Here are some flooring material options for a home gym.

Rubber Horse Stall Mats

Rubber Horse Stall Mats are both heavy and dense. These mats are designed to be placed in horse stalls for easing the horse’s knee joints. Thus, they are applicable in home gyms and exercise rooms.  These mats come in big sheets of 4 ft. by 6 ft., and in weights that demand that you carry them with a partner (100 pounds).

Cost

One great advantage of horse stall mats is the price.  From online retailer Tractor Supply Company, the mats currently run about $1.60 per square foot.

Virgin Rubber Floor Tiles

This is real rubber. Simply put, if price is no object, this is what you want as the flooring material for your home gym. It’s 100% virgin, not recycled, rubber formed into 24″ x 24″ mats, 3/8″ thick, with a slick pebbled surfaced that the industry calls “hammered.”  Closed cell construction means it doesn’t absorb moisture. In addition, the shiny surface means it’s easy to clean.

Virgin rubber doesn’t come with the unpleasant odors that recycled rubber does, which makes it a much better idea for an exercise room.

Cost

$15 per square foot.

Interlocking EVA Foam Tiles

This is typically the first gym-friendly flooring you encounter at home improvement stores. EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) foam is light-weight and easy to obtain. There are more disadvantages than with the first two options, but if you are unlikely to ever drop significant weight on the floor (tendency to bounce back; potentially hazardous) then this is a viable option.

Cost

About $1 per square foot.

You can read more about home gym design options here.