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How to Choose Gym Flooring: Complete UK Buyer's Guide 2026

Choosing the right gym flooring is one of the most critical decisions you'll make when setting up or refitting a training space. Get it wrong, and you'll face premature wear, safety issues, and costly replacements. Get it right, and you'll have a durable, safe foundation that enhances your gym's performance and aesthetics for years to come.


Whether you're opening a CrossFit box, boutique PT studio, commercial gym, or home training space, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about gym flooring in the UK—from material types and thickness to fire ratings, installation, and maintenance.


We've equipped hundreds of gyms across the UK, and flooring is consistently one of the areas where we see the biggest difference between successful spaces and problematic ones. Let's make sure you get it right the first time.


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Why Gym Flooring Matters


Before diving into the technical details, it's worth understanding why flooring deserves serious consideration:


Safety: Quality flooring absorbs impact, reduces injury risk, and provides slip resistance during intense training.

Durability: Gyms are high-traffic, high-impact environments. Poor flooring wears out quickly, leading to costly replacements.

Noise reduction: Proper flooring dampens sound from dropped weights, reducing noise complaints (especially important for residential or multi-tenant buildings).

Aesthetics: Your flooring sets the tone for your entire space. Premium flooring elevates the member experience.

Equipment protection: Quality flooring protects both your subfloor and your equipment from damage.

Compliance: Commercial gyms must meet UK fire safety standards (more on this later).



Types of Gym Flooring: What's Available in the UK


1. SBR Rubber Tiles (Styrene-Butadiene Rubber)


What it is: Dense, durable rubber tiles made from recycled and virgin rubber compounds. The most popular choice for commercial and home gyms in the UK.


Best for:

  • CrossFit boxes

  • Functional training areas

  • Heavy lifting zones

  • Home gyms

  • Budget-conscious projects


Pros:

✅ Excellent durability for high-impact training

✅ Superior shock absorption

✅ Cost-effective (typically 20-30% cheaper than EPDM)

✅ Easy to install (interlocking or loose-lay)

✅ Available in various thicknesses (15mm, 20mm, 30mm)

✅ B1 fire rating available


Cons:

❌ Limited colour options (typically black or dark grey)

❌ Textured surface (less smooth than EPDM)

❌ There can be a light rubber smell when new (dissipates within days)

❌ Durability, especially in heavily cleaned areas

❌ Less water resistant (will absorb water over time vs EPDM)


Typical cost: £20-£40 per sqm (depending on thickness)


2. EPDM Rubber Tiles (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer)


What it is: Premium rubber flooring with coloured fleck designs, offering superior aesthetics alongside commercial-grade durability.


Best for:

  • Boutique gyms and PT studios

  • Women's-only gyms

  • Hotel gyms

  • Spaces where aesthetics matter

  • High-end home

  • High-end commercial facilities

  • Gyms with a good budget to do things the best way


Pros:

✅ Premium fleck design (red, blue, green, grey options)

✅ Smooth, refined finish

✅ Excellent durability (equal to or better than SBR)

✅ B1 fire rating

✅ No rubber smell

✅ Connector clips which fit to the underside

✅ Elevates the member experience

✅ Easy to clean (this is one of the biggest perks)


Cons:

❌ Higher cost (20-30% more than SBR)

❌ Many brands only sell these in half-meter tiles (although at Recharge we offer full one sqm tiles)


Typical cost: £40-£80 per sqm (depending on thickness)


3. Rubber Rolls


What it is: Large rolls of rubber flooring (typically 1.25m wide, various lengths).


Best for:

  • Large open spaces

  • Quick installations

  • Warehouses converted to gyms


Pros:

✅ Fewer seams than tiles

✅ Faster installation for large areas

✅ Good for irregular-shaped spaces


Cons:

❌ Requires adhesive (more complex installation)

❌ Difficult to replace damaged sections

❌ Heavy and awkward to handle

❌ Limited thickness options


Typical cost: £25-£40 per sqm




What it is: Bespoke rubber tracks designed specifically for sled pushing/pulling.


Best for:

  • Functional training gyms

  • CrossFit boxes

  • Sports performance facilities

  • Those with a nice looking brand who want to show it off


Pros:

✅ Purpose-built for sled work

✅ Custom branding and colours available

✅ Extremely durable (15mm thickness)

✅ Defined training lanes

✅ They look great to elevate a space


Cons:

❌ Higher cost vs just having flooring

❌ Longer lead times (10-12 weeks for custom)


Typical cost: £40-£60 per sqm (custom projects)


5.) Lifting Platforms


What it is: Reinforced platforms (typically wood core with rubber top) designed for Olympic lifting.


Best for:

  • Olympic weightlifting zones

  • CrossFit boxes

  • Powerlifting gyms


Pros:

✅ Protects subfloor from heavy drops

✅ Provides a stable lifting surface

✅ Reduces noise

✅ Custom branding options


Cons:

❌ Takes up dedicated space

❌ Higher cost

❌ Can require a professional installation (not essential)


Typical cost: £700-£1500 per platform (depending on size and spec)



Features

SBR Rubber Tiles

EPDM Rubber Gym Tiles

Durability

Excellent

Excellent

Shock Absorption

Excellent

Excellent

Asthetics

Black (classic look)

Premium (fleck designs)

Colour Options

Limited

Various colours

Surface Finish

Textured

Smooth

Smell

Very slight (lasting a day)

None

Fire Rating

B1

B1

Cost

£20 - £40 sqm

£30-£80 sqm

Best for

CrossFit, Functional Fitness, Garage Gym, Budget Gyms.

High-end home, Boutique, Commercial, High Traffic.

USP

Value

Easy to clean

Our recommendation:


Choose SBR if:

  • Budget is a primary concern

  • Aesthetics are secondary to performance

  • You're fitting out a large functional training or CrossFit space

  • You're building a home gym


Choose EPDM if:

  • You want to elevate the member experience

  • You're targeting a premium market

  • Aesthetics matter (boutique studios, hotel gyms)

  • You envisage regular cleaning of the gym (these are easy to clean and don't absorb the water like SBR, which will cause degradation over time)

  • You have the budget for a superior finish


Real example: When we fitted out Renew Woman's Fitness (a boutique women's-only gym in a 200-year-old barn), we used EPDM flooring. The premium finish complemented the heritage space and created a welcoming, non-intimidating environment. With it being based on a farm, we knew it was going to be dusty, and the tiles would get mucky. So having a hard-wearing, long-lasting but easy to clean gym tile made the EPDM option a no brainer.


For Bourne Fitness, a 60sqm PT studio in Clapham, budget was important; they wanted to be able to purchase good quality kit, but knew the flooring was important, they went for SBR as a price-effective solution that protected their floor and their kit, without breaking the bank.


Ultimately, you've got two great gym flooring options; it's just down to your personal scenario: budget, space, audience, and requirements.



Need Expert Advice on Your Gym Project?

At Recharge Fitness, we've helped hundreds of gym owners, personal trainers, and fitness entrepreneurs across the UK create spaces that perform as well as they look.

Whether you're planning a 60sqm PT studio or a 500sqm commercial gym, we'll provide honest, tailored advice to help you make the right equipment and flooring choices for your space and budget.


Get in touch:


📞 0330 043 4554


Opening hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM


Book in to see us at our Bristol gym showroom: https://www.rechargefitness.co.uk/contact-us

 
 
 

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