Are horse stall mats for home gyms the best flooring option?
Ask any garage gym owner and they’ll tell you they’re the best bang for your buck.
They’re heavy duty, durable, and can take on the heaviest of drops.
With plenty of home gym flooring options, stall mats have stood the test of time.
Let’s check them out!
Specs
- Dimensions: 4 ft x 6 ft, 3/4 inch thick
- Weight: 96 lbs
- Material: Recycled vulcanized rubber
- Surface pattern: Can vary by location, I have some that are honeycomb and some diamond plate
Horse Stall Mats Surface Patterns
Honeycomb
One thing you wanna look out for is the pattern on the stall mats.
I bought horse stall mats from the same store (Tractor Supply) and they had different patterns.
First batch I bought had a honeycomb pattern on them.
Diamond Plate
And the second batch I bought six months later had a diamond plate pattern.
For me it’s not a huge deal but if you want a uniform look to your home gym flooring, I suggest getting all your mats at once.
Rubber Smell
Horse stall mats have a very strong rubber smell to them.
When I first got them, I left them outside in my backyard for about a week and that helped to get most of the smell out.
If you don’t have ventilation in your workout area, you might want to leave them out longer.
I always workout with my garage gym door open so after a couple of weeks the smell was gone.
Prevent Horse Stall Mats From Shifting
Mending Plates
Once I got my horse stall mats inside my garage gym, I noticed some of them started to shift a little bit.
It wasn’t a ton but enough for dirt and other stuff to start building in between mats.
So I added metal mending plates to the bottom of the mats to keep them together.
Gorilla Tape
Now to cover the top of the cracks I use all weather Gorilla tape.
This prevents dirt, dogs hair, leaves, etc from getting stuck in between the cracks.
And it’s water-proof so whenever I clean the stall mats with a mop and nothing happens to the tape.
How To Clean Horse Stall Mats
Since I’m in a garage gym, my stall mats are exposed to the outside world so every so often I have to clean them.
First thing I do is bust out my leaf blower and blow as much dust as possible outside.
Next, I use a vacuum cleaner to pick up the dust that was left behind.
And finally, I mop the horse stall mats with an industrial cleaning agent like Simple Green and leave the door open so they dry up fast.
Other Home Gym Flooring Options
Avoid Foam Puzzle Mats
Whatever you do, don’t buy home gym flooring from sporting goods stores like Dick’s.
This is by far the cheapest home gym flooring option for your garage gym but they suck.
They don’t offer much cushion, move around easily because they don’t weight much, and fall apart quickly.
Save yourself the hassle of having to replace them and invest in horse stall mats instead.
Regupol Aktiv Flooring Rolls
Regupol Aktiv flooring is made from high quality rubber and is sold in 4 feet wide x 25 feet long or 50 feet long rolls.
You can choose from 5 different thicknesses and a variety of colors with fleck patterns.
The rolls are very heavy and delivered wrapped in plastic in a pallet.
Regupol flooring is easy to install and maintain and can be with or without adhesive or double sided tape.
Aesthetically, it’ll give any home gym a very clean look and with a variety of color options you can match it to your equipment.
PLAE Forge Sports Flooring
PLAE Forge flooring is another home gym flooring option for those who don’t mind splurging.
The quality on PLAE flooring is high end and of course it’s much more expensive than horse stall mats.
This is the flooring option seen in colleges and pro sports training facilities.
Turf For Home Gyms
If you’re looking to add turf flooring to your home gym, PLAE also offers this option.
Turf is heavy duty and can take a beating especially in home gyms where weight sleds are used regularly.
Mats for Treadmills & Rowing Machines
Horse stall mats can also be used for cardio equipment if you’re in a garage gym setting…
But if you’re looking for a less dense mat for your treadmill or rowing machine, Trueform Supermats are a great option.
These are longer than stall mats and help dampen vibrations, reduce noise, and protect wood flooring or tile inside your house.
Horse Stall Mats Pros & Cons
Pros
- Durable: These mats are almost indestructible at 3/4″ thick and weighing 96 lbs
- Floor protection: Thick enough to hold my car’s weight daily without denting at all so your floors will be safe
- Noise reduction: If you do CrossFit or olympic lifts where you’re dropping bumper plates, these mats reduce some of the noise
- Affordable: At around $50 a piece, these mats give you the most bang for your buck
- Warranty: 5 year warranty
Cons
- Smell: Initially they have a strong rubber smell which goes away within a week or two of ventilation
- Surface pattern: Pattern on top of the mats may vary so it’s best to buy them all at once from the same place
- Heavy: Can be awkward to carry and move around
Where To Buy Horse Stall Mats for Home Gym
If you happen to have a Tractor Supply store close to you, this will be the best option.
When I bought my mats from Tractor Supply they cost less than $50 which is a great price for mats that will last a lifetime.
Otherwise you can find them online but of course you’ll get hit with a shipping charge.
Are Horse Stall Mats The Best Flooring For a Home Gym?
Absolutely!
Horse stall mats are the go to option for most home gyms.
They’re affordable, can withstand lots of weight, and will last you a very long time.
And if you’re not into stall mats, I gave you other ideas for home gym flooring to choose from.
Horse Stall Mats
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