The most common home gym flooring type is rubber. This is unfortunately one of the highest offgassing flooring types out there. Another popular option, vinyl sheet, is also up there as one of the highest VOC floorings.
Rubber is very durable and can take a lot of weight, impact, and abuse, so it may be needed in some gyms.
But for most home gyms, healthier and less toxic choices can be used. Rubber mats can be used only in high-impact areas, if necessary.
Let’s look through all the options for a healthy low-VOC home gym floor.
This post contains affiliate links. Upon purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
1. Marmoleum
Marmoleum, a natural linoleum sheet, can be used as gym flooring.
Marmoleum is made from linseed oil, binders, wood flour, limestone, and dry pigments with a jute or polyester backing. It’s got a UV-cured sealer on top.
It has a light linseed odor, but it is otherwise a very safe and healthy flooring.
The product itself is soft like vinyl sheet, and like vinyl, it’s rather thin on its own. Andy from Green Design Center advises using the Forbo cork underlayment under the Marmoleum sheet to give it more cushioning and shock absorption in a home gym.
2. Rubber Flooring
Synthetic rubber floors come in various types and thicknesses. They all have what I would consider fairly strong to very strong offgassing levels.
I’ve tried looking at many different kinds of rubber flooring types and I will go over which ones are the healthiest.
Because rubber can sometimes be the only option under heavy weights and equipment, it could be used in some areas of the gym, but it should be minimized as much as possible.
Recycled rubber might be marketed as “eco-friendly” because it’s recycled, but otherwise recycled rubber flooring is not what I would consider healthy. There are better rubber floors.
Synthetic Versus Natural Rubber Flooring
Synthetic rubber is more durable than natural rubber latex.
In theory, you can make rubber flooring out of natural latex. I have seen brands that are part natural rubber and part synthetic, like Mondo Sport. I don’t believe any brands are 100% natural rubber.
What is Rubber Flooring Made of?
Rubber flooring can be made with recycled SBR rubber (most often tires), new rubber (synthetic or a synthetic/natural mix), and EPDM virgin rubber color chips.
Tarkett makes a rubber flooring where almost all ingredients are on the Declare label.
Rebonded Versus Vulcanized
Anything labeled rebonded rubber uses a polyurethane adhesive to hold the flooring together. Polyurethane glue does have noticeable offgassing.
Vulcanized and virgin rubber are usually heat pressed. Vulcanized is preferable from a toxicity and offgassing standpoint over polyurethane bonded rubber.
Other Components
Some manufacturers use sulfur in their binding agents. And some rubber gym floors are mixed with vinyl, like the brand Roppe, which I do not consider an improvement at all.
A rubber and cork mix like those from Ecore can be quite good.
Flame retardants can be added. Tarkett lists their flame retardants as Huntitte, Hydromagnesite, and Aluminum Trihydrate.
All of these components contribute to the offgassing. The odor does go down, but may never fully go away.
The Lowest VOC Rubber Flooring
Look for these attributes when choosing a healthier rubber floor:
- Virgin rubber, not post-consumer recycled (especially not tires)
- Vulcanized rubber, not rebonded
- No PVC added
- Calendared rubber as the top layer (on top of vulcanized) reduces offgassing somewhat. This is the best out of all the rubber floors I have seen (Ecore Aurora)
- Thinner rubber sheets are preferable to thicker rubber (less to offgas)
- A mix with cork can be fine (like Ecore brand), it is similar to the pure vulcanized rubber
- A mix with natural latex can reduce offgassing
- Turf on top of rubber can reduce the offgassing of the rubber layer (Ecore FIT turf)
- Time does help rubber to offgas. If you can air this out for a few weeks or a few months before installation that is a great help
- Greenguard Gold certification can be reached by some brands
VOCs/Offgassing of Rubber Flooring
A study by California’s Public Health Institute revealed offgassing of xylene, butylated hydroxytoluene, ethylbenzene, toluene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde from recycled rubber flooring.
Benzene and carbon disulfide were above the health threshold in one or two samples.
Some brands do meet GreenGuard Gold VOC levels (like Mondo) which is a fairly low level of offgassing and in my view makes it suitable for those who do not have existing health conditions.
I would not consider rubber flooring appropriate for folks with chemical sensitivities.
