How to Choose the Best Flooring Surface for your Gym
When you have a conversation about a new gym you are building, the flooring is normally low on your hierarchy of interest. When people think about new gyms, they think about the exciting new equipment and the breezy decor, whereas the flooring can be neglected. A new house is only as good as the foundations it is built on, and similarly, a gym’s success can rest on the suitability of its flooring surface. Good quality flooring helps to maintain safety, durability and the aesthetics of your gym. If you have gone to the trouble of investing considerable money, time and energy into your gym, why fall at the final hurdle by scrimping on flooring?
A gym isn’t just a functional building, for many people who attend them it holds inspiration and the ability to live life on their own terms. In a world that craves community, in 2020, the gym is often the fusion point for us to congregate to share ideas and grow.
However, with the rising popularity of the gym, it has become an extremely competitive market for gym owners throughout the United States. You are dealing with a consumer that thinks far beyond functional gym equipment, they want their gym to reflect their lifestyle and goals.
Which begs the question, how can you get your gym to stand out from the crowd?
Why is the gym surface important to get right?
Looks
First appearances are everything, in life and in the gym. A good quality flooring system will add a professional finish to your gym that will be the first thing your customers notice when they enter.
Hygiene
Gyms are made for sweat, and a suitable flooring system will help keep hygiene practice at its highest level, especially given COVID-19 and the need to keep hygiene practice high.
Longevity
Any gym floor will take a lot of punishment, whether it is from foot traffic, or weights being dropped. Ensure that your flooring is able to take its lumps and bumps and still come out looking beautifully unscathed.
Safety
Ensure that your floor has good friction and minimize any edges that people can trip over.
Performance
Your flooring should have properties that allow for optimum performance and injury prevention for higher impact training and repeated movements.
Customization
You’ve seen it in the pro leagues and maybe even in college sports, why not take your gym’s brand and professionalism to the next level with a fully customized floor?
Things to consider before purchasing
Current Floor
Take the time to examine your current floor before making any purchase decisions. You should be asking yourself two main questions:
Does the foundation layer need repaired or prepared before your new layer goes over it?
Are the foundational structures strong enough for heavy equipment and repeated heavy impacts?
It could be worth having a foundational expert check out your flooring to save a lot of hassle further down the line and also ensure that you are getting the very best out of your new flooring.
Surface Options
There are various flooring options, and it is easy to get overwhelmed. Luckily, we have made things a bit easier with some options here.
You might need an underlay between the existing structural surface and the new surface which you want to install. This can be a great option to protect the structural layer from damage, to add comfort and to reduce noise with heavy impacts.
Usage
Think carefully about your gym’s layout and plan accordingly. Do you want one entire flooring system or do you want different zones with varying flooring functionalities.
Think carefully about what activity your gym will be focused on. Different activities such as power-lifting, Cross-Fit, yoga, or cardio, may require a different emphasis on the surface type.
What type of clientele will be using your gym and how many of them will be using your gym on a daily basis? Utilize market research with potential clients on what they expect from their gyms in terms of layout and equipment? Once you have gathered your qualitative research, map out your concept and decide exactly what equipment you will need and where it will go in a detailed plan.
Budget
Nobody said that owning and setting up your own gym would be a cheap undertaking, but equally, there are ways to be efficient. Once you have mapped out your gym’s usage plan, ensure that you pay attention to the cost of equipment and how you are going to protect your gym with suitable flooring.
After giving thought to cost, ensure that flooring is included to protect the sub layer, your expensive equipment, and most importantly, your clientele. Going for cheap flooring can ultimately cost you in constant maintenance and most alarmingly, client injury.
Longevity
How long do you plan to run your gym for? It is a short-term plan that lasts as long as the building’s lease where you spot an opportunity, or it your life’s dream?
If it is the former, you can consider using a less expensive temporary surface in certain areas until you can afford a better quality of system. And if this is you plan, consider having to move and store existing equipment while a new flooring system goes down.
Final Word
You would not build a beautiful new home on sand. You would take the time to install extensive and strong foundations, even if they are not the first thing you would mention when showing friends and family around your new place. Similarly, you can invest your life’s time, money and energy into a beautiful decor and equipment for your new gym, but if it is on an inadequate flooring surface it can quickly undermine all of your good work.
Take the time to go that extra mile and install quality, functional, and durable flooring that will last the test of time for your gym.
At Rubcorp, our Performance flooring system offers a unique one-stop-shop solution for all your gym flooring needs. Customize your gym floor space with zones of varying shock absorption, surface layer functionality and brand design. Get in touch to learn more!
