Step two is the floor!  I have been looking into different floor options for weeks, as there are hundreds of options.  The area is a 10×10 area, so I had decided tiles were the way to go (as opposed to rubber rolls, which are often much larger).  The decision then was between foam tiles and rubber tiles.  Without doing a full review on the different options, there were some key considerations that helped me decide.

• Available in tiles: Both
• Look: equal, personal preference — foam had more colors available if desired
• Price: Foam is astronomically cheaper, but…
• Longevity: Rubber and it’s not even close
• Can handle weights: Rubber is typically better, but foam usually offers enough cushioning
• Weight: Rubber tiles weigh around 6 pounds each (depending on thickness) which means that…
• Installation: Foam tiles are easier to install, given their weight and flexibility

Given all of these factors, I decided to make the investment for rubber tiles that we could move to our next house as well.  I found some on Costco’s website that weren’t cheap, but I trusted would be reliable for years to come.  There were also three flooring websites that were cheaper, had free shipping, etc.  However, I did a deep dive into their reliability, given that the purchase itself would be quite expensive, and the websites all received SCATHING reviews about scams such as being charged for shipping afterwards, terrible customer service (e.g., damaged products arrived and never receiving compensation or being able to return the product), and shipping times longer than advertised.  (Given that I didn’t actually purchase from them, I don’t want to slander their name here, but feel free to comment if you want to know for your own research.)  All that to say, I wanted to purchase from a trusted brick and mortar, so I headed to Costco.

When we got to Costco, of course they were out of rubber tiles (or they only sold them online and I just didn’t notice that), and in the spirit of “Already being there and committed to purchasing flooring that evening,” I settled for foam tiles.  So much for all my in depth research!

These are the tiles I bought:

So far, however, the tiles are great.  They fit together very well, even between packages (save for one wonky tile that I put on the edge), and they were SO easy to install — I did it myself  in less than 20 minutes.

In hindsight, these were the right decision financially for now.  I bought 27 tiles (three packs of 9 tiles) for $36.  The same amount of rubber tiles would have been, from Costco, $480.  They are definitely not “long lasting,” but honestly, I could replace the entire flooring 13 times over before breaking even.

Looking good so far!

And they fit together very well!

Home Gym Progress

• Cost of paint: $6
• Floor mats: $36
• Total against budget: $42
• Budget Remaining: $958

 

Read the rest of the story below:

Post 1 – Painting the walls

Post 3 – CycleOps and Entertainment

Post 4 – Equipment Part 1

Post 5 – Equipment Part 2