Metals and Other Contaminants in Rubber Flooring
Toxic contaminants can be used in the manufacturing process and can be found in the final product. Hazardous flame retardants, metals, VOCs including styrene, nano carbon black, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons are just a few (Source).
If you do go with a rubber flooring you can ask to see testing of heavy metals as well as PAH’s (polyaromatic hydrocarbons). However, the Healthy Building Network does not find this testing to be comprehensive enough.
By 1990, mercury-containing rubber was discontinued, but you could still find it in older homes. Recycled rubber can still be contaminated with metals including lead.
Recycled rubber flooring may contain more contaminants than virgin rubber. Many chemicals in the rubber, such as vulcanizing agents, accelerators, plasticizers, remain in recycled rubber, as well as contaminants it picked up in its life as vehicle tires.
The Healthy Building Network does not recommend the use of recycled tire flooring in interior applications, especially where children may come into direct contact with the flooring.
Seal in the Offgassing and Contaminants of Rubber Flooring with Paint?
It’s difficult to seal in rubber because most paints and sealers don’t stick well to it. Especially if it has a rough surface. I have had success sealing rubber flooring with a smooth surface. with Zinsser Sanding Sealer (then scuff and wipe that down), ECOS Universal Primer, ECOS Interior Floor Paint.
The shellac will pull away from many rubber flooring options.
Reduce the Offgassing in Rubber Flooring/Rubber Mats:
- Air + heat + time – rubber takes a long time to offgas in my expereince. Even a year outside was not nearly enough for me. However this is still the main way to offgas any material. Just dont leave it in the sun too long, as rubber breaks down in the sun.
- If you are feeling sick from the smell and need to do something immediatly, encase it or put down charcoal, zeolite or cat litter on top of it.
- Wash it down with a) a mix of water and vinegar, or b) lemon juice, or c) peppermint oil on a damp cloth, or soak it if possible (if it’s a smaller mat) in a mix of water and baking soda, or water and dish soap.
3. EVA Foam
High-density EVA foam is soft, cushiony, and provides good shock resistance. It works well for those doing floor-based workouts.
But it’s not ideal for heavy weights or equipment, as those can leave dents over time. And it’s not glued down, so it may not work for intense workouts.
But it is cheap, easy, and fast to install. You can easily add a workout area to a room that has wood, vinyl, or another hard surface.
EVA is generally a safer plastic. After some airing out the levels will be extremely low in most brands. Some brands now claim to be formamide-free but Flooringinc mats are the only ones I know of that are tested to show no formamide.
Well-liked brands on Amazon include BalanceFrom (1-inch mats), but these are not claiming to be formamide-free.
7/8ths (like these Judo mats) or 1-inch foam tiles are usually used in gyms.
4. Artificial Turf
Artificial turf is usually used outside but it could also be used for interior workout rooms
Types of Artificial Turf for Gyms
Some turf comes without a backing, some types have a polyurethane foam backing, some have an EVA foam backing (see the EVA foam section), and the most robust types have a rubber backing which takes us back to the rubber section of this article.
The top grass layer is made from either polypropylene, nylon, or polyethylene. I consider these all safe plastics, though nylon often has chemical treatments added to it.
The combination of nylon on top and polyurethane underneath is essentially a regular carpet made to look like turf.
Plastic Backing
The simplest form has a plastic backing that is polyethylene and or polypropylene and is very safe.
You can find these at floorings at Rubber Flooring inc. Their Performance Turf, Launch Turf (and others) are of this composition, though the samples I got have picked up the odor of rubber, probably from nearby inventory.
EVA Foam Tile Backing
Sorbus Mats are EVA foam tiles. They are durable enough to withstand foot traffic and are considered waterproof (though the seams of EVA foam are not waterproof!)
This type of turf is like the EVA tiles in the section above. EVA foam is the base, which provides cushioning, and polyethylene turf makes up the top layer. Both are considered safe plastics. (The EVA should be listed as formamide-free).
If you are using this for traction and resistance, the foam tiles are not suitable. Glue-down turf would be used instead.
Polyurethane Foam Backing
Shock Turf X by Rubber Flooring Inc is made of polypropylene (the grass layer) and polyurethane foam as the backing. The sample I bought was very low in offgassing.
Some types of artificial turf are made for very intense workouts. Consult with a gym flooring vendor to choose the right kind of turf for your needs.
5. Wood Flooring
Real solid wood is used in many professional workout spaces as well as home gyms. Maple is typically used because it’s both dense and has some shock absorbency.
