Heavy duty rubber flooring in the shop?

cpw

Charles
Corporate Member
Here at work we have a workout room with some mondo tough "rubber" flooring. The flooring has been in place over concrete for 6-7 years at this point, and has heavy Nautilus equipment and even some free weights, and the floor still looks great. No visible wear or damage that I can see. It's just enough cushion to avoid leg fatigue but not so much give that the equipment sinks in.

I have several of the anti-fatigue mats scattered around where I work most, but I would love the have the whole shop like that.

Has anyone done this in their shop? What did you use and how do you like it?

TIA,
Charles
 

Berta

Berta
Corporate Member
I had them. Some of my tools are on mobile bases. That didn’t work out for me. The mats are gone.
 

LastChanceWoodshop

New User
Jason
Charles,

I don't have them all over the shop, but I do have a few rubber stall mats ($39@southern states) under my bench to help planes weather the occasional drop to concrete.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Most of my shop floor is covered with horse stall mats. They are 4 x 6 feet and about 5/8 inch thick, very tough, just enough cushion without feeling like you are walking on sponges.

I have some tendon issues so hard concrete is very painful for me, with these mats i can stand all day without the usual pain.

Sharp things and breakie things don't suffer either.

Only thing I would do different is to glue the edges so sawdust doesn't collect in the spaces between mats.
 
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Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Don't have the whole shop on them, but do have one of the stall mats in the bed of my pick-up. The stall mats come in 3 x 4', and 4 x 6' (also available at Tractor Supply.) They are close to 5/8" thick, and the 4 x 6' sheet weighs in close to 100 lbs each. Prices vary, so best to catch a sale if buying in quantity. They can be cut nicely using a straight edge and a box knife (will take multiple passes with the knife). When they are new, they do give off a strong rubber odor, but it goes away over time.

If doing a whole section of floor, I would think they would work well, even with items on castors, although heavy items might settle into an imprint. The ones I have are ribbed on one side, and "diamond plate" pattern on the other. The diamond plate pattern is a lot easier for sweeping up. The ribbed side is very non-slip (which is why I use it as a cargo mat in my truck). I have noticed that the pattern on them varies some from different sources. Very durable.

Hope this info helps.

Go
 
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Jim M.

Woody
Corporate Member
Most of my shop floor is covered with horse stall mats too, got mine from Tractor Supply. I've said this before in a similar thread, be prepared for the smell, it does go away eventually, but was a bit overwhelming at first. For the first month I'd drag them out into the summer sun to help off-gas.
 

ScottM

Scott
Staff member
Corporate Member
I was given a couple 4x6 stall matts a few years ago. Work great. I cut one down to make two 2 x 6 matts and the other to make three 2 x 4 matts. Placed them where I stood the most. My floor is concrete and these matts stay put. They only slide/move if you force them to move.
 

karlkoch

New User
Karl
I can only echo what several others have already said. I used the stall mats from Tractor Supply and trimmed them to fit around my Robust lathe. It doesn't move. I immediately was able to work longer without feeling it as much in my lower back and legs. I have dropped a couple of things of the lathe bed that I believe would have broken if the mats weren't there over the hard concrete. At first, I tried to clean out all the sawdust between them but soon realized that there was a point where the cracks were filled and no more would accumulate. I used one of the scrap pieces as a tool mat for up to 4 lathe tools with little dividers screwed in between the spaces. Another scrap is on my workbench by the vice...sometimes you just need to pound on stuff. I put them ribs down and diamond side up. My lathe cart etc. rolls around on it just fine.
 

DSWalker

David
Corporate Member
The stall mats aren't cheap and rarely come up on Craigs list for deals. I purchased a bunch of work out type mats from Craigs List ads. The first batch was very dense and maybe 1/2". Even doubling them up my legs still hurt a bit. I then found another set for sale, closer to 3/4" and much more forgiving on the legs. Neither of what I have would withstand any of the equipment, so I just have them lined up around my big workstation. Did almost the whole shop of work & walk space for less than $100.
 

cpw

Charles
Corporate Member
Thanks. That would be great if I was ready to move on it now. I was just thinking about the future. Maybe it will help someone else though.
 

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