For a school or athletic facility, one of the costliest installations is the gymnasium flooring. This wood flooring needs to be of the highest quality to stand up to regular use and to create a safe environment for multiple kinds of sports.

Because the gym space often is used for so many activities beyond sports, it’s important to have a gym floor covering on hand. This protection is a smart investment, as it will prevent damage, saving money in potential repairs and maintenance to the basketball floor down the road.

Gym floor covering options are available in a variety of materials, delivering just the level of protection you need at a cost that fits in your budget. Here is a list of some popular choices for the best material to use in a roll of gym flooring.

Tarp. Quite a few customers like to use a roll of tarp as gym floor covering. A tarp material is inexpensive, yet it delivers a decent amount of durability against foot traffic.

Tarps consist of a lightweight material, so laying out the tarp doesn’t take much time. You also can store the tarpaulin easily between uses because of its thin and lightweight design.

With a protective coating layer over the surface, the material will be slip resistant. Some tarps even have fire retardant designs.

However, because tarps are not thick, they’re not made for frequent use. People sliding chairs or other heavy items over the top of the tarp could tear it.

Protective Poly sheeting. When you want to protect your gymnasium floor from potential spills and moisture, a roll of poly sheeting is a good choice.

Poly sheets are waterproof and slip-resistant, so they’re safe to use in areas where water may appear, such as when creating a walkway into the gym for fans. And if it ends up with a little moisture on it when you store it, the poly material is rot- and mildew-resistant.

This product is available in different thicknesses and colors, so you can personalize your selection. You even can order poly sheeting in a custom cut size, ensuring you have plenty of coverage for your needs.

Protective Vinyl Rolls. For a gym floor covering that looks great, while also delivering a high level of protection for the floor, vinyl is a popular pick. It’s easy to install by hand, meaning you don’t need power equipment, but it can be used to speed up the process of storage. You can secure it to the floor using vinyl tape that will not damage the gym floor.

With vinyl, you’ll receive a high level of durability, as it’s thick enough to resist tearing. Vinyl will stand up to folding chairs and tables laid out on the floor.

Vinyl is a nice covering to use for a school dance, graduation, a banquet, or a wedding, because it’s available in multiple colors. Choose a neutral color if you want the color scheme of the decorations to be the star of the show. Or pick a vinyl color that matches the school colors to create a special design.

Protective Carpet Tiles. Use protective carpet tiles to transform any gym for multiple use cases, while protecting the basketball floor. Carpet provides a nice insulation layer if people will be sitting on the floor for the event.

Carpet tiles can take a while to install, but they look great. To speed up installation, pick large size carpet tiles. You can use them as a walkway for fans at the edge of the court too.

A carpet tile made to be used as gym floor covering should have a non-slip backing available. It also should have an anti static design, so it will not cause an uncomfortable shock for those walking on it.

Rubber. While one might think rolls of rubber deliver the highest level of durability in a gym floor covering, they are generally far too heavy for repeat installations and can sometimes react with hardwood floor finishes. (It’s a good idea to use a protective paper layer between the rubber and the wooden floor.)

Some people won’t like the look of rubber for this use case, as it’s usually offered in black only. It can be difficult to slide chairs across the rubber as well.

Gym floor covering buying guide. Finding just the right custom covering can seem a little overwhelming at first. Just think about the non-sports types of events your facility may host, and then select a gym floor covering that can handle the equipment that will be used for the event.

If you’d like to learn more about this type of protective flooring material, just click the links in our buyer’s guide. You’ll find links to usage ideas, product reviews, videos, customer testimonials, and blogs.