When I decided to redo my garage gym floor, I just jumped in without really checking prices first. Big mistake. Here’s exactly how I screwed up and what I learned shoving rubber tiles around like an idiot.

Step 1: Measuring Like a Dummy

I grabbed my cheap tape measure and paced out the garage. Did some quick math – length times width, right? Thought it was 200 square feet. Didn’t account for that weird bump-out where the water heater sits. Just measured straight across like a total rookie. That lazy move bit me later.

Step 2: Hunting for Rubber Tiles

Went down three rabbit holes looking for tiles:

• Big box store junk: Flimsy 1/2″ tiles priced at $2.40/sq foot. Felt like stepping on frozen pizza.
• Fancy fitness brands: Thick interlocking stuff… nearly fainted when I saw $4.75/sq foot. For my whole garage? Nope.
• Local warehouse deal: Found these ugly black recycled tiles. Guy said “last pallet, cash only.” Dingy but $1.90/sq foot. Grabbed ‘em.

Bought 200 sq ft worth at 1.90. Yeah… about that.

Step 3: Reality Smacks Me Hard

Unloaded all the tiles in the garage. Started laying them corner to corner and – crap. Where’d this water heater nook come from? Wasted a whole afternoon trying to cut tiles around pipes with a box cutter. Sliced my thumb too. Blood and rubber crumbs everywhere. Ended up short 25 sq ft.

Had to beg the warehouse guy for more tiles. He laughed. Charged me $3/sq foot for scraps since I bought his last full pallet. Lesson: Measure twice, buy once.

Final Damage Report

Here’s the ugly truth dumped into my spreadsheet:

• First batch: 175 sq ft x $1.90 = $332.50
• Emergency scraps: 25 sq ft x $3.00 = $75.00
• Shipping fees: $40 (pallet weight)
• That stupid knee pad I bought: $22

Total Cost: $469.50
Actual Space Covered: 200 sq ft
Real Cost per Sq Ft: About $2.35

Looks cheap till you add blood, shipping, and emergency tile tax. Next time? Pay the kid down the street to measure. Or just paint the dang concrete.