To add more shock absorption without the flex, cork underlayment might be specified under solid wood flooring. Extra dense grades of foam can work under wood floors, but they are not as durable as cork, says Rubber Flooring inc.
Rubber is also used as an underlayment under wood gym floors in professional settings. Consult with a gym flooring expert for commercial and professional spaces.
The downsides of using wood are that it can scratch and splinter if heavy weights are dropped and the durable water-resistant coatings can make it slippery when wet.
Wood can be ideal for aerobic exercise, kickboxing, and dance.
6. Cork Tile
Cork is known as an eco-friendly flooring because it’s made of a renewable bark.
It’s a relatively healthy option. Cork is usually pressed with a polyurethane glue which does offgas VOCs. It may not work for those with moderate to severe chemical sensitivities.
It’s healthier than rubber and vinyl, not as good as Marmoleum or real wood.
Its natural shock-resistant and cushiony characteristics mean it works well for high-intensity workouts and weight training.
Gym flooring experts recommend glue-down cork tiles over floating cork flooring to provide support for heavy loads.
However, cork is not a super durable material. Dragging equipment on either type can tear or scratch the surface and heavy equipment will leave dents.
7. Carpet
You can use carpet in a home gym. I like low-VOC brands. A low pile commercial grade is recommended in gyms for traction and stability.
Not many low-VOC carpet brands fit this requirement.
Synthetic Carpet
FLOR carpet tiles are low-VOC and could work in some home gyms. This brand does have a backing that provides a little bit of cushioning, but not as much as the typical carpet pad.
Carpet tiles are taped down and may or may not provide enough stability.
Natural Carpet
Wool carpet, which is discussed in more detail in the carpet post, holds up very well to foot traffic but not to objects dragged across it. A low pile wool may work for a home gym, depending on which types of workouts you do.
Other Options
The alternative is something more conventional (which would be higher in offgassing than FLOR) with a polyurethane or rubber pad underneath to provide shock absorption.
Of course for some people, carpet will not fit the requirement of being easily cleanable and super hygienic, but it can work in some types of home gyms.
8. Vinyl Plank
Luxury vinyl plank (LVP) is a very popular flooring in residential construction right now. It’s easy to install and relatively inexpensive. It’s also very low in offgassing.
Brands like CoreTec Plus have a cork backing attached, giving it some shock absorption that most vinyl is lacking. Though the vinyl top layer of LVP is not as soft as the vinyl in vinyl sheet.
It’s not repairable when it’s scratched or dented, but it could work for some gym types.
Vinyl plank offgasses very low levels of VOCs, gives off some plasticizers (phthalate-free is preferable), and can contain metals (virgin vinyl is preferable).
My general flooring post goes more into depth on LVP, what’s in it, and which brands I like best.
9. Non-Vinyl Sheet Flooring
Sheet flooring is also called resilient flooring. The most common type of resilient flooring is vinyl sheet. Vinyl sheet is high in offgassing – one of the highest offgassing flooring types.
The following brands give the same look, feel, and performance as conventional sheet vinyl floors without the high VOCs.
UPO by Kahrs makes three really great healthy options. Xpression and Zero Tile are made of safe plastics – TPE, and polyolefin (polyethylene and/or polypropylene). It contains no plasticizers and no PVC.
Quartz tile, their stiffer flooring has a base of the mineral quartz and PVC, with no phthalates and no DHEP. It’s virtually odorless, even lower odor than LVP. But it is a rather hard flooring, too hard for most gyms.
Another new option in the commercial category is Shaw Contract’s bio-based polyurethane. It’s made of 90% natural oils (but not linseed) and minerals. It’s almost odorless. The backing contains polyethylene and fiberglass. Another very similar brand is Wineo Purline Organic Flooring.
Wineo also makes a thicker click-together floor (X-Core Connect) with a polyurethane top layer and a thick cushy EVA underlayment.
These polyurethane sheet floors are excellent in my opinion, with almost no offgassing and no plasticizers they are far superior health-wise to vinyl sheet.
These floors are all glue-down (apart from the Wineo click). Underlayment might be added in gyms, consult with your contractor and the companies for technical advice.
10. Portable Mats
If you use a hard surface floor like wood or LVP you can always add exercise mats as area mats.
You may also want to put mats down under equipment to protect the floor in those areas.
