With all the garage flooring options available, it can be difficult to decide on the perfect one for your specific needs. Between vinyl and rubberized garage flooring, a few things should be considered before deciding to invest in one or the other. Choosing the best garage flooring depends on what your garage will be used for.
So, what kinds of garage functions are there, and how would vinyl or rubber floors work in those settings?
Traditional
Usually, two or three-car garages are used as a space for housing automotive vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, or scooters. The existing concrete flooring in this setting is strong and sturdy enough to bear the weight of these vehicles, but they are not always the ideal garage flooring that some people prefer. Rubber garage flooring can work in this setting as a durable means of protecting the existing garage floors from damage, or conversely, protecting the vehicles from any possible damage from the floors. As a garage floor covering, this flooring option can be most conveniently installed in the form of rubber rolls. This way they can be cut into larger pieces that provide for fewer seams and more uninterrupted floor coverage. The only thing consumers would have to worry about is fluid leakage, and that can be taken care of by use of an oil pan under the engines.
Comparatively, while vinyl flooring may be easy to clean and soft underfoot, it is not the most ideal of garage flooring options for traditional garage use. If protecting the existing surface is the goal, vinyl flooring simply cannot hold up to these demands. Even the smallest imperfection or protrusion in the existing concrete can be felt through the vinyl surface and cause potential damage to the subfloor as well as the vinyl itself.
For traditional garage use, rubber is the best garage flooring option to invest in if protecting the existing floors and your vehicle is the objective.
Elephant Bark 5mm
Elephant Bark 5mm
- Made with used tire crumb
- Provides a variety of thickness and color options
- Easy to cut and install if you want a fun DIY project
- Cost-effective, durable, and sustainable over the long term
- Outdoor flooring readily available in custom lengths specified to your preference
- Perfect for use in numerous applications, such as flooring for a gym, trailer mat, kennel mat, golf course mat, studio flooring, basement flooring, playground flooring, and much more
Easy to Install: Whether you have a temporary or permanent use for these mats, the installation process for this rolled rubber flooring is so easy that you will hardly break a sweat. For temporary uses, double-sided tape is the best option. For a permanent installation, a glue adhesive will be ideal. The rubber material works very well with various adhesives. The weight of the mat itself is enough to keep it flat on the surface.
Excellent Durability: The protective qualities of this rolled rubber flooring is hard to beat. These rubber flooring mats are designed with abrasive conditions in mind. As a result, they excel as outdoor flooring in applications such as a kennel mat or flooring for a gym. The constant wear and tear of high foot traffic pose no problem to these durable Green floor mats. The rubber material of the mat will even buffer against the weight of heavy equipment, which can wreak havoc on wood floors. Their lasting durability has made them the preferred choice for floor protection across the country. It is hard to beat this level of quality protection for this price.
Storage
Many people turn their garage space from a car housing unit into a secondary storage space. In this setup, cardboard and plastic storage boxes tend to pile up, and creating a serious storage space with the optimal garage flooring becomes the goal. A garage renovation including more cabinets, shelves, and drawers that are artfully and efficiently engineered is the ideal storage space to invest in. For this garage use, rubber is the best garage flooring for the job because of its versatility in application. Rubber garage flooring can come in the form of rolls, tiles, or mats. As a storage unit, your garage may not necessarily be in need of a full, wall-to-wall rubber roll installation, but it is still a viable option. This type of rubber garage flooring application allows for a consistent, durable garage floor covering that does not need to be folded up or put away after use. It can cover all of the garage flooring, so damage to the surface when moving any heavy items or boxes around does not need to be a concern. However, if your storage space will not require too much floor coverage or heavy lifting and movement, investing in rubber mats or tiles can be the best garage flooring for your needs. These mats and tiles are just as durable as their roll counterparts; they just allow for more centralized and focused garage floor covering that can be moved if desired. Mats in particular are perhaps even easier to clean than rolls or tiles for the simple fact that they are the easiest to move and hose down with soap and water.
Generally, a vinyl garage floor covering for this type of storage setting works only for aesthetic purposes. It is water-resistant, low maintenance, and easy to mop up. Long-worn vinyl, however, is highly susceptible to discoloration and difficult to repair. It is not necessarily the best garage flooring for a long-term storage space.
“Terra-Flex” Interlocking Flooring Tiles
“Terra-Flex” Interlocking Flooring Tiles
- Lightweight and easy to transport
- Interlocking tiles feature a vanilla scent
- Can be used in garages, offices, gyms, playgrounds, and more
- With a durometer rating of 80A, each rubber flooring tile can resist indentation
- Some color options for this temporary floor covering can be mixed and matched according to your taste
Very Durable: These interlocking rubber tiles bring an enhanced level of durability to whatever application where they are applied. Thanks to their unique mixture of natural and synthetic rubbers, they feature overall better resistance against physical abrasions. Such abrasions can come from either heavy foot traffic or the presence of heavy objects like furniture. The rubber material in these interlocking tiles is thick and strong enough to keep its form without being molded by the pressure on top of it.
