So I finally decided to tackle my garage gym setup and realized rubber flooring wasn’t gonna be as simple as I thought. Started measuring my space first – 20 feet by 10 feet equals 200 square feet total. Grabbed my phone to search prices and immediately got overwhelmed.
The Price Shock Phase
First checked big-box home improvement stores online. Saw rolls advertised at $2.50 per sq ft and got excited… until I noticed shipping costs bigger than the roll itself. Then local fitness suppliers quoted $4-$5 per sq ft for 1/2 inch thickness. My calculator almost died when I multiplied that by 200 square feet.
The Scrapyard Adventure
Drove to this industrial surplus place folks recommended. Guy shows me recycled rubber tiles with forklight marks for $1.25 per sq ft. Bargained him down to $1.10 after pointing out oil stains. Loaded 47 tiles in my truck bed – smelled like burnt tires the whole ride home.
Installation Nightmares
Thought I’d slap these down in an afternoon. Reality check:
- Irregular edges: Had to trim every third tile with my jigsaw
- Subfloor prep: Concrete cleaning took three rounds with degreaser
- Adhesive issues: That “easy-peel backing” lied through its teeth
Final Cost Breakdown
Ended up with 210 sq ft after waste from cutting:
- Material: $231 (47 tiles × $1.10 discount)
- Adhesive: $27
- Degreaser: $14
- Jigsaw blades: $11
Total came to $283 / 200 sq ft = $1.42 per sq ft. Still smells faintly of tires, but my weights ain’t cracking concrete anymore.
Moral? Cheapest square foot price ain’t the real price. Always budget for truck gas, blades, and a ton of patience.
