workout room flooring

[janeybz]

Hello everyone! I have been doing Cathe workouts for over 20 years and of course, I love them! I have been working out in my bedroom on carpet all this time. now that my kiddos have (mostly) moved out of the house, I want to make one of their bedrooms my workout room. I figure if I put a Murphy bed in there, my son can still comr and sleep there when he visits. Here is my question. My husband and I really want to get rid of all the yucky wall to wall carpet in our house - it's 20 years old as well! We live near San Antonio and it seems like most people have a combination of ceramic tile or some kind of laminate - or hard wood which would be nice, but I don't think I can afford it. I need some advice. What kind of flooring would you use for a guest room/workout room. I'm afraid the ceramic tile will be too hard on my knees and other joints. I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you!

Janey B

 

[lisa_la_machina]

I personally would select a smooth tile or laminate surface in your budget instead of carpet. You can purchase puzzle mats or a gorilla mat to place over the surface and provide more cushion for your joints.

 

[Debinmi]

We have better quality puzzle mats in our workout room - your knees will thank you. I don't recommend the cheaper puzzle mats you get at home improvement stores - we had those first & there's a definite difference in quality. Puzzle mats can easily be stacked out of the way should your son come for an extended stay or even moved to a another room. Ours are over 20 years old - they have worn well except for one tile-mat where our newest cat started scratching - my other cats never bothered them. We purchased thru Great Mats but there are other vendors.

As far as the underlayment - if you're re-doing your entire house, we went with laminate in most areas and some type of tile in the main bathrooms on the main level Hardwood can be beautiful, but there's maintenance to keep it looking lovely over the years - that's why so many people end up covering them up with wall-to-wall carpet. Our laminate has held up well and it's considerably less expensive than hardwood. We debated about the kitchen and laundry rooms - we went with laminate with some trepidation, but the laminate has held up well & it's been 12 years+. We have vinyl in the lower level - it also has held up fairly well - you have to careful when moving heavy furniture as the vinyl sometimes sticks & then can tear. So I'd probably go with laminate there if we were re-doing it. Ceramic or porcelain tile are also beautiful, but it is harder on your joints - it works very well in our bathrooms, but I personally wouldn't use it in larger areas.