Great Aesthetic Value: In terms of aesthetic appeal, it is hard to beat these attractive rubber tile mats. If physical appearance is important to you, then you should choose these tiles. They are available in light and earthy colors that are meant to enhance the sense of warmth and hospitality of an area. Some of these interlocking rubber tiles have a speckled design on them that mimics the appearance of stone or marble.
Home Gym
When people look for a convenient and lasting way to enhance their home workouts, planning out a full garage gym renovation becomes an appealing option that requires a bit of research. For this garage setting, vinyl floors are unfortunately not at all a garage floor covering contender when compared to concrete or rubber options. For any gym workout, the best garage flooring should be able to absorb the shock and impact of high-intensity workouts and the jolt from fallen or dropped weights. The ideal garage flooring is not only durable enough to endure this type of use, but they should also carry a level of comfort for floor-based workouts such as yoga.
Rubber garage flooring can come in a variety of thicknesses and types of applications to suit your specific home gym needs. As far as garage flooring options go, this rubber surfacing material can be laid out in the form of rolls, tiles, or mats. Rolls can cover more area at a time, tiles can be installed like puzzle pieces in a specific area, and mats can be laid out or moved around more easily than the other two options. Altogether, these rubberized garage flooring options are durable and resilient enough to muffle the sound of high-impact workouts, endure the abuse from these workouts, and protect the existing surface from incurring lasting damage.
Especially when compared with vinyl flooring options, rubber is the best garage flooring for home gym workouts. If the surface is improperly sealed, vinyl floors are more susceptible to discoloration and will fade more quickly than usual. They are not durable enough to withstand dropped weights, and replacing damaged vinyl can be expensive and leave imperfections in the subfloor. If it has already begun to discolor, then replacing even vinyl tiles can still leave the area looking unappealing and old.
Overall, rubber surfacing materials make the best garage flooring for home gym renovations.
“Armor-Lock (Fitness)” Interlocking Rubber Tile
- Smaller sized tiles that are perfect for smaller sized gyms or garages
- Flooring for a garage. These tiles can handle the abusive most residential (& commercial) garages.
- Use as flooring for gym. Since it can absorb the impact of heavy weights and resists moisture, these are ideal to place in your workout areas.
- Affordability plus durability. These eco-friendly recycled floors are made from reclaimed rubber, which is tough and long lasting.
Pebble Top Finish: The vulcanized surface of these recycled floors comes with a pebble top finish. This quality helps the tile give your feet a good level of comfort and traction, especially if you are using these as a type of flooring for gym.
Easy to Transport: Sometimes, the circumstances in our lives dictate a change of location. If you happen to find yourself on the move to new territory, or if you just want something that is easy to carry around, then these 20” x 20” rubber flooring tiles are for you. Because of their smaller size and lighter weight, they are perfect for easy transportation. Add this to the fact that this is interlocking flooring, meaning that you will be spared from carrying around the additional adhesive materials that you would need for most other roll flooring.
Craft Space or Workshop
A garage space is the perfect area to designate as a hobbies or workshop room. For this type of use, there is bound to be clutter and disarray with arts & crafts, woodworking, or automotive repairs involved. The best garage flooring for this type of garage use would ideally be comfortable for extended standing activities. Craft and woodworking hobbies usually involve a sturdy table and stool. A car or woodworking workshop also use heavy equipment that together require safe and strong garage flooring to hold such equipment.
Rubber garage flooring can handle any equipment that might fall to the floor. It is also the most ideal of garage flooring options because of its resilience and durability. As the best garage flooring, it is a softer, more forgiving surfacing material for such equipment to rest on than the usual existing garage concrete surface. For long-standing crafting or woodworking activities, there are also rubber anti-fatigue mats that make for a thick and soft standing surface which eases the pressure on a person’s body and joints.
Comparatively, vinyl garage flooring is resistant to moisture and comfortable underfoot. It is resistant to stains and damage from scratches, but it is not impervious to discoloration and cannot be re-polished or refurbished. This can work as the best garage flooring for your crafting space needs, but as a stand-alone flooring surface, it is not durable enough to endure the needs of a workshop space. If vinyl patterns meet your garage theme aesthetic, rubberized mats and tiles can easily be laid out in designated areas as needed. This can allow for desired colors and designs in your garage while still ensuring your floors are adequately protected. Together, this can make for the best garage flooring for your craft space or workshop area.
A few other garage use and renovation options out there include:
- Man Cave / Sports Bar
- Bedroom
- Game Room
- Entertainment Space
- Home Office
- Playroom
No matter what you choose to use your garage for, the best garage flooring needs to be durable enough to endure everyday use. It should be able to maintain its shape and coloring, and it needs to be versatile enough to meet the needs of your entertainment room, bedroom, or home office—whatever those garage floor covering needs may be.