So I finally decided to tackle that home gym project after staring at my sad concrete basement floor for months. Here’s exactly how the gym flooring installation went down and every penny it cost me.
The “This Can’t Be Hard” Phase
Started by eyeballing the space – roughly 200 square feet. Measured twice like my dad taught me, then headed to the big box store. Immediately got overwhelmed by all the flooring types near the garden section. Rubber tiles? Rolls? Foam crap? The employee shrugged when I asked about gym stuff.
Ended up grabbing those interlocking rubber tiles after watching some TikTok videos. First cost shock: $2.49 per tile, and each covered just 1 square foot. Did the math – almost $500 just for tiles! Nearly choked on my energy drink.
Gear Gathering Nightmares
Thought I’d just need a utility knife. Wrong. After mangling two tiles, I broke down and bought:
- Rubber adhesive ($15)
- Tapping block tool ($10)
- Straight edge ruler ($6)
- Extra blades ($8)
Spent another hour arguing with my wife about whether we needed the optional border trim ($35). We did. Obviously.
The Sweat-Drenched Installation
Cleared the area first – threw out old paint cans and that mysterious box of VHS tapes. Laid down the vapor barrier (another $30 roll – surprise!). Started clicking tiles together like giant legos until CRACK – bent one trying to force uneven concrete. Cue existential crisis.
Realized halfway that all the edges needed trimming around pipes. Made so many jagged cuts that my floor looked like a jigsaw puzzle done by a drunk toddler. Had to buy 4 extra tiles to replace messed-up ones.
The Final Damage
Here’s what it actually cost to not die in my makeshift gym:
- Tiles: $498 (200 tiles)
- Adhesive & tools: $39
- Vapor barrier: $30
- Wasted tiles: $10
- Border trim: $35
- My sanity: Priceless
Total: $612
Finished at 2AM covered in rubber dust. Does it look perfect? Hell no – one corner’s got a gap my dog could fall through. But my weights aren’t cracking concrete anymore and that’s what matters. Still cheaper than that $1,200 quote I got from contractors though!
