Best Low VOC Gym Flooring Options

By Greatmats Staff Created: June, 2017 - Modified: September, 2023

When it comes to flooring for your home or commercial gym floor, there are some things to consider.



Rubber Gym Flooring Smell

Low VOC Rubber Gym Mats
If you are considering rubber flooring, you should first determine if you need a low-smell option. For home gyms, we generally recommend a low-odor option. This is because, if you have forced air and decent insulation, that smell can disperse throughout your home and be a nuisance for some time. The determining factor as to whether or not your floor will have that strong ''new tire'' smell is NOT whether or not it is made from recycled rubber content. The binding agent (usually sulfuric or urethane based) will determine the power of the odor. Urethane binding agents will have much lower odor than the varieties using a sulfuric binding agent. Most horse stall mats commonly used to substitute for rubber flooring designed specifically for gym will have a stronger oder due to their sulfuric binders.

At Greatmats, you'll find some of the best commercial quality low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) gym flooring anywhere in the United States. If rubber is your thing, a commercial grade rolled rubber will likely be your best option for low odor. However, if you aren't planning to drop heavy weights, you'll likely have a lot more options to you including high density EVA foam gym tiles and modular plastic tiles - many of which can even be installed over carpeting.

Gym Flooring Tiles

Low VOC Rubber Gym Tiles
If you opt for gym tiles made of rubber or foam, we will typically quote smaller sized tile option (such as our Interlocking 2x2 tiles) for home gyms. This is because, in a smaller area, you will typically find yourself wasting less product when cutting for a wall-to-wall installation if your tiles are smaller.
Low VOC Commercial Gym Tiles
For a larger area, we will usually quote you a larger tile size (Geneva Rubber 3x3 Tiles or 1x1 Meter EVA Foam Tiles). In a larger facility, the larger tiles are nice because they create fewer seams in your floor.

Low VOC Commercial Gym Tiles
Plastic gym flooring tiles are generally 1x1 feet in size and snap together. They can be made of a soft, flexible PVC material or a more rigid polypropylene.