I would avoid latex, synthetic SBR rubber, and PVC in equipment and exercise mats.
Non-Toxic Equipment Mats
A good non-toxic mat for under treadmills, ellipticals, and other exercise equipment is this one made of NBR rubber which is a material very low in odor and VOCs.
If you prefer EVA foam for your equipment mat (also extremely low odor/low VOC), this Marcy mat and Crostice mat come recommended.
Be careful with products like Gorilla Mats that are made from high-density natural rubber and “PER foam” – PER foam is a non-specific term that likely means PVC. They might claim “odorless” but that term is very subjective. Neither PVC nor latex would be considered odorless to me.
I avoid PVC and SBR rubber.
Non-Toxic Yoga Mats
The least toxic yoga mats are the ones made of TPE, which is close to odorless. That is certainly my top choice. TPE can mean EVA. If it has a strong odor something is off.
My second choice is NBR rubber mats, I have one and they are extremely low odor. They can be very low in cost but are not the most durable choice.
The natural options like rubber (natural latex) and cork (made with latex or polyurethane glues) offgas fairly significantly. They can take more than a year to offgas.
If you want to go with natural materials, Jade Yoga mat was tested and it did turn out to be made of only natural latex.
I avoid PVC and synthetic rubber.
Non-Toxic Gymnastics Mats
Most gymnastics mats have a PVC cover over a foam insert.
I avoid PVC and would opt for a polyurethane (PU) covered mat instead. PU material, often referred to as vegan leather, is extremely low in odor (and will be odorless with just a little bit of time). It is virtually VOC-free and is made without plasticizers including phthalates.
The Giantex Gymnastics Mat is also made of PU and non-toxic polyethylene and has mostly positive reviews.
This option from Amazon is made with PU on the outside and a non-toxic, non-offgassing polyethylene foam on the inside. It has very mixed reviews, however.
Corinne Segura is a Building Biologist Practitioner with 8 years of experience helping others create healthy homes.
Mindy-Gail says
Awesome post, Corinne!
I am looking to cover the tile floors in my studio apartment that is a rental. It is so old & disgusting and never get clean and would rather have something on top that is easy to clean and can just lay over it. They will not replace it until I move it, so I am stuck with it.
I was looking into rubber flooring rolls and from the great information here regarding the best non-toxic option. I can’t stand strong chemical smells and want the lowest voc and offgassing that is possible.
It seems that NBR rubber mats would be the best choice to lay on the floors. I did some searching online, but don’t seem to be finding what I am looking for. Can I get the NBR rubber as a roll or only as mats. I also don’t want to spend so much because this is a rental and don’t plan to glue it down, just have it lay over the existing tile.
I did look at Rubber-Cal brand on Home Depot website and the product only says rubber, but not NBR rubber. This was the one recommended to me: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubber-Cal-Diamond-Plate-4-ft-x-6-ft-Black-Rubber-Flooring-24-sq-ft-03-206-W100-06/301919682
Thank you so much in advance for any suggestions and ideas.
Mindy-Gail
Corinne says
I mention NBR mats in the exercise mat section.
Mindy-Gail says
Yes, I saw that section, but when went on Amazon, it isn’t available. I need a roll that can put down on top of the tile floor, that is why asked you if you know if Rubber-Cal is NBR rubber, as it only says rubber on the link shared with you.
Thank You
Corinne says
it looks like SBR but you’ll have to ask them
Anacleta says
Hi Corinne,
We are considering Swisstrax floating tiles for our garage concrete floor, which don’t require glue or moisture barrier, and are said to be made of a Polypropylene copolymer material. Your articles describe polypropylene to be very safe. Is “polypropylene copolymers” just as safe? And do you happen to have any knowledge of Swisstrax products?
Corinne says
yes that should be safe
Ali says
Hi,
Very informative post. Was wondering if you had any suggestions for the thicker gymnastics mats. I’m looking for something to put under a climbing wall/ceiling monkey bars in the kids playroom.
Corinne says
did you check out the ones in the post?
Ali says
I did. Those are the thinner 2” ones. I was actually looking for something more like the 4” landing mats.
Corinne says
Ah ok, I’m not sure if those come in 4 inch but I would look for those same materials
Jennifer Campana says
Hello Corinne! Great information, thank you.
Would you be concerned about moisture/mold build up when using LVP over a concrete basement floor for a gym?
