When it comes to industrial flooring options, there’s little question as to why most people prefer concrete flooring. Solutions made of concrete are strong and resilient. Concrete is in fact the most widely used man-made building-material in the world. Unlike stone, which needs to be cut or chiseled to fit specific locations, concrete begins its life as a set of raw ingredients—ready to be processed in any quantity for any purpose. Once these ingredients are mixed, they form a semi-liquid solution. This solution can then be poured into any mold, fitting any shape and size demanded. Then, the solution is smoothed so that, when it dries, the remaining surface will be just as smooth and simple as the process used to install it.

However—like all good things—concrete does have its setbacks. The material is naturally porous, making it especially susceptible to infiltration by smaller, foreign objects. For example, dirt, water, and chemicals are normal parts of the environments where concrete is often installed. They often cause chips and cracks—permanent damage. And this is just one of concrete’s main weaknesses. We won’t get into the minutia of all the ways in which concrete is flawed. The point is that concrete—as robust as it seems—has certain weaknesses of which you should be aware and to which there are easy solutions. There are many concrete flooring solutions—from all-encompassing coverings to specially made sealants and polishes. Whatever the solution, each offers distinct benefits, such as beautification or protection. But—as is too often the case—these options tend to be expensive. And not to mention, they are often permanent. If the solution turns out poorly, your avenues of recourse have narrowed close to none. The question then, is this: What is the best flooring to put on a concrete floor? We answer this question in the next section our article.

What Is the Best Flooring to Put on a Concrete Floor?

The best flooring to put on a concrete floor is rubber flooring. Rubber is durable, shock-absorbent, slip-resistant, and water-resistant—qualities that are essential to the best concrete flooring solutions. Thus, of the many concrete flooring solutions, there is one candidate that avoids the usual pitfalls: rubber industrial mats. First and most importantly, they protect. As a material, rubber is highly durable—it naturally absorbs shock, ensuring that the surfaces it covers are shielded from the potential damage inflicted by heavy duty impacts and abrasions. Second, rubber industrial flooring is affordable. Regarding industrial flooring, rubber is highly cost effective because companies like Rubber-Cal often produce their rubber using reclaimed materials, reducing the cost of production while retaining the same, high quality. While being the ultimate damage-preventing measure, industrial rubber flooring also protects people from injury by naturally increasing traction. Furthermore, corrugations such as ribbed designs often multiply the amount of traction a rubber matting supplies. A corrugated mat, also known as a ribbed rubber mat, offers a richly textured surface which functions as you would expect—increasing the number of points of contact between the surface and object decreases the likelihood that the object will slip and fall in response to external factors. So, when concrete flooring becomes slippery when exposed to—say—water, ribbed rubber flooring enhances that slip-resisting abilities already inherent to rubber. To give you a better idea, we’ll answer the following questions in this article:

• What are industrial rubber mats made of?
• What is ribbed rubber?
• What are rubber mats good for?
• What are the spaces where the rubber mat can be used?

Industrial mats are a great solution when it comes to concrete floors. Specifically, a ribbed rubber mat offers innumerable benefits that other protective flooring options cannot match. Let’s dive deeper into how a ribbed rubber mat works, especially in relation to hard subflooring. Without further ado, the following is a list of the whats and whys of a ribbed rubber mat:

What Are Industrial Rubber Mats Made of?

In most cases, a ribbed rubber mat is made of 100% Styrene Butadiene Rubber, or SBR for short. This synthetic rubber material, while being durable and resilient, is highly resistant to moisture absorption. Because industrial settings are places rife with excess moisture, resistance to moisture absorption is a key quality that makes SBR the preferred rubber material for industrial mats. And due to the toughness of the material, it is well suited for indoor and outdoor applications, making it perfect for safety flooring along places like walkways, halls, and corridors—where impacts, abrasions, and excessive moisture are the norm.

What Is Ribbed Rubber?

