Flooring in workout room

[Seattlefoodie]

Hi all,

I have seen a lot of posts over the years regarding flooring in a home workout room. Some people are questioning whether they need mats on carpet so I thought I’d set the record straight.

I should start by saying that I am a sales representative for the largest flooring manufacturer in the world. Hence, I know a lot about performance and what will work in a nice space for a home workout room. I myself have a loop carpet that I have been working out on for 12 years and is not showing any wear. Here’s why....

First of all your carpet must be made of nylon fiber! No olefin (common in Berber carpets), or wool (see staple fiber, below).

If you have a nylon loop carpet, it is most likely made out of what is called “bulk continuous fiber”. BCF, as it is called, runs 30 miles long and it’s very difficult to break. That said, no mats are needed and you will not see any wear over time with this type of carpet. The only issue with this type of carpet would be moisture but I’m talking more about pouring water on it and leaving it rather than just sweat.

Cut pile carpets, however, are typically made out of what is called “staple” fiber. Essentially, a staple fiber is a bunch of small fibers twisted together to make a long one. If you have a lot of movement on top of these types of carpets, the fibers do you have a propensity to separate over time. This is a case where I would recommend a flooring mat over the carpet.

So, in summary, if you have an all loop pile carpet, skip the mat. If you have a cut pile carpet, get a mat.