What Is the Best Play Mat for Hardwood Floors?

Hardwood floors are beautiful and great for many settings, but they’re less than ideal when kids will be playing in the space. Play mats can add valuable cushion and shock absorption to help keep kids safe, while also making the floor softer and more inviting.

The best play mat for hardwood floors combines many qualities, including easy installation, shock absorption, and durability. At Greatmats, we have many suitable options to convert your hardwood floor into a kids’ play space.

The Best Play Mat for Hardwood Floors

When choosing a play mat for hardwood floors, consider how you plan to use the space, your budget, and whether you want a flooring product you can remove after each play session or leave in place for longer periods of time. We’ve included some top options to help you get started, whether you’re creating a playroom or want to create a padded floor in a bedroom.

EVA Foam Mats

When you put EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foam mats over the hard floor, you’ll create a cushioned surface that helps people in a few different ways. The cushioned floor helps protect children from hard floors. It also provides comfort when exercising or standing.

These EVA mats also protect children who may be running or rolling around. Placing them over the hard flooring eliminates the chance of encountering a slippery spot on the hardwoods.

The Foam Kids and Gym Mats Premium is an ideal play mat for hardwood floors, and it’s 5/8 inch thick. Whether children will be running and need protection against trips and falls, or whether athletes need some soft cushion for exercise, these mats provide the desired protection at a low price.

This type of foam has a slightly textured pattern on one side and a smooth surface on the underside, allowing you to achieve the desired finish.



The ¾-inch-thick Home Sport and Play Mat offers a little more cushioning. The EVA foam in these mats will not soak up water and resist stains, providing the ideal flooring in areas where kids may spill water and liquids. This mat is also reversible with a scuff-resistant texture on both sides.

Both of these interlocking play mats for hardwood floors have several different color selections. Installers can mix and match colors within the same model of the mat, as the interlocked puzzle edging is consistent from mat to mat, no matter which color is in use.

Playground-Specific Flooring

When creating a playground area for kids, you’ll want to choose a product that delivers maximum absorption, especially if you’ll be installing climbing equipment in the playground. Thick foam mats can provide the desired level of protection from falls, significantly outperforming hardwoods, cement, laminates, or tiles.

With the Indoor Playground Flooring Tiles, installation is easy. These interlocking tiles go directly over the top of the subfloor without the need for adhesive, making this an ideal play mat for hardwood floors.

Each mat measures 1-5/8 inches thick and features high-quality EVA foam, giving it an ASTM fall height rating of 4 feet. ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) rates the ability of the cushioned flooring surface to protect against head injuries after a fall from a certain height.

Additionally, the top of the tile provides a specially designed surface texture that does not cause skin burns when someone falls on it or slides across it with bare skin, making it ideal as a play mat for over hardwood floors.

At 3 by 3 feet in size, each tile covers a large amount of space in very little time. One person can handle the installation quickly.

Temporary Flooring Products

When looking for a temporary cushioned play mat for hardwood floors, consider a roll-out or fold-up mat. These types of mats have PE (polyethylene) foam that delivers excellent cushioning, as PE foam compresses under pressure and bounces back to its original shape.

PE foam is ideal for temporarily transitioning a spare bedroom with hardwoods into a safe play area for a toddler or into a workout room for martial arts.

The fold-out Discount Gym Mats 4x8 Foot product has 32 square feet of coverage area in a 1-3/8 inch thick mat. The manufacturer uses a 15.5-ounce vinyl cover to protect the foam and create the folding configuration.

Each individual panel measures 4x2 feet, so you can fold the mat up for easy storage or unfold it for the full 32 square feet of coverage.



Another useful option over hardwoods is the Roll Out Wrestling MMA Mat, which has dimensions of 5 by 10 feet. The 1.25-inch thick PE foam has a smooth vinyl top layer that protects the foam during workouts in either bare feet or shoes.

When the workout is over, the mat rolls up quickly for easy storage.

Order Play Mats from Greatmats

At Greatmats, we’re proud to offer an excellent selection of play mats for hardwood floors. Contact our customer service team today with any questions or for help with your order. We’re happy to help you determine which product is best for your needs.