Ribbed rubber is a style in which some rubber mats are made. A ribbed rubber mat typically looks like a rectangle—covered in uniform corrugations. These corrugations are the “ribs” in ribbed rubber. Its shape can change since it’s usually available in several styles, including runners and individual mats. Perhaps you need smaller, ribbed entrance mats. Whatever the size and shape of the space you’re trying to cover, there is a variant of ribbed rubber mat that will work. Furthermore, there are many styles of texturing for a corrugated rubber mat. For example, wide- or fine-ribbed textures are common options, and both are well suited for enhancing traction, as well as scraping off and catching debris and moisture from the bottom of shoes. There are also composite ribbed options, which feature both wide and narrow grooves. This tends to give your rubber industrial mats an interesting visual pattern—all while enhancing traction. Furthermore, a ribbed mat can come ribbed according to the specific requirements of your application. For example, a runner mat designed to enhance your guests’ footing as they ascend a ramp can be ribbed parallel to its width, rather than its length—this further increases the amount of traction it provides. What’s more, corrugated rubber matting doesn’t necessarily have to be a ribbed rubber mat. A diamond-plate rubber mat or “coin-grip” coin rubber flooring can be used instead, options boasting similar benefits that a ribbed rubber mat provides, albeit with different textures. Perhaps scraping debris off shoe-bottoms isn’t as high of a priority. In this case, rubber, diamond-plate flooring or coin-grip rubber flooring, examples of studded rubber flooring, might be more worthy considerations. Whatever the case may be, all these nuanced variations in corrugated rubber matting show how versatile of a material rubber is. While it already stands alone as the supreme material for industrial mats, rubber’s abundance of modifications simply means that you will surely have a product that precisely matches your unique situation.

What Are Rubber Mats Good For?

Well, many things—so much so that one article alone cannot do this topic justice (that’s why we have a bunch of other articles at RubberCal.com). Corrugated industrial mats have a lot to offer when it comes to concrete flooring solutions. Rubber, as we previously stated, has a high coefficient of friction. Paired with a richly textured surface design, an industrial floor mat is the superlative protective gear. Rubber itself has great resistance to moisture absorption, meaning that it can be used in places that see excessive moisture without fear that it will be ruined; carpet, hardwood, or linoleum options could never. The ribbed design on the surface of the mat is specifically made to add traction, while also removing and catching debris, effectively helping to keep the interior of a building clean when used as entryway flooring. And because this material is so well suited for wet environments, it’s effortless to clean. Industrial flooring options must be relatively easy to maintain lest they become problem rather than a solution.

What Are the Spaces Where the Rubber Mat Can Be Used?

Just about anywhere! While this article focuses on the industrial applicability of a ribbed rubber mat, remember that—because rubber is so versatile—the situations in which it can be applied are virtually limitless. For starters, this tough material excels both indoors and outdoors, so it can just as easily be employed as an entryway runner outside as it can be employed within your building’s central work area or employee break room and its bathrooms, offices, or meeting spaces (for that industrial-chic look). When it comes specifically to industrial flooring options, ribbed rubber flooring is very easy to install, making its use highly practical in almost any setting. For basic installation, double-sided tape works well to secure this matting option. Because ribbed rubber flooring is so simple to install, it can be just as simply removed and replaced after many years of wear and tear. And because these rubber mats are easily cut and customizable, they are often available in seamless lengths of up to 50 feet. There is no place that is too big or small for a ribbed rubber mat not to work.

What Are the Benefits of Industrial Mats?

Economical and easy to install, corrugated rubber matting is simply a great choice when it comes to concrete flooring solutions. Concrete flooring solutions such as sealants and stains will protect your floors but only to miniscule degree when compared to rubber matting. Rubber won’t just protect your surface from damage; it will also help protect employees and customers from slip-and-fall accidents. When it comes to industrial flooring options, rubber enhances the benefits of any robust subflooring.

There are many potential concrete flooring solutions. Whether you use industrial runners for longer walkways, a single ribbed rubber mat for a neat entryway, or an army of ribbed floor mats for an all-encompassing floor—we at Rubber-Cal are certain that this material has everything you need to protect your concrete surface, as well as enhance its inherent benefits. Rubber is one of the best concrete flooring solutions available. With these considerations in mind, it seems that rubber flooring is the only sensible solution.

“Recycled Rubber Flooring” Rubber Rolls

• Made in USA using American rubber
• Cost-effective and very durable flooring option
• Helps reduce your overall environmental footprint
• Perfect for use as flooring for outdoor or indoor areas
• Can be used as: a gym mat, play flooring, basement flooring, kennel flooring, showroom flooring, art studio mats, commercial vehicle mats, garage floor covering, and many more applications

Great Protective Qualities: One of the main benefits of having recycled rubber flooring is that it is excellent for protecting the base surfacing of your project. Surfaces like wood and tile can be damaged over time by the tread of feet or the presence of heavy equipment/furniture. For example, if these rolls are used as a gym mat, then the rubber material will protect your base surfaces from the heavy weight of you treadmill. Essentially, the rubber is a protective barrier between the machine and the surface.

Recycled Rubber Benefits: Most people tend to overlook the benefits of having rubber runners made from recycled rubber. Firstly, since these floors are made of rubber that is recycled from tires, they go a long way in preventing the buildup of non-biodegradable waste in landfills. Secondly, the recycled material is very tough. It can withstand the shock of high foot traffic and heavy weights. This durability gives it a third benefit, long life. “Green flooring” is a sustainable option that will look good and protect your surfaces for a long time.

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