individually, here’s a nice little checklist to make sure you’re making the right choice.

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Carpet Might be Right for Your Gym If…

  • You want a durable gym flooring that will last a long time
  • You’re going to use your space for more than just workouts
  • You want easy to maneuver materials
  • You want fun design options

Carpet Might Not be Right for Your Gym If…

  • Your gym is in your basement
  • You’re not looking at either interlocking tiles or peel and stick tiles, but you still want to install your flooring yourself
  • You want something extra shock absorbent for heavy lifting
  • You do a lot of floor work and don’t like the feeling of carpet on your skin
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Best Gym Carpet Options

4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

Sold on using carpet for your gym? Allow me to introduce you to a few customer favorites.

5/8″ Premium Soft Carpet Tiles4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

This is for the most basic home gym. If you’re doing yoga, core work, stretching and gentle movements, these carpet tiles are great. However, for more movement and impact, they will not stand up to the abuse.

Crete Carpet Tiles

Crete Carpet Tile

These babies are durable, easy to maintain and a true staple for both home and commercial gyms. They won’t absorb moisture (unless there’s a lot of it, like a flood) and they stay looking sharp with just some simple vacuuming.

Triton Plus Carpet Tiles4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

Extra durable with a 7 year warranty, these carpet tiles are tough enough to hold up to some serious workouts. You still don’t want to drop a 600# barbell, but you can definitely do most home workout programs.

Anti-Fatigue Carpet Tiles4 Reasons to Choose Carpet for Gym Flooring: Carpet tiles are an approachable, durable option for gym flooring. Discover if they could be the right choice for you.

For extra comfort! This carpet tile includes a 3/8″ foam pad underneath to keep your joints happy. They can stand up to lots of traffic and abuse. However, they do come at a higher price point and, for most home gyms, the Crete or Triton carpet tiles work perfectly.

Conclusion

Are you all pumped up and ready to create your own home gym with some carpet tiles? It’s the perfect starter floor for beginners, and it will still last as you progress on your fitness journey.

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About Ari Ziskin

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Ari Ziskin is our resident expert in all things fitness, dance and flooring trends. After five years of blogging at Ari’s Menu, where she was featured on sites like The Huffington Post and Buzzfeed, Ari decided to pursue writing full-time. Nothing makes her happier than sharing her knowledge to help people create their gyms and begin their fitness journey.

2 Comments on “4 Reasons to Use Carpet for Gym Flooring

  1. Suitable material should be utilized on the gym floor and a lot of factors should be taken into consideration while selecting the flooring materials for the gym floor. Assistance from experienced professionals could be very useful to select the right material for the gym flooring. Such professionals have in-depth knowledge regarding the flooring material and thus could provide proper assistance.

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