Garage gym flooring/ rubber mats (UK)

[jljbrah]

having compiled a decent gym set up in my garage (bench power rack and weights) I am on the look out for some rubber mats to cover the concrete floor in the garage- having searched this topic, the general consensus is to buy horse stable mats for the best durability and toughness. Being in the UK the availability is not great and the cheapest price to cover my minimum 8x6 feet area/ preferably 8x8 (under rack and beyond by ~3-4 feet for barbell work) was £100+ inc delivery.
Being tight on money right now, this seems more enticing at a third of the price: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Interlocking...ef=pd_sim_sg_5 with good reviews from people who have used this for home gyms.
The question is, is this heavy duty enough for the purpose? (Think stationary compound movements with ~200lb rows and 350lb deads etc (ie not Olympic movements)).
Help from UK people who know the the stuff available here would be great (Help from US brahs would be great also!). Thanks in advance.

[rthawker]

The description of it being an anti-fatigue mat makes me think it would be too soft/squishy for gym work. At that price it could be worth the risk especially if you have a tool bench or laundry area that you could place it in if it is too soft for your gym. There needs to be a sticky for UK members that has links for the best places to get the best prices on the best products.

[jljbrah]

The description of it being an anti-fatigue mat makes me think it would be too soft/squishy for gym work. At that price it could be worth the risk especially if you have a tool bench or laundry area that you could place it in if it is too soft for your gym. There needs to be a sticky for UK members that has links for the best places to get the best prices on the best products.

That was a main concern for me, that heavy weights would leave big indentations and maybe warp the mat over time. Deffo agreed about the UK sticky- reading through a lot of the stickies; most of the websites and products apply only to those in the US.

[fishpat86]

I got some 16mm thick interlocking dense rubber mats. I don't know where you buy them from though as I rescued them from a primary school that was going to be demolished.

They are blue as well!

[jljbrah]

I got some 16mm thick interlocking dense rubber mats. I don't know where you buy them from though as I rescued them from a primary school that was going to be demolished.

They are blue as well!

Lol, not something that crops up too often, I think the amazon mats are 12mm thick so may be worth a punt. Having looked on ebay it seems 6x4 sheets of horse mats can be bought for around £38 a time which may be worth a try instead http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Equestrian...item1c34c00f6f obviously look more heavy duty. Odd bubble-grip design on them though- not sure how pronounced they would be :/

[jtaliani]

The original link looks just like interlocking mats that I use in front of my work bench. If they are the same density/texture, they will definitely not work for your intended application. They are great as anti-fatigue mats as they have some give to them. They would not however deal well with heavy compression. I have dropped tools on them (ie wrench, pliers, etc) and left indentations and knicks. On the other hand, my stall mats in my workout area have had 120lb IronMaster dumbbells, plates, etc dropped on them and don't even have a scuff. The anti-fatigue mats also would not be likely to provide much protection for your floor due to the amount of give. There are heavy duty rubber inter-locking tiles available but they are usually much more pricey than stall mats.

[fishpat86]

Lol, not something that crops up too often, I think the amazon mats are 12mm thick so may be worth a punt. Having looked on ebay it seems 6x4 sheets of horse mats can be bought for around £38 a time which may be worth a try instead http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Equestrian...item1c34c00f6f obviously look more heavy duty. Odd bubble-grip design on them though- not sure how pronounced they would be :/

you'd be surprised actually, there is so many schools that were built in the 60's to 70's that need refitting or completely re-developing. E-mail a few construction companies and make an offer. They throw it all in the skip anyway so a tenner a square metre is money in someones pocket. Try a few flooring companies as well, they throw thousands of old carpet tiles away and that **** is expensive to get rid of and no good to them for reuse.

[owasM]

rubber matting used underneath astro turf goes for cheap,i got 1200 sqft for £300 deliverd.

[jljbrah]

you'd be surprised actually, there is so many schools that were built in the 60's to 70's that need refitting or completely re-developing. E-mail a few construction companies and make an offer. They throw it all in the skip anyway so a tenner a square metre is money in someones pocket. Try a few flooring companies as well, they throw thousands of old carpet tiles away and that **** is expensive to get rid of and no good to them for reuse.

Interesting, I'll have a look around for that. Thanks.

[jljbrah]

Just thought I'd update the situation, (might help other UK based people in the process?!) after quite extensive searches, it seems that a site called 'safety mats-uk' provide the cheapest option for gym flooring in the UK... as far as I can tell. Am probably going to order this stable mat: http://safetymats-uk.co.uk/productde...le-Hammer-Top- (also do purpose gym mats http://safetymats-uk.co.uk/productde...d-Back-Gym-Mat for £3 more) which comes to £44 pound including delivery for a single 6'x4' x12mm sheet, which seems pretty good value for money- will probably look around further where I live first though (second hand stuff) to try and cut out shipping costs.

[iportal]

Just thought I'd update the situation, (might help other UK based people in the process?!) after quite extensive searches, it seems that a site called 'safety mats-uk' provide the cheapest option for gym flooring in the UK... as far as I can tell. Am probably going to order this stable mat: http://safetymats-uk.co.uk/productde...le-Hammer-Top- (also do purpose gym mats http://safetymats-uk.co.uk/productde...d-Back-Gym-Mat for £3 more) which comes to £44 pound including delivery for a single 6'x4' x12mm sheet, which seems pretty good value for money- will probably look around further where I live first though (second hand stuff) to try and cut out shipping costs.

Why not go to a feed store / equestrian shop or tack shop? They sell horse stall mats for £32-38 a mat (18mm thick), but you can probably get a deal if you bulk buy. I got mine for £30 each from a shop very local to myself.

Much better than most 'gym mats' on the internet. Those interlocking mats are generally awful, trust me, I've had them!

[owasM]

one problem i see people always have is everyone on US sites call them horse stall mats, that yeilds no results over here, theyre called horse stable mats.

[jljbrah]

one problem i see people always have is everyone on US sites call them horse stall mats, that yeilds no results over here, theyre called horse stable mats.

Yeah true, thats something I've learnt. Also RE local pet shops- most commercial shops don't sell mats- only specialist equestrian suppliers or flooring suppliers do around here, just a case of fitting a 6x4 sheet in the car... maybe delivery would be best

[owasM]

Yeah true, thats something I've learnt. Also RE local pet shops- most commercial shops don't sell mats- only specialist equestrian suppliers or flooring suppliers do around here, just a case of fitting a 6x4 sheet in the car... maybe delivery would be best

hire a man with a van