Thank you,
Jennifer
Corinne says
Yes I definitely would, though it is the norm to use it over slabs.
Jennifer Campana says
So is there any material that you would not be concerned about with mold/moisture in this situation?
Corinne says
It really depends on the moisture content in the concrete and if it’s taking on water from below and the sides. If it’s taking on water then it’s drying to the inside and it can be a problem to block that moisture in my experience. Breathable flooring materials are best (either to not risk it or if you know it’s drying inward).
Allison Marsh says
Hi Corinne – thank you so much for all the invaluable information you’ve provided here. You mention that Roppe rubber tiles are mixed with vinyl which is not an improvement in your view. Roppe now produces a rubber tile mixed with cork that is GreeguardvGold certified and does not contain any Red List chemicals. I’m wondering if this product would be an acceptable option for you? We are starting a basement reno and our daughter has a genetic mutation that makes her more susceptible to developing various cancers so we’re trying our best to choose the healthiest options but it can be overwhelming to say the least. Any information you could provide would be appreciated. The link to their Greenguard certificate is here: https://roppe.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GREENGUARD-Gold-Certification_Rubber-Tile.pdf
Corin Aurelio says
Hi Corinne,
Thank you so much for sharing a ray of options for non-toxic gym mats. I am currently making my garage into my workout space and really only be using a small section of the space for weight training / HITT workouts. What exercise mats or brands do you recommend for a garage setting?
Corinne says
the same ones this post, but I would roll it up after using because they will block the moisture that is trying to dry up, assuming the floor is still concrete.
Corin Aurelio says
Ok thank you for the suggestion.
Christine Moorman says
Hi Corrine,
Thank you for this post. It is very hard to study this carefully based on the information provided by companies. We need better information! I need a big mat for a room and am looking at this one: https://bit.ly/3RVcIPe It say 16P free natural rubber and PER foam. I know you do not like the latter. Thoughts? Better alterative. I have carpet that I am covering for exercise. Thank you!
Corinne says
It’s similar to the Gorilla Mat that I mention in the post.
bella says
Thank you so much for this post. it’s just what i was looking for because i research all my purchases. i have read this twice now but still I’m a unclear in EVA interlocking mats. Are these okay or only the one from flooringjnx that’s is linked? If i buy another brand from
Amazon or walmart and air it out, is it safe?
Corinne says
The vast majority have formamide in them, I didn’t find any other brands that could say formamide free.
Nate says
Hi Corinne!
thank you so much for your super informative article! I’m wondering if you have any guidance on fire resistant mats that are relatively chemically safe for household use. I’d appreciate your help
Corinne says
I haven’t looked at that, what is the purpose of the mats, where are they used?
Nate says
Hi Corinne! Thank you for your reply! I’m looking for home gym mats (interlocking ideally) that are simply laid on top of hardwood floors without adhesive and go under and around heavy equipment (functional trainer, weights, rowing machine). Their function is to protect the hardwood floors underneath and provide some cushion for workouts. Ideally, these mats are fire resistant or at least fire retardant and non toxic. these are the closest I’ve found:
https://www.americanfloormats.com/premium-foam-tile-flooring/
I have also found rubber foams that are fire retardant but not sure if they are non toxic:
https://www.solrubber.com/Fire-Resistance-High-Density-Gym-Rubber-Flooring-pd6255056.html
and:
https://www.industrialathletic.com/collections/gym-flooring/products/ultra-mat-fire-retardant-1m2-20mm-1
I’d appreciate any recommendations you may have. Thank you so much!
Corinne says
the ones I recommend are in the post, the EVA mats, the exercise mats and equipment mats
Travis says
Hi Corinne, great info. I see you say for the most part, no to recycled rubber. We were looking at rubber rolls prior to finding your site, The one company we looked at was Gator Athletic Surfaces and their GatorPro rolls, their info sheet indicates Low VOC emissions – D-5116 <0,5MG/M2
Is this considered a lower end off gassing and any other elements to consider?
Thank you!
Travis
Corinne says
That type of rubber is very smelly, it doesn’t matter the brand.
Tom C says
Hi Corinne, Couldn’t figure you how to reach you so I’m trying this.
I have premium vinyl flooring in a room I’m going to convert to a home gym. All sources claim that installing rubber gym flooring over the premium vinyl will discolor it permanently. Can you either recommend a gym flooring type/brand or a permanent barrier I can place between the two materials to prevent this unwanted and damaging chemical reaction??
