Since gym and fitness area flooring has already been covered extensively in other blogs, we will concentrate here on other remodeling options which use rubber surfacing. When remodeling with any rubber matting product, it is important to know the primary function you intend to flooring to fulfill. For example, in an art studio application, the most important functions of the floor would be its anti-fatigue properties and ease of maintenance. When converting a garage into a giant doghouse, the rubber flooring should provide insulation against cold (or hot) cement, as well as extra cushioning from the same. For applications along these lines, rolled rubber products would be most suitable (i.e. Elephant Bark Rubber Flooring). This type of inexpensive rubber matting provides general purpose surfacing and floor protection. However, because this type of surfacing is produced in rolls, the available thicknesses are somewhat limited. When remodeling a former garage into a playroom for children, protection against falls and scrapes becomes a more important aspect of the floor's function. For a home theater application, thicker flooring is usually required to decrease noise transmission. For installations where thicker rubber flooring is required, rubber tiles are more appropriate than rolled rubber matting. Because each rubber tile is individually molded, they can be produced much thicker than any rolled product (up to 3.75" thick). While this method of production results in a more costly rubber mat, the benefits of the increased thickness outweigh the price difference in applications similar to the above two. Equipment protection in garage flooring usually concerns either tools or appliances. Appliance protection is almost always a subset of noise reduction, and thus suggests a thicker single area mat (i.e. Shark Tooth). Protecting dropped tools can use either this type of mat or rolled rubber flooring, depending on the layout and characteristics of the workshop. A weekend handyman with a 30 piece tool kit would obviously require less coverage area than someone running a woodworking shop out of their garage for income. For workshop applications, matting can also be used to cover workbenches. Again, for some tool protection applications the susceptibility of recycled rubber to oil and grease may be a concern, but this is less often a problem than with cars. Hopefully, this brief overview has given you some ideas. If you are planning on remodeling your garage in the near future, you can consider rubber flooring as a viable alternative to vinyl tiles or plain cement. Please refer to our other blogs for more information on how to use rubber flooring for other surface in your home or business. Robert Morris Email: robert@rubbercal.com |
All About: Rubber Garage Flooring used in Home Gyms Work Shops and Recreation Areas Robert Morris 04/08/05 Rubber-Cal Inc. Products discussed in this article: Sport Flooring, Elephant Bark Rubber Flooring, Shark Tooth Mat, Eco-Sport Tiles, Playground Surfacing Rubber flooring can be used in garage surfacing applications to perform various functions. Recycled rubber products are often used, as they are an inexpensive option for general purpose flooring. Common uses include actually parking vehicles on the rubber flooring, converting the garage space into a play area or workout room, and equipment protection for whatever is sitting in the garage. The following short descriptions should provide you with a better idea of how this sort of flooring can work for your particular surfacing needs. Parking vehicles on recycled rubber matting is the least common application for this product, because of two difficulties present in this use. First, recycled rubber tire products have very little resistance to petroleum products. Therefore, a significant oil leak could seriously damage the floor. Second, because the melting point on this sort of mat is relatively low, in extreme circumstances tire heat could be sufficient (i.e. after a few hours of freeway driving in an Arizona summer) to melt the tires into the rubber flooring. Basically, the car would then be adhered to the garage. For these reasons, we do not recommend parking vehicles on rubber flooring. |
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All About: Rubber Garage Flooring used in Home Gyms Work Shops and Recreation Areas Robert Morris 04/08/05 Rubber-Cal Inc. Products discussed in this article: Sport Flooring, Elephant Bark Rubber Flooring, Shark Tooth Mat, Eco-Sport Tiles, Playground Surfacing Rubber flooring can be used in garage surfacing applications to perform various functions. Recycled rubber products are often used, as they are an inexpensive option for general purpose flooring. Common uses include actually parking vehicles on the rubber flooring, converting the garage space into a play area or workout room, and equipment protection for whatever is sitting in the garage. The following short descriptions should provide you with a better idea of how this sort of flooring can work for your particular surfacing needs. Parking vehicles on recycled rubber matting is the least common application for this product, because of two difficulties present in this use. First, recycled rubber tire products have very little resistance to petroleum products. Therefore, a significant oil leak could seriously damage the floor. Second, because the melting point on this sort of mat is relatively low, in extreme circumstances tire heat could be sufficient (i.e. after a few hours of freeway driving in an Arizona summer) to melt the tires into the rubber flooring. Basically, the car would then be adhered to the garage. For these reasons, we do not recommend parking vehicles on rubber flooring. |
Since gym and fitness area flooring has already been covered extensively in other blogs, we will concentrate here on other remodeling options which use rubber surfacing. When remodeling with any rubber matting product, it is important to know the primary function you intend to flooring to fulfill. For example, in an art studio application, the most important functions of the floor would be its anti-fatigue properties and ease of maintenance. When converting a garage into a giant doghouse, the rubber flooring should provide insulation against cold (or hot) cement, as well as extra cushioning from the same. For applications along these lines, rolled rubber products would be most suitable (i.e. Elephant Bark Rubber Flooring). This type of inexpensive rubber matting provides general purpose surfacing and floor protection. However, because this type of surfacing is produced in rolls, the available thicknesses are somewhat limited. When remodeling a former garage into a playroom for children, protection against falls and scrapes becomes a more important aspect of the floor's function. For a home theater application, thicker flooring is usually required to decrease noise transmission. For installations where thicker rubber flooring is required, rubber tiles are more appropriate than rolled rubber matting. Because each rubber tile is individually molded, they can be produced much thicker than any rolled product (up to 3.75" thick). While this method of production results in a more costly rubber mat, the benefits of the increased thickness outweigh the price difference in applications similar to the above two. Equipment protection in garage flooring usually concerns either tools or appliances. Appliance protection is almost always a subset of noise reduction, and thus suggests a thicker single area mat (i.e. Shark Tooth). Protecting dropped tools can use either this type of mat or rolled rubber flooring, depending on the layout and characteristics of the workshop. A weekend handyman with a 30 piece tool kit would obviously require less coverage area than someone running a woodworking shop out of their garage for income. For workshop applications, matting can also be used to cover workbenches. Again, for some tool protection applications the susceptibility of recycled rubber to oil and grease may be a concern, but this is less often a problem than with cars. Hopefully, this brief overview has given you some ideas. If you are planning on remodeling your garage in the near future, you can consider rubber flooring as a viable alternative to vinyl tiles or plain cement. Please refer to our other blogs for more information on how to use rubber flooring for other surface in your home or business. Robert Morris Email: robert@rubbercal.com |
Eco-Sport Tiles |
Elephant Bark Rolled Rubber Flooring |
Shark Tooth Mat |
