Home Gym Flooring Over Carpet: Exercise Mats For Carpet



By Julia Nass Created: July, 2017 - Modified: October, 2022

Home gyms are on the rise, and for a good reason. Instead of paying pricey gym fees and battling gridlock traffic to the gym just to forget your bag at home, it's possible to install home gyms to make it easy to fit your workout around your busy schedule. A big part of that process is home gym flooring. With portable and packable mats, you can roll out or unfold a gym in your living room or bonus room in the time it would take to get into your car.

If you want your home gym on carpet because it's already installed in your workout room, you don't have to worry. Carpet safe home gym flooring comes in a variety of types. The most popular includes folding mats, rolling mats and interlocking tiles. These are great solutions for someone who needs a pop-up, temporary gym that can be rolled out just when the kids are gone. Alternatively, carpet safe gym flooring can easily be installed as a permanent gym.

From high-impact weight training and tumbling, to pilates and yoga, there are flooring options that work for nearly any exercise or sport. The best part? All of the following options can be installed over carpeting you already have in place.

Carpet Safe Interlocking Home Gym Flooring over Carpet

Easy Connecting Exercise Mat for CarpetInterlocking carpet safe gym floor tiles will bring out your inner designer, because it's so easy to mix and match colors to fit any decor needs in your home. They are much more customizable than folding or roll-out mats, but they tend to require a few more minutes of installation. These surfaces are great for weight training, dancing and aerobics. They come in all sorts of finishes, including PVC, polypropylene and vinyl laminate.

These tiles are best installed over hard surfaces, so they might not be the best choice over carpeting that is super thick and cushiony. If the carpet is dense and sturdy, however, tiles will do just fine.

Dance Fitness Flooring over Carpet

Cheer Mat ConstructionCarpet safe gym floor tiles are often chosen as a permanent home gym flooring over carpet solution. These tiles are great for everything from a portable dance floor (vinyl topped tiles) to a base for lightweight home gym equipment (PVC tiles). Choose this type of flooring if you have an odd-shaped room to outfit, or if you need more versatility than a single mat. If you're looking to do high-intensity aerobics or plyometric exercises, consider some carpet safe home gym tiles. Most of these tiles will feature a raised base that will grip your carpeting and prevent them from shifting. These tiles will also hold up to more abuse from shoes, and they will offer more grip and security than a standalone mats.

Easy Connecting Exercise Mat for Carpet

Easy Connecting Exercise Mat for CarpetFolding mats are some of the most portable types of carpet safe home gym flooring. They pack up quickly, and they feature a vinyl surface around a foam core, making them easy to clean or disinfect. These folding mats range in thickness but are typically 4-6 feet wide and 8 feet or longer. The thickness possibilities of folding home gym mats make them great for high-impact sports and activities as each are at least 1.5 inches thick. You want to practice your tumbling or wrestling in the bonus room? Lay down a foldable mat and you're good to go.

Certain folding mats feature hook and loop closures, which adhere to other folding mats and to carpet, keeping them in place for rigorous stunting, gymnastics, or tumbling. If you have a workout buddy or if you're teaching a lesson, just lay down a second mat and connect them in seconds.

Large Exercise Mat for Carpet

Large Exercise Mat for CarpetFoam construction roll out mats are similar to folding mats in portability, durability, and customizability. These 5-6 feet wide mats are constructed without seams in lengths of 10 feet and up, so you won't trip while doing technical moves. They also come in either a carpeted or vinyl surface for things like cheering or wrestling. Roll out mats are just as portable as foldable mats, allowing you to take your home gym anywhere you can carry it.

Multiple mats can be joined together with releasable vinyl tape or hook and loop connect strips, so putting them together is a breeze. Roll out mats won't be quite as thick as vinyl folding mats, so save your high-impact stunting for thicker folding mats.

A note of friendly advice - rubber roll out mats are not always safe for carpeting (unless the carpet is quite dense). These tend to be on the thinner side, some even down to 2mm thick, and carpeting doesn't provide enough of a sturdy base for these mats. That being said, rubber rolls can often be used as an underlayment to other hard flooring to add cushion and shock absorption.



Rest easy about your purchase knowing that there are environmental options with recycled material and many products are made in the USA. Many home gym flooring over carpet products can be cleaned simply with a damp mop or a broom.

Do be aware - if you're looking to install heavy gym equipment in a more permanent home gym, consider non-carpeted areas in your house. The foam tiles and mats that do well on carpeting cannot support heavy objects well over time. The equipment will compress the foam, and it may slide.

Next time you're waiting in traffic to get to the gym, try daydreaming how your next session could be in the comfort of your home. New carpet safe gym floor tiles and mats can help you transform a carpeted room into a cozy gym in a matter of minutes.