Corinne says
That would be a question for the installer
Daniel Jones says
An amazing post with great tips as always. Anyone will find your post useful. Keep up the good work.
Eli Richardson says
It’s awesome that you talked about flooring options for a workout room! Recently, my wife and I decided we’d like to turn our garage into a gym space! We started to work out and want to have our own space at home, so we’ll be sure to read your tips very carefully! Thanks for the advice on how to get our garage’s makeover project started!
Laura says
Based on your recommendations, I bought the 7/8 Judo mats from Flooring Inc (after returning my rubber mats from Home Depot). How long should I air them out before installing? Is 24 hours enough?
Corinne says
24 hours is a good idea. I go based on my own sense of smell and sensitivities.
Jess says
Which brands would you recommend for durable rubber flooring for squatrack and heavy weights. I am also in Canada and so a list of brands would be helpful as we don’t have all available here. Thanks!!
Jess says
Maybe I am missing it in your post but the only brand mentioned is Mondo.
Shannon says
I have an elliptical at home and I would like a non-toxic mat to place under it. What would you recommend? I checked into the marmoleum but it is quite expensive – $40 for a 12″ x 12″ size. It is not recommended to use carpet under them so I am stuck on what option would be best. Any help is appreciated!
Corinne says
I just added two non-toxic options to the post for equipment mats.
Marion says
Hi there. Inightful posting. I was looking at getting rubber flooring to cover an existing wood floor due to noise and vibrations coming from neighbor below.
Any suggestions in light of the VOCs and off gassing issues?
Thanks
Corinne says
I wouldn’t use a rubber floor every myself. In terms of what you should use it depends on your needs, sensitivities, type of building, rules from management, if you are willing to tear up the floor, max height of the floor etc.
Will says
Such a great article and very useful info for many out there.
Wondered if you would clarify what is the best outdoor gym material?
Couldn’t determine what was weatherable, least toxic, had wearing for dragging things such as sleds and medium weights.
Roop says
Hi – Thank you for this article. We have rubber flooring in our garage that we need to get rid of. It’s about 400 sq feet, so not huge, but we need to make sure that it can handle some weight dropping but not very often (hopefully not ever). At the same time because it is in the garage there is the possibility for rain to come into the garage if there is heavy rain and the drain backs up. So it has to be something that can not get destroyed if water gets under it. Our kids deal with some allergies and we are trying to get rid of anything that has significant VOC emissions.
Any suggestions?
Roop says
Any suggestions?
Roel says
Hi! I am putting some flooring in a container which currenty has the standard container wooden hard floors. I can basically use any type of floor, but with my hands already full of eczema and with high histamine (as tested) I almost don’t need to mention I need to avoid as much offgassing etc. I was looking at rubber materials, but after reading up on it, clearly changed my mind. Now I am not sure what to use. I am also not in the USA so the brands listed in this article are not available here. What would you recommend? Carpet maybe? Real hardwood is too expensive I think ($70 per sq.m without sealing etc.). Perhaps an epoxy based floor? Please assist with your thoughts 🙂
Corinne says
It depends on the climate and what you will use the container for. If you are heating the inside you wouldn’t want anything that is a vapor barrier over a wood subfloor. The post on floors for vans and trailers might have more ideas but the main flooring post goes over all options.
Pallavi says
Very informative, thank you for putting this together. I wonder why you mention LVP as low on offgassing, where it is known to contain proven carcinogen and is not even safe to dispose, let alone install in home gym. Would like to know more. Thanks!
Corinne says
I explain this in-depth in the post on flooring. It is low in offgassing of VOCs, that is a fact. Almost no brands use phthalates anymore. Almost all brands are virgin vinyl which is eliminating the contamination of metals and flame retardants. The information that I priovide is far more up to date than those sites and I am not a store that is trying to convince anyone to buy this or that.
It’s not a secret that LVP is not within my top 5-10 choices of flooring, but I provide unbiased opinions on what toxins are in materials. And in terms of health effects for the occupant, which is what my site is about, LVP is not a major concern based no the information we have about it right now.
It’s certainly better than rubber, that’s for sure.
here is the flooring post which goes into more detail
kiley says
Hi Corrine,
What do you recommend for covering a dirt floor in a basement? The basement sealing company wants to use EPDM rubber, but also can use 12 mil polyethylene. Which would you choose? Are there any other choices? We are gutting our old farmhouse and remediating everything for mold. I’ve been mold sick for so long and my daughter is as well.
