Rubber Mat Flooring

Interlocking rubber floor mats can be used for a variety of purposes and comes in a number of shapes and styles. In terms of its usage, rubber flooring is fit for purpose in many areas. This includes commercial and industrial flooring, athletic/exercise flooring and also for use in the home.

Interlocking rubber floor mats is also excellent for use in wet areas such as bathrooms. Where ceramic tiled floors are in place, the use of rubber mats can provide a slip free surface helping to prevent falls. This is especially true in the shower where a rubber mat can help prevent accidents. Likewise, these mats can also be used in pool areas to provide a non-slip, durable surface around the swimming pool.

One of the main advantages in all these uses is safety. Interlocking rubber floor mats will generally provide a stable, non-slip surface which provides some protection in the event of falls. In commercial applications it can be used for flooring in factories and commercial buildings, providing a durable surface which should last for a number of years. It can also be used for playground surfacing to provide a safer area for children to play, and is often used in athletic/exercise areas, which includes flooring for gyms and martial arts or dancing areas. Rubber floor mats can also be used in gyms as individual exercise mats.

Rubber mats can be used in the home for a variety of purposes. For those with children, rubber play mats are an excellent idea. They provide a degree of safety which is obviously important for young children who may be unsteady on their feet. They can be purchased with designs and pictures on them which can be fun and/or educational for the child. It is also possible to use rubber matting for garage or basement flooring. The mats will provide a strong and durable surface and should stand up to the rigors placed on it, especially when used in the garage.

Interlocking rubber floor mats usually come as interlocking tiles which can be easily fitted together. They can also be purchased as a roll of material which can easily be laid, and reduces the number of visible seams. Both tiles and rolls can be purchased in a variety of colors and designs which should make them a viable alternative for most situations where the use of rubber flooring or mats is desired.

Rubber Stable Floor

The most common type of stable floor is concrete. However, many stable owners are covering their concrete floors with rubber, which offers a number of advantages:

• Yielding. A concrete floor is very hard and can cause various types of injuries. For example, when getting up from a prone position, a horse can scrape skin off against the concrete. Also, if the bedding is thin, walking on the hard concrete can stress joints, potentially injure feed, or cause sore points where the horse lies down to rest or sleep. A rubber surface provides a softer and more yielding surface, which minimizes the rick of such injuries.
• Warmth. Rubber is naturally insulating, which is more comfortable and healthier for horses, especially in winter.
• Traction. Concrete and wooden floors can be slippery when wet; rubber provide better traction and thereby reduces the risk of injury to horses.
• Bedding. Rubber performs some of the functions of bedding (e.g. insulation, traction, shock absorption, softer surface), reducing the amount of bedding required. Stable owners, on average, report that they require only half as much bedding with a rubber stable floor as with concrete floors. This results in a considerable saving in bedding, labour and storage costs.

There are two solutions for providing a rubber stable floor. One is rubber stall mats which one lays on top of an existing floor (e.g. on top of a concrete floor) and join together to form a interlocking rubber floor mats. The other solution consists of liquid rubber which is poured onto the concrete floor and then allowed to harden (this takes one or two days) to form a single rubber surface which covers the entire floor. The term 'liquid rubber' refers to the fact that the rubber is in liquid form when it is initially put onto the stable floor, but it then forms a solid rubber floor. Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages.

By Doug M Stewart

Preferred in Commercial Gyms and Sports Centers

Interlocking rubber floor mats is now being used within most commercial gyms and sport centers for a number of reasons. One being that it keeps the weights and the flooring damage free. Not to mention that it also keeps the gym user embarrassment free.

When you are working hard in the gym, I'm sure that you don't frequently take the time to peruse the floor. That is until you drop a free weight. Dropping a free weight can cause a tremendous noise and will cause damage to both the floor and possibly the weight. On top of this you will have the rest of the gym members' watchful eyes on you whilst you try to regain your cool.

When interlocking rubber floor mats is used within sport centres it is done so for many reasons. As well as it being durable and long lasting, it can also reduce the strain that an athlete puts on their joints as it softens the pressure that the activity places on the joints. It also is a great safety feature that can be used when taking part in such sports as trampolining and gymnastics. The interlocking rubber floor mats can be used in addition to sports mats which will aid any would be gymnastic if they happen to misplace their foot.

