My Messy Search for a Decent Sports Floor Supplier

So I got this idea to fix up my garage gym last month. Concrete floor was killing my knees during burpees, right? Thought it’d be easy – just find rubber flooring. Boy was I wrong.

First I tried the big hardware stores downtown. Walked in asking for thick rubber tiles, the kind you put under treadmills. Employees just stared blank like I asked for moon rocks. One guy pointed me to these flimsy foam puzzle pieces meant for kids’ playrooms. Useless.

Next morning I went full Google detective mode. Typed “rubber gym flooring near me” – got flooded with shady companies. Clicked some local websites that looked legit. Prices made my eyes water! $10 per square foot for basic rubber? That’s straight robbery.

Called up three suppliers pretending I was buying for a school project. First one kept pushing recycled tire crumbs that smelled like a burned truck stop. Second dude straight ghosted me after promising samples. Third guy sent me a glossy catalog with prices scratched out in pencil. Sketchy.

Finally found this industrial supplier two towns over. Drove there Wednesday morning, walked into their warehouse smelling like burnt rubber. Owner Eddie pulled out actual samples – thick black rolls, interlocking tiles, even fancy color options. Made me jump on them to test bounce. Told him straight: “Look man, my budget’s tighter than gym leggings.”

Eddie cuts me a deal if I take factory seconds with slight color streaks. Ordered twelve 4x6ft mats. Delivery truck showed up yesterday with ripped packaging and zero installation instructions. Whatever – unrolled them smacking dust everywhere. Trimmed edges with my wife’s fabric scissors (she’ll kill me later).

Now my garage looks like a legit crossfit box. Still smells like a truck tire factory though. Lesson learned? Don’t trust fancy websites. Find a grumpy guy named Eddie who smells like rubber cement.