Thanks so much for this blog. It’s been so helpful!
Corinne says
Definitely polyethylene.
Amy Goldberg says
We purchased and had installed 30 days ago Traffic Master recycled rubber flooring from Home Depot. The off gassing initially was almost unbearable and now 30 days later it is still smelling off and on. I just called the contractor to remove it and maybe we can store it outside for a few months and try to reinstall it since it was so expensive. Do you think the strong odor is dangerous or just stinky?
Corinne says
For me it would not be safe. Rubber and sheet vinyl are the highest offgassing floorings possible.
Deb says
Can you tell me the specific name or item number at Home Depot? We are getting ready to buy traffic master Nike grind. Also, what did you replace it with? We are turning our office into a mini gym.
Corinne says
Thanks for letting me know. That is probably due to formamide. I see most of them removed their formamide free labels and the prop 65 is likely for that. There is one on Amazon that is a kids mat with that claim and Flooringinc tests their mats for formamide. I updated the post.
Craig says
I’m looking to create an 8′ x 8′ foot rubber tile area beneath the rack in my basement gym and have spent days now trying to find the least toxic option. It’s not easy for the average consumer. I’m leaning towards the Pavigym Motion tiles, which are virgin SBR rubber. That’s still a bunch of synthetic chemicals. It’s PVC free and “non-toxic” or so they claim. But it’s virtually impossible to get data.
What do you suggest for those who feel like maybe where overthinking this? I ready to stick with my concrete floor but that doesn’t seem wise.
Corinne says
I reviewed quite a few brands I would go with one of the better ones mentioned in the post.
Dominic says
Here is an analysis of the Pavi-Gym Endurance flooring: https://bit.ly/3BODqUb What do you think about the results? Pavi-Gym seems to be one of the best but most expensive options for rubber tiles on the market for me.
Dominic says
Whats about Ivanko or Paviflex Monster, both use virgin SBR as far as I can see.
Heather says
Have you researched non toxic gymnastics mats for home use?
Courtney Stewart says
Thank you for the post – also currently looking for thoughts on safe gymnastics mats and also gymnastic air tracks.
Carly Swift says
Curious… what would you use if you had to reseal a concrete floor in your basement with virtually no ventilation?
I’ve been looking at just sanding off the peeling paint and putting virgin rubber or EVA tiles or manoleum because I’m not sure I can find a resealant that does off gas … suggestions?
Corinne says
There are some really good concrete sealers that I tested for this post
I would use rugs or EVA as area rugs. Rubber is far higher in offgassing than most concrete sealants.
Reza says
Thank you so much. Now I have a better understanding of how rubbers can be different, health related.
Unfortunately most Gym mat sellers do not give details on the type of rubber material for us to select what we really need.
Do you think that 8mm rubber will work good enough for shock absorption of a 120 lb squat cage exercise equipment?
Thank you.
Corinne says
I can’t advise on the technical specifications for gyms. The companies that sell the flooring might be able to.
Wanda says
Thanks you so much for this information. As always, it’s so thorough and informative. You have been my go-to place for information throughout our house building process. Finding flooring for our gym has been the hardest search so far. I’ve resisted getting a rubber floor, but since we have heavy gym equipment, I’m realizing now, reluctantly, that I need to go this route. I’ve been looking for virgin rubber, but when you read the small print, most of them use recycled tires for the bottom and virgin rubber on top. Many companies also don’t sell outside the US (I am in Canada). I am hoping that Mondo gets back to me, that their Quebec headquarters aren’t in quarantine. *fingers crossed*
Corinne says
Yes I believe Mondo is in business. Hope you find something. I had boxes and boxes of samples though clearly the age of the samples is also a factor.
Lauren says
Hi Wanda,
I am also in the process of picking a floor for our home gym. I feel that rubber would be the best option but am worried about the toxins. Since you and I are on the same course, I was wondering what you finally picked? Do you mind sharing? Would love and feedback.
~Lauren
Jason B says
Did you find out any information? I would like to use a squat rack but with 2 kids under 4 years old, I don’t one something that is harmful to them.
Jessie Gill says
Hi which one did you go with?
Zaid says
Did you ever find something in Canada?