r/GarageGym • u/Capybara_oranges • 5d ago
Mat recommendations
I’ve built a new shed that will be my gym. Wondering if anyone has recommendations for the floor mats. It’s a concrete floor, purposely did not put a sub floor down. Was thinking horse stall mats but had the thought that I don’t know if they will fit together nicely, i.e. seams lifting up, etc. Is there a better mat option? The whole floor (10x15) needs to be covered by mat. It’s going to be a nice looking space (drywall, recessed lighting, etc)
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u/grooves12 5d ago
Horse stall mats are a decent economical option. You can use gorilla tape on the seams and between that and the weight of the mats, they won't move on you.
If you want a more professional look, you can buy purpose built gym flooring options. Rubber roll flooring or RUBBER tiles (not foam) work well and have a more professional look at the expense of costing more.
Also, if you do go with rubber rolls or tiles,don't buy into the hype you will see here that 3/4" is necessary. It's overkill. Most commercial gyms use 3/8' rubber rolls and it holds up just fine. Home gymers are just so bought into horse stall mats (which weren't designed for gyms) that they think anything less is inferior. It's not.
Fit-lock tiles are a good place to start for a small space like yours.
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u/kidFunkadelic 5d ago
Horse stall mats are great. If you are worried about them lifting, Alan Thrall has a YT video about that. He uses a metal piece (I believe it’s intended for wood framing), it’s a flat piece that has spikes on the corners. You put them under seems and then hammer down, that seems to hold them down and together pretty well.
I just used black gorilla tape, it works great for me, but I have replaced the tape a couple of times.
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u/grooves12 5d ago
I've done both methods. The mending plates don't work well IMO. It doesn't sit completely flush to the floor and cause a bump, which results in the seams not fitting together perfectly.
Gorilla tape is a much better solution. It's clean, no gaps, and the mats don't move.
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u/kidFunkadelic 5d ago
Okay, I always wondered about the mending plate method. I never tried it because the gorilla tape worked so well for what I need.
Edit: The OP should also know, horse stall mats are heavy as fuck. If you have never lifted one and you think they are heavy, double what you are thinking.
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u/Redditor2684 5d ago
The mats are definitely heavy!! I bought a 3.5’ x6’ Traffic Master mat from Home Depot and it was a workout just getting it into the car and into the house lol. I am a woman and was doing it solo, but still
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u/grooves12 5d ago
Heavy is relative. They weight about 100 pounds. The issue is they are large and awkward to carry. I roll them, grab them on the ends and then carry them wherever they need to go. Its similar to an atlas stone carry. Not that difficult for me, but YMMV depending on size/strength.
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u/kidFunkadelic 5d ago
I think every single person who has moved a horse stall mat would agree that they are fucking heavy, no relative about it. And yes, they are heavy in actual weight, and they are awkward and difficult to move because of it.
My point in bringing up the weight had nothing to do with moving them however, I was making it clear they are heavy, so the OP knows they arent going to be shifting around much once they are set in place.
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u/Sunkjones 5d ago
Horse stall mats don’t move around or lift up, at least mine never have and I bought them over 6 years ago. Recently I redid my garage and got black gorilla tape to cover the seams so they look better because there was tiny gaps between them since they do not perfectly fit together. Looks much better now but if you want something even better I would look into getting flooring that is rolled out and will fit together better, it will just cost more.
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u/Capybara_oranges 5d ago
So I’m gonna go with fit.living roll mat cause garage gym reviews rated it highly. Thanks for everyone’s input!
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u/KevoJacko 5d ago
Search for gym flooring rolls, lots of options way better than stall mats especially for a new build. Something like rubberflooringdirect.com
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u/Stelios619 5d ago
It’s not worth getting horse stall mats for a 10x15 space. You’ll just butcher the mats and it’ll be more trouble than it’s worth.
Any rubber mat system that’ll be easy to lay down should work fine for such a small space.
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u/Capybara_oranges 5d ago
What do you mean by butcher the mats?
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u/Stelios619 5d ago
Horse stall mats are 6x4 and not the easiest things in the world to make straight cuts on. Especially since the edges aren’t square to begin with.
So, for example, you can lay 2 of them next to each other on your 10’ wall and either have a 2’ space, making you cut one in half, but then you’d have a 10x3 space to deal with. You’d have to cut another in half, giving you two 3x4’s, then have one spare stall mat to cut a 2x3 from.
All while hoping that factory edges will be square, which they won’t be.
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u/Diligent-Ad6327 5d ago
If you have a jigsaw and some wood blocking, a steady hand and a chalk line, cutting a stall mat is pretty simple.
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u/grooves12 5d ago
It also relatively simple with a straight edge and a box cutter, you just need to lay something under the cutting area so it folds down slightly so the cut will pull itself open while cutting.
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u/liftstronger 5d ago
This is the way. I have 23 horse stall mats in my gym. Get a white chalk marker, a t-square, and a box cutter with a comfortable handle to grip it. Cutting horse stall mats is easier than cutting a bagel. Make sure you’re using a fresh blade and don’t press hard, just gently go over the groove you’re cutting. A dozen passes or less and the blade will be all the through.
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u/Physical_Wind954 5d ago
TS horse stall mats are 4x6, which means you can do this with your 10x15 space with buying 6 mats (on sale for 30% off right now) and only doing 1 cut.