If you must have something underneath the equipment then an area rug with natural backing is about all that is needed.

Most equipment have rubberized feet (of some sort). The rubber is contraindicated for hardwood. The rubber feet (if they exist) are the only things that will damage the wood. The equipment itself won't damage the hardwood. Dragging the equipment around from one spot to another can cause damage simply because it was dragged. That's the same for anything that is heavy.

The "interlocking" floors you mention would be, at a guess anyway, the RUBBERIZED mats. Yep. Rubber again. And again the RUBBER is the most damaging of all products. So I would stay as far away as possible.

Go ahead and read the description of the items or phone the retailer (or visit the store) to see if the feet are rubberized vs. hard plastic. Once you KNOW the product that will be touching the floor, you can then make arrangements to protect the floor properly.

But the equipment itself will not damage the hardwood. There is little difference between a treadmill and a grand piano. Both are heavy and just sit there.

I sure would not want to workout on a sisal matjust acotton rug will do the trick its not like it is moving anywhere and sure feels better on bare skin.

Sisal or jute is a VERY aggressive material (scratchy). It's like sand paper on a wood floor. It will do MORE damage than "nothing at all". And "rug pads" are often rubberized materials = super damaging to hardwood.

Patricia is on it. A cotton rug is all that is needed. Heck... even tea towels underneath the feet are all that is "needed". It is the separation of the rubber to the wood that is needed. Nothing else.

Haha! I wasn't thinking of working out on a sisal rug! I would put matts over it, but I thank you guys for your advice. I'm actually waiting to hear what the flooring company is going to recommend.

Just reading this thread as we are in the same boat. We're installing engineered wood and have an elliptical and pilates reformer. What has worked for you all in terms of protecting your floors from rubberized exercise mats etc. Do you think caster cups would be a good idea for each of the legs? Thanks so much.

The feet on the machines are made to GRAB the floor underneath....to stop it from sliding around. The cups you are thinking of often have felt on the bottom. That felt reduces friction so you can MOVE furniture easily. Moving the machine is the worst thing you can do.

I would try them out without a rug. See how they feel and sound. If it is too noisy (biggest complaint re: workout machines on hardwood) then fix the problem once you know what's wrong.

Thank you. So try it out with nothing and see what's needed. I can't imagine it would be too noisy since it's not a treadmill. I think I'm most concerned about not scratching, denting or staining the floors.

Scratching comes from movement. Denting comes from DROPPING something. Since the machine will be PLACED on the floor (no one is going to drop it from an upstairs balcony). Staining is something you may have to deal with. You may not.

Yes the feet may have rubber on them...but the small amount is fine. If it does stain a little bit, you can be content in the knowledge that you can always hide it with an area rug AFTER the work out machines are gone.

Trust me when I say this, rugs and mats and rubber stuff can cause WAY more problems to a hardwood floor that 4 rubberized feet (per machine). If you really are worried then remove the hardwood (nope, not kidding) and store it. Then install some cheap cork flooring in there and go for the works you want.

When you are done with your fitness studio, you remove the cork flooring and reinstall the hardwood. There. No harm no foul.

But you don't NEED to do anything but put the machines down and live your life. Wood is AWESOME at being a floor. That's why the world has been doing it for 10,000 years (probably more...but historical records are hard to find on the subject).

Just to piggyback onto this thread, I'm looking to get a walking desk treadmill (max speed 4mph, so no running) that's around 120 lbs being used by me at 140lbs (currently). It has wheels on one end (when tilted), so it MIGHT be moved occasionally or once in a blue moon. I have white oak floors, so denting shouldn't be an issue. Are felt furniture covers (the ones that stick to the bottom) good enough for protection? I hope so, because the mat search is starting to make my head spin.

One thing that wasn't mentioned was that equipment often gives off metal shavings. This doesn't seem good for the wood. I wish the person saying why rubber is so bad had some reasons, since there are a lot of rubber/vinyl products made for this purpose.

I am in the same boat and my head is spinning. We have brand new engineered hardwood and the movers are coming to move our furniture back in. The folks who installed the wood have been vehement about floor protection, but I keep reading that rubber can mark up wood floors.

So I don't know whether to get those foam tiles or rubber mats or just rubber feet under where the treadmill wheels and feet are. Then we have the same problem with the rower.

I am sure I am over thinking this but I am not sure how to stop, Anyone who has actually used something to protect their floors and been happy with the results?

Actually regarding the grand piano comment, if your grand piano is on wood flors you are supposed to use matching wood cups under the rollers to spread the weight out.

As for exercise equipment, we used a combination of large pvc mats and interlocking squares.