Dear Rubber Flooring Experts,
I recently moved into a new apartment building in downtown LA — 5th floor, very spacious and clean. But the entire apartment has expensive hardwood flooring. I like the smooth look of wood floors, but I’m discovering that they are hard to keep new and they are especially prone to scratches and scrapes.
I’m also a big health buff; I own exercise equipment and keep up a daily routine of stretching, lifting weights, and half an hour on a stepper. For the first few days after I moved in, I realized that my stepper made a lot of noise on the floors. A couple days later, I noticed that the machine had already damaged my wood flooring! Worst of all, my new downstairs neighbor is apparently a light sleeper — she works nights and sleeps during the day — and the constant noise and rattling from the machine keeps her up.
To combat the problem, I bought large workout mats made with foam, but it’s just not cutting it. I need a thick exercise floor mat that can protect my new wood flooring and reduce the noise my treadmill makes. The thicker, the better! Hope that you guys can help me.
- Running Scared
Dear Mr. Scared,
Getting all that equipment up to the 5th floor must have been a work out on its own! I applaud your effort and commitment to your health. Owning exercise equipment can definitely pose a problem for any city dweller and his neighbors. There is minimal space to work-out so you have to make the most of what you already have. If your new apartment has hardwood floors you also know that free weights and heavy dumbbells can warp, dent, crack, and scratch the wood.
As your friendly neighborhood Rubber Flooring Experts, we suggest the following:
If your equipment is constantly vibrating and moving around on that slick wood surface, invest in a few thick rubber floor mats. You may not think of your equipment as heavy-duty machinery, but a thick exercise floor mat made with rubber is one of the only surfaces that can really stand up to high-impact equipment like steppers and elliptical machines. As a naturally elastic material, rubber absorbs vibration and keeps any fitness equipment in working order for years to come!Overall, rubber matting is a great way to protect exotic flooring and well-used gym equipment. Give it a try — I’m sure your neighbors will appreciate it, too!
- The Rubber Flooring Experts