Obviously this is not ideal! But if you have dropped a free weight recently in the gym, you may have braced yourself for a massive clatter, only to be greeted with a delicate thud. And the reason behind this is the relatively new discovery of rubber flooring.

We all go to the gym to sweat. It's not nice, but it is a truth. If the gym had been covered with a carpet, then the sweat would easily be soaked up into the carpet, making it difficult to clean and difficult to get the lingering smells out of the floor totally. Similarly if the gym is decked out in laminate or wooden flooring, the sweat can seep in between the gaps and help to give put an odor of old sweat socks - not exactly a selling point for new members. Interlocking rubber floor mats will solve all of these issues. It does not absorb liquids and rather they sit on top of the surface making the rubber flooring easy to clean and making it easy to get rid of all of the smells that one associates with the gym.

Throughout both gyms and sport centers, interlocking rubber floor mats is a cost effective way in which both safety and flooring can be combined. It helps to dull the noise of these, at times, noisy environments. In addition to this it is long lasting, stain resistant and kind to the environment.

Functional Interlocking Floor Tile

There are several different types of interlocking rubber floor tile that can be installed either in a business environment or at home. The kind of floor tiles that you choose to install depends solely on the manner in which they will be used. Determine first if you are going to need indoor or outdoor flooring. What room of the house will the flooring be placed? Do you have animals or children? All of these things can help in choosing the right flooring.

Epoxy flooring is most often found in garages or basements that are in need of a refresh. Epoxy floor tiles are not really tiles, but a coating. The floor is comprised of epoxy resins and should be 2mm in thickness. The epoxy is painted directly on the floor. It is nice flooring because it resists dirt and oil, but it does take a few days and can be a tiring process to put in.

If you are looking for patio tiles, you will most likely want to get something that isn't slippery. Tile floors can spell disaster for a patio, especially one that has a pool. If the tiniest amount of water gets on tile it can be incredibly dangerous for bare feet to run across. Interlocking carpet tiles can be a slip free solution. They are inserted a few inches higher than the ground so that the water can be evaporated without causing mold and mildew. Other types of interlocking floor tiles that would be satisfactory next to a pool would be PVC floor tiles. These are interlocking mats that offer slip resistance, especially in high traffic areas.

Vinyl floor tiles are easy to size and shape to the specific size that you need. For outdoor surfaces, vinyl is a great solution because of its slip resistance and moisture resistance. Since the vinyl tiles are easy to size down, they make great travel companions. At a campground, the vinyl tiles are nice to have to place in a shower.

Foam Floor tiles are typically placed in children's bedrooms. They are easy to clean up and provide a fun and safe atmosphere for kids. These mats are very versatile and can be used in basements, schools or at trade shows. They are comfortable to stand on and offer relief if someone has to stand for a long time.

Article Source: Steve Colville

Stall Mats versus Liquid Rubber Flooring

The main disadvantage of stall mats is that urine can run underneath them. This occurs at the seams where the mats join (one normally uses multiple mats to cover a stable floor) and also at the gaps between the mats and the walls. This urine builds up under the mats, releasing odours and harmful ammonia. Although one can partly compensate for this by periodically lifting the mats and cleaning under them, this takes a certain amount of time and is not easy (rubber stall mats are heavy).

With liquid rubber, the floor is in a single piece and joins with the wall (in fact, one would normally apply the rubber onto the wall as well for a height of at least several centimeters). Consequently, there are no seams or joins which would allow the urine to enter. Furthermore, the rubber bonds with the concrete floor, so there is no space for urine or dirt underneath the rubber. This is a major advantage over stall mats, as it is not only healthier but also there is no need to periodically clean underneath it.

An important advantage of stall mats is that they are not fixed to the floor, as they rely on their weight to hold them in place. Therefore, one can remove them and use them elsewhere. This makes them convenient if you are just renting a stall for a period of time. One would not want to use liquid rubber in a temporary stall as it bonds to the concrete floor and cannot be removed or reused. Another consideration is that rubber stall mats tend to be less expensive than liquid rubber.

Consequently, liquid rubber is a superior solution for a permanent stall, while stall mats are more appropriate for short to medium term installations.

By Doug M Stewart