Rubber Flooring
Many athletic, commercial and residential buildings utilize rubber flooring for its durability, initial cost and application advantages. Commercial building atriums, athletic facility running tracks, weight room floors, and ice arenas are some of the spaces where rubber flooring is most often utilized. Rubber is a great solution where high traction and prevention of slip, trip and falls is a priority. Rubber flooring has an average initial cost of ownership, a lower than average ongoing cleaning and maintenance cost and a higher than average life cycle cost. Rubber production methods have improved over the years so that today’s products are more aesthetically appealing with the use of color, speckling and patterns.
Not a One Size Fits All Approach
While it may seem easy to buy tiles of rubber, piece them together and make a floor, there are many factors to consider to make it a quality floor. Some things to consider: Do you need to support heavy equipment? Do you need to worry about athletic fatigue and injury? Will you be using it for more agility type activities and require something more slip resistant? These are all questions to think about when deciding on a rubber floor for your facility. Rubber usually comes in either rolls or tiles, depending on type and size of the facility. Rubber flooring typically has better grip, preventing sliding, making it the preferred choice for a running surface. Rubber is a great option for exercise rooms and other spaces that require softer flooring.
Vulcanized Rubber for High Impact
Vulcanized rubber is often used for tracks, weight rooms, and ice arenas. What exactly is vulcanized rubber? Simply put, vulcanization is the process of hardening rubbers. Why is it vulcanized? Vulcanized rubber flooring is used because its a stronger, more durable substance, which makes it an ideal for high impact areas. Natural rubber is very soft and easy to manipulate, which makes it good for impact resistance, but not ideal when you’re trying to take off in a sprint or keep your balance while lifting weights.
Anderson Ladd provides full maintenance and repair for all of our flooring options, including synthetics. Our trained technicians are on hand to assist you in making sure you maintain the lifespan of your investment. There are other types of synthetic floors for different athletic facility purposes.