How to clean slippery gym mats?

[elliotfmx]

Hello..

First post here I hope this isn't too stupid of a question haha..
I've just bought some heavy duty rubber tiles so I can move my gym indoors, they have a silicone type coating on it that is very slippery. I've tried cleaning them with soapy water, degreaser, pressure cleaner and leaving them out in the elements for a few days yet they are still slippery as anything. My power rack slides on them. Any ideas how I can get the coating off without damaging the mats?

Elliot

[ironwill2008]

Hello..

First post here I hope this isn't too stupid of a question haha..
I've just bought some heavy duty rubber tiles so I can move my gym indoors, they have a silicone type coating on it that is very slippery. I've tried cleaning them with soapy water, degreaser, pressure cleaner and leaving them out in the elements for a few days yet they are still slippery as anything. Any ideas how I can get the coating off without damaging the mats?

Elliot

Out of curoisity, who would manufacture/sell rubber tiles that remain slippery?




Sounds like a real liability issue.

[elliotfmx]

Out of curoisity, who would manufacture/sell rubber tiles that remain slippery?




Sounds like a real liability issue.

I bought them off eBay from "cyber-market", as far as I know they go under the brand name "cyber-fit". They are almost greasy, once you walk on the mats the stuff on them stays on your shoe and you can feel it for a few footsteps. One of them somehow became non-slippery but I've put them through all the same conditions and treatment. The rest are unchanged from new. I've got all my gym painted and ready to set up and this is what is stopping me

[ironwill2008]

I bought them off eBay from "cyber-market", as far as I know they go under the brand name "cyber-fit". They are almost greasy, once you walk on the mats the stuff on them stays on your shoe and you can feel it for a few footsteps. One of them somehow became non-slippery but I've put them through all the same conditions and treatment. The rest are unchanged from new.

Contact the seller on what to do. Arbitrarily dousing rubber or rubber-type materials with random solvents can possibly cause more problems than you've already got.









ETA:

People looking for rubber floor matting should just do what's always advised in this forum; find a farm supply store and buy heavy rubber stall mats.

[elliotfmx]

Contact the seller on what to do. Arbitrarily dousing rubber or rubber-type materials with random solvents can possibly cause more problems than you've already got.




ETA:

People looking for rubber floor matting should just do what's always advised in this forum; find a farm supply store and buy heavy rubber stall mats.

Ok thanks, I've contacted them I'll see what their reply is. Now I know what to get next time.

[elliotfmx]

I got a response and they were very helpful. This is what they said, as not to leave their brand with a bad name.

Hi Elliot,

It sounds like they've been made with too much rubber compound. We had a bad batch of black with grey fleck, which we are not selling due to the excessive slip in the mat. The black were however really good. It seems you've been unlucky enough to get some slippery black mats. I've checked the other stock here and we have others in stock that are nice and grippy. I have also found a pallet of black mats that are really slippery, so they must be the ones you received. Needless to say we've changed our supplier as a slippery gym mat is a bit of a contradiction in terms! Please pull them up and don't train on them.

I'll send you these new tiles asap - the old ones will eventually weather, and the greasiness will greatly subside. I only know this from leaving some of the original greay fleck mats outside in the sun and rain for about 3 months and they're far more grippy now. We also have a concrete plant over the road and healthy dose of sand has been deposited on the mats. So, you can hang on to those as spares, use them to build a lifting platform or give them to a mate once they are weathered in a bit, and we'll send you a new batch out.

Regards, Steve

[kelt_22]

I got a response and they were very helpful. This is what they said, as not to leave their brand with a bad name.

Hi Elliot,

It sounds like they've been made with too much rubber compound. We had a bad batch of black with grey fleck, which we are not selling due to the excessive slip in the mat. The black were however really good. It seems you've been unlucky enough to get some slippery black mats. I've checked the other stock here and we have others in stock that are nice and grippy. I have also found a pallet of black mats that are really slippery, so they must be the ones you received. Needless to say we've changed our supplier as a slippery gym mat is a bit of a contradiction in terms! Please pull them up and don't train on them.

I'll send you these new tiles asap - the old ones will eventually weather, and the greasiness will greatly subside. I only know this from leaving some of the original greay fleck mats outside in the sun and rain for about 3 months and they're far more grippy now. We also have a concrete plant over the road and healthy dose of sand has been deposited on the mats. So, you can hang on to those as spares, use them to build a lifting platform or give them to a mate once they are weathered in a bit, and we'll send you a new batch out.

Regards, Steve

Good. thank you for the follow up. Most people would have just let it be, and we would go forward thinking they made crappy gear. Now we know they are great with customer service.

[Skidmarx]

Looks like you'll get some extra mats out of the deal

[swscharf]

You want to sell those slippery ones then? I don't mind waiting on them to weather, as something is better than nothing...

Edit: just realized you're in Australia!!! Dang! I'm sure even if I could get them cheaper shipping and handling would kill me!

[elliotfmx]

You want to sell those slippery ones then? I don't mind waiting on them to weather, as something is better than nothing...

Edit: just realized you're in Australia!!! Dang! I'm sure even if I could get them cheaper shipping and handling would kill me!

Yeah! It would cost a fortune to send them to you, it'd exceed the value of the mats.

I received the replacement ones the other day, they are completely non-slippery and I can use them while I wait for the other ones to weather in and lose their slip Works great as I was a few mats short to begin with, now I have a few too many

I'd recommend that seller on eBay if anyone in Australia is looking.

[-aesop-]

I got a response and they were very helpful. This is what they said, as not to leave their brand with a bad name.

Good to see them take care of you. Just leave those extra mat outdoors until they weather properly. And it hears like scrubbing them with some good ol' dirt will help as well. Have fun with it.