I searched long and hard for a good quality, inexpensive floor mat. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money because it was going in my garage. My garage floor does triple time as a gym, auto shop, and kitty cat kennel, so it takes a lot of abuse. I knew I wanted something that could give me a nice thick padding, could handle cat claws and heavy weights, while at the same time staying within my budget.
First, I bought some really cheap interlocking mats that were pretty much destroyed within a month. Then when I decided that mat needed to be replaced in a hurry, I started researching and pouring through online gym flooring.
Then I came across this Balance From Interlocking Mat (click to see it on Amazon). This floor mat is perfect for a home gym because of it’s thickness, coverage area, slip resistance, water resistance, locking tiles, and flexibility. Also, because it was a Prime product I was able to get it in just a couple of days, and it has held up SO much better than any of the other mats I’ve had.
Why I Love This Floor Mat
Yes, I did have to spend a little more money for this floor mat than I did on the first one I purchased…but not THAT much more. And when you consider how much more this mat offered, the price was more than worth it.
Thickness: First and foremost, this mat is an inch thick! Most inexpensive mats are only a half inch thick. This extra cushion is so much better on your joints when you are doing any kind of high impact workout.
Coverage: Next, the coverage area you get with this mat for the price is amazing. It includes eighteen, 24″x 24″ tiles that neatly lock together to add up to 72 square feet of coverage. Any of the other mats I found that had the same coverage area and thickness were twice the price of this one. I did find a couple that cost slightly less, but they weren’t Prime so the delivery times were 2-3 weeks out and didn’t include free returns. I like to stick with Prime products when ordering from Amazon because of that quick delivery time and risk free purchases and returns.
Slip Resistance: Third, this mat is slip resistant. It has a textured pattern on one side that is designed to create traction and resist slipping. This is key when you are sparring, jumping, doing lateral movements, etc…
Water Resistance: Fourth, it is water resistant making it really easy to clean. Since my gym is in the garage where the cats and teenage boys are constantly making a mess, this is a super important factor for me. It’s also nice to be able to wipe it down once in a while after a few really sweaty workouts.
Locking Tiles: Fifth, being able to lock the tiles together keeps them from sliding away from each other. At one time a had two very large mats that I placed next to each other to make one larger workout area. The problem with this was that they would constantly move and slide apart, creating gaps in between them. These tiles lock together like puzzle pieces so that this doesn’t happen.
Flexibility: Finally, the flexibility in the way the mat tiles can be arranged is awesome. You can get 2 or 3 large mats like I once did (that will cost you more) and lay them end to end to make one large area but, in doing so you won’t be able to arrange it to fit your specific space if your floor space isn’t perfectly square or rectangular.