Home Karate Tiles - Features and Benefits

By Kyle Schurman Created: June, 2017 - Modified: July, 2021

Home karate tiles that will work for martial arts workouts and other kinds of exercise sessions in residential settings are extremely popular for a number of reasons.

  • Extremely easy to install with puzzle edges
  • Foam is firm enough for making quick movements
  • Cushioning against falling while sparring
  • Works for almost any kind of martial arts training
  • Quickly transforms any room for a workout
  • Waterproof

Home karate tiles work well for all kinds of at-home practice sessions or for online or Zoom classes, including those involving MMA, kata, jiu jitsu, karate, judo, and aikido.

Where Would You Use Karate Tiles?

When trying to work out at home, common floorings found in the house rarely are ideal for martial arts.

The most common types of floorings in a house in a living room, bedroom, garage, or basement include carpeting, vinyl, cement, and hardwood floor layouts.

These can be hard on the body for martial arts exercises or other sport workouts. Hard floors can become slick, leading to potential injuries from slips. They also don’t provide much padding for athletes who are breaking down repetitive moves or are doing ground work.

Carpet has a little bit of padding and good traction for shoes. However, when falling to the ground, athletes will likely suffer skin burns from the carpet. Plus, it will generally absorb sweat.

Home karate tiles made from EVA foam are the perfect solution to cover these hard floors, creating a far safer and more comfortable surface for practice time.

When installing these EVA foam mats, they will work best over the top of a firm flooring.

If attempting to install them over a floor with some give to it, such as carpeting, the seams of the interlocking puzzle tiles may sink as people walk on the tiles. This can cause the interlocking edges to offset - and possibly separate - and create a tripping hazard.

If removing the carpet isn’t an option, you may want to consider laying out raised plastic tiles over the carpet before adding EVA foam tiles or mats. This is something that has become popular for installing dance flooring and gym flooring over carpet.

The following plastic tiles are approved to be used over carpet.

Installers will not use glue on the puzzle edges of the foam. By avoiding adhesives, installers can disassemble the tiles whenever needed. The puzzle edges fit together tightly during installation, but they also come apart quickly after the workout session ends.

Some home karate tiles have bright colors, which may work better in a child’s bedroom, in a playroom, or in a basement. These are safe to use around children, as they are lead-free and latex-free.

Others use neutral colors, such as gray, black, and brown. These colors may fit nicely in a living room or a family room, where the homeowner may want to complement the design scheme already existing in the room.

How Big Are Home Karate Tiles?

These foam tiles are available in multiple coverage sizes and thicknesses. Some homeowners prefer a larger sized tile, as they can cover a larger space quickly. Smaller sized tiles are easier for the installer to handle, however.

The highly popular Home Karate Foam Tile model has a coverage size of 2-by-2 feet. Each mat measures 1 inch in thickness, which is a nice level of cushioning for all kinds of athletes.

For a little more thickness, consider the Interlocking Judo Jiu Jitsu Mats. These tiles have 1.25 inches of thickness, as well as a no-skin-burn tatami top surface texture.

These are huge tiles, measuring about 3.3-by-3.3 feet. Even with a slight loss of coverage size because of the jigsaw puzzle edges, each of these tiles has a coverage of 10.8 square feet. In a big basement space, it’s easy to cover the area in a hurry with such large tiles.

Another jumbo mat with a coverage of 3.3-by-3.3 feet is the Pro Karate Mat product. It measures 1 inch in thickness like the home version, but offers a more dense EVA foam for a firmer surface. It also has a smooth leather-like surface to allow for quick movements.

Small EVA foam tiles made for workout spaces at home are available. Because of the lightweight nature of foam, most foam tiles are at least 2-by-2 feet in size to allow for a faster layout process. The foam isn’t heavy, so even big tiles are easy to carry.

Is Karate Tile Sports Flooring Soft?

EVA foam delivers a nice level of cushioning. However, EVA foam is not as soft as some other foams, such as an open cell polyurethane foam.

When doing martial arts workouts at home, athletes don’t want a type of foam that’s too soft. Karatekas that sink into the flooring have a higher risk of stumbling, spraining or dislocating joints.

Greatmats EVA foam is firm enough to help athletes receive a sure footing as they exercise, but it also has just enough cushioning to guard against falls. The cushion also protects the lower body joints from repetitive stress injuries that a hard floor can cause.

These EVA foam tiles are easy to clean. They don’t soak up sweat, which is important for use in an enclosed room in a home, where no one wants extra odors.

When seeking just the right home karate tiles, pricing, build quality, and ease of installation are all important to consider. Contact the Greatmats customer service team to learn about all options available to create a martial arts practice space at home.