Is Rubber Flooring Good for Basements

Rubber flooring can provide one of the eco-friendly, versatile, and long-lasting floors for your home. The rubber material is sturdy, resilient, and strong making it ideal for gym exercises and equipment. In addition, it blends well over other flooring surfaces like concrete, carpets, and others with simple quick installation.

If you’ve been building a home gym in your basement, rubber flooring will be an excellent addition to protect your floors from the wear and tear of weights hitting the floor, as well as protect your feet and knees from jumping on concrete.

Rubber has the ability to cope with water moisture, humidity, mold and mildew stains, and humidity problems in below-grade floors like a basement. This makes it durable, easy to install, moisture and mold resistant, soft and safe, and one of the best floorings for the basement. However, it still has its demerits like discoloration, slippery, car tire smell, and costlier than some flooring materials.

Is Rubber Flooring Good for Basements?

Rubber flooring has its advantages and also disadvantages as a basement flooring. Here are some the features and problems you expect to encounter if you install rubber flooring for basements.

Pros of rubber flooring

Here are 9 advantages of having rubber flooring in your basement.

• Easy to install and maintain

The rubber flooring is available in interlocking tiles a that are DIY friendly. You can install them like a puzzle piece and when you remove them to get rid of water, its easy to re-install.

Rubber flooring is also easy to clean and rarely affected by water moisture and humidity. It also rarely get affected and damaged by pests like wood and laminate flooring. The floor is also portable in case you want to change the areas they are installed.

• Water proof and water resistant

Basement areas are prone to flooding humidity and water from below the floor. The basement-like any below-grade floor is prone to water flooding and humidity. Rubber is resilient enough to overcome ant flood, water moisture, and humidity damage that may arise to other types of flooring.

It’s one of the best floorings to install over concrete basement floor to increase its warmth and provide a cushion when walking on it. However, it’s worth noting that rubber itself may allow water moisture to penetrate through the seams and joints in the sheet and tile rubber flooring.

• Durable and shock absorbent

The rubber flooring is quite durable especially since it’s not damaged by chemicals, pests, and water moisture. The floor is eco-friendly and safe for use in basement gyms, parking, and stores.

Rubber flooring material is also strong enough to endure repeated physical impacts or even the pressure of heavy objects placed above it. In addition, rubber flooring is also a shock absorbent.

• Slip resistant

The rubber floor is slip resistance just like how a car tire increases traction when it comes in contact with water or rain. Rubber flooring basement increases slip resistance when wet. 

• Soundproof

Rubber flooring is also a good sound absorbent. In some basement floor noise reduction due to trending is an important feature. Some rubber provides noise reduction up to 21dB.

• Mold resistant

Rubber flooring itself may not prevent or eliminate mold and mildew but it, not a good host encourages mold growth. While water and humidity may cause mold growth and damp air quality, unlike wood and carpet mold will not thrive in rubber flooring.

• Eco-friendly flooring

Rubbers soft and provides some degree of cushioning to your feet. The rubber material is softer than hard flooring which makes it a great option for basement gym, playrooms, and exercise area. It doesn’t off-gas like vinyl and laminate flooring which make it good for kids and pet friendly.

• Non adhesives floor installation

When installing rubber tiles, you don’t need to apply adhesives during installation. This makes it easy to remove, store, and even re-use it in another area with no need of hiring a contractor.

• Recyclable

Once destroyed or after getting completely discolored, it can be recycled for flooring or other rubber products.

Cons of rubber flooring

Here are a few drawbacks you should be aware of. The disadvantages and problems associated with rubber basement flooring include:

• Poor heat insulator

Rubber is a poor heat insulator, its not a good in retaining heat.

• Expensive

The rubber flooring is more expensive than normal floor coverings with a Price range of between $2 to $150 per sq-ft. However,the maintenance and installation cost may at times offset especially if you are a DIY person like me. To cover youe entire floor may be costlier.

• Heavy flooring

The rubber floor tiles re heavy and relies on its weight and interlocking edges to stay in place. While this may also be advantageous installing and lifting them may be tiresome. The rubber roll is more difficult to install than rubber tiles

• Musty smell

Rubber flooring will emit “car tire smell”  that tends to be strongest after installation and keep reducing with time. While the smell is non toxic, it may causes allergies to asthmatic and sensitive people. Having good ventilation, open windows and doors will help overcome this problem.

• Discoloration stains

Rubber tend to be more resistant to many harsh chemicals, but still prone to discoloration by acids, grease, turpentine and oils especially if being used in basement garage and industrial storage. The rubber flooring is still prone to UV damage and stain discoloration.

• Slippery when wet

Rubber roll flooring gets slippery when wet unlike the rubber tile floor that increases its traction when wet.

• Prone to fire outbreaks

The adhesives that are used during installation are susceptible to fire.

Can you put rubber flooring over concrete?

Concrete flooring is prone to moisture damage and may feel cold on your feet. When choosing what to install over it, get a floor covering which would overcome the above drawbacks. Rubber is a great option to install above the concrete flooring in your basement.

It helps create seamless flooring, provides cushion, and protects the subfloor, as well as provide comfort on your feet as you jumping, lunging, and other exercises. It also provides a great cushion while still protecting your concrete from heavy equipment and weights.

Is Rubber Basement Flooring Waterproof?

Yes, rubber flooring is waterproof and appropriate for basements which tend to be cold and wet all year long. Rubber flooring is quite comfortable to walk in even when in contact with water. In event of flooding and water leakage, rubber flooring without suffering any permanent damage.

Take correct remedial actions to get your rubber dried off. Dry the floor completely with a dry rug and re-install the rubber basement again. In addition, rubber flooring inhibits their survival and growth of mold mildew and rot which may cause health hazards when they grow on your floor.