Okay so let me tell you about my whole gym floor mess. Started last month when I decided my basement needed a proper lifting area. Saw those fancy rubber mats online and thought “how hard could this be?” Boy was I dumb.
First: Pricing Nightmare
Went to three local flooring stores for quotes. First dude came over, looked at my space and immediately started talking about “underlayment” and “moisture barriers.” Handed me a quote later – nearly $2,500 just for materials! Almost choked on my coffee. Second place was slightly cheaper but wanted $1,200 for installation alone. Third guy didn’t even show up.
The DIY Temptation
Said screw it and drove to a big-box store. Found these interlocking tiles – $3.99 per square foot looked sweet. Did quick math: 400 sq ft basement gym meant… wait, $1,600 already? Forgot sales tax. Forgot delivery fee. Forgot the knee pads I’d need. Reality check: dumped $1,872 at register after “just grabbing a few tiles.”
The Installation Comedy Show
Cleared out my basement thinking it’d take one weekend. Ha! Step one: leveling the concrete slab. Spent two full days just filling cracks with that stinky leveling compound. Waited 48 hours to dry. Then started laying tiles – easy right? Wrong.
- Realized too late the floor wasn’t perfectly square
- Cut tiles with box cutter wrong way three times
- Got blisters from hammering those damn connector pegs
- Accidentally locked myself in corner when connecting tiles
Total work time: three weekends and 37 hours. My back still complains about it.
Final Damage Report
Add-ons I didn’t plan for:
- Concrete grinder rental ($92/day)
- Edge trim pieces ($137)
- Anti-slip adhesive ($39/tube used 2)
- Three new utility knives ($27)
- Physical therapy jokes from my wife (priceless)
Was it worth it?
Mats look decent now and absorb dropped weights well. But that “simple” project actually cost me $2,300 with all extras and lost weekends. Could’ve paid the installers and saved 40 hours of my life. Still hurts to think about that $1,200 quote looking pretty damn reasonable now. Next time? Yeah I’m paying someone.
