Is there a downside to sheet vinyl on concrete vs LVP?

We eliminated rubber gym flooring in part because of the dog factor but also because we might someday repurpose it or let it double as a TV room and stick a sofa in there. I'll be at the flooring store tomorrow and i'm going to check out the various options.

Our flooring guy said to stay away from LVP for our basement workout room/open area/bar...he recommended a Mannington white oak looking laminate. We've been very happy with it, feels warm also. Edges were glued.

@2rickies the upside to sheet vinyl for me was no seams, one solid piece but that also depends on your room size. It's really personal preference and depends on the look you want. I didn't want wood or a wood look, opted for something that feels a bit retro and modern at the same time. Also, what other flooring are you doing in other parts of the basement? That might make a difference - you want the floor levels to meet without having to use some kind of a threshold between spaces, I would think.

We decided to do this one in our exercise room, but it's not in a basement. It has a weathered look so it won't show if the husband drops a weight on it.

https://www.llflooring.com/p/duravana-7mm-and-pad-tuscan-range-maple-waterproof-hybrid-resilient-flooring-7.56-in.-wide-x-50.63-in.-long-10052737.html?c3api=6090,PMAX,19996824229&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiApOyqBhDlARIsAGfnyMrra-4xDg4lYL8uPenI-NEY9LJtv5WcaIQGi2MLggTaRw1Bmty4KXQaArX3EALw_wcB

Hey! So we are doing a walkout basement and part of it is going to be a gym area/rec space. I have agonized about the flooring. I love cork! Do cork! I think it will make a really sleek & chic gym which is my goal.

• Rubber flooring is best for a gym, especially if you have a weight rack and barbell with plates. However, it is toxic. We are trying to do a low VOC home, so rubber is really not going to work. Our gym space is nearly 600 sq ft so this is a lot of off-gassing.
• I would personally not use plastic flooring like vinyl, quality is garbage and it will chip and crack with heavy use. You also might want to check the VOC details if you are at all concerned about air quality.
• Cork is an amazing natural/sustainable material. It comes in many different colours and types, I settled on this for our basement so we will do the whole recreation area as well as the guest room/office. It feels really nice and soft plus it will add some warmth. I also like that it is non-toxic, and it is versatile so if you end up wanting to change your gym into something like a media room you could get away with that easily.
• Another natural option you could consider is linoleum. It has a bad reputation, I know, but I looked into the Marmoleum product, for instance, and if you get just a light neutral solid colour it looks totally fine. Plus it is actually made of great natural materials so it is really eco-friendly and non-toxic! Not sure how it would hold up but I was considering this.

If you have select areas you want additional support you could put some small rubber mats, I am thinking of doing this just by our weight rack to avoid damaging the cork by dropping heavy weights on it. But it’s something that is not permanent and it’s easy to change. If you get any rubber, make sure you get new virgin rubber NOT recycled, the recycled stuff is super toxic and you do not want it in your home.

Regarding the wood look tiles, I was planning to stay away from those and instead get some kind of print or pattern, kind of like what it sounds like you're talking about @DLM2000-GW. The wood tiles do look convincing, but because the rest of the house is wood and stone floors, and the stairs are oak, I think when you come down the stairs into the exercise room, it will look odd to have an imitation of wood right up next too the exposed oak steps. The adjoining room is the utility/storage area with just a concrete floor and a drain. There's a door in between. The basement is small and there are no other rooms.

@Renee M, that looks very nice! And again I think if it wasn't going to be right next to wood, I'd do something like that.

@izzieo, yes, that is one of the reasons I shied away from rubber, besides that we may want to use the room also for TV watching. I do like cork, but I understand that it has to be resealed every 5-7 years, and when I'm putting 300-lb exercise machines on it, that seems complicated. And it's not great with dog toenails. I also prefer low-VOC products--though I tell you it has been difficult trying to get them! The flooring in the rest of the house will be, and I'm trying to use paint that is, too.

We did rubber gym flooring throughout our gym. Gyms are places to work out, not have pretty floors.

I have LVP in my whole walk out basement and a gym is part of that space the flooring has stood up great for 16 yrs with huge dogs also in and out from a dog run. I have a treadmill lots of fre weights 2 benches and a multi gym and one nice mirrored wall

I am doing everything pretty eco friendly so happy to share info about anything! Though I think you’re further along so maybe not helpful. Aside from flooring and wall paint, all the millwork including trim and cabinetry is a big one! I wanted to avoid MDF but the cabinetry door cores will have MDF as will the interior doors… just make sure it’s certified with no added formaldehyde etc! Painted wood trim, plywood cab boxes. Also make sure the plywood is formaldehyde free! Man people must be sick of me asking these questions, but it is important! And of course with anything glued such as flooring, check the glue they’re using!

I seriously think you should check out linoleum! It sounds gross but give it a chance. Super durable, can last like 40 years, biodegradable natural material made from linseed oil, etc. Get samples of light neutral colours! Or even dark! I am debating doing a dark moody basement. I found this example of one specific for gyms https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-gl/products/linoleum/marmoleum-sport-flooring/beohb6#teaser

We also have LVP in basement walk out and home gym. It’s great. Zero issues. Have had several floods and not needed to replace.

I put in cork floors in an area of my house that has 2 vanity/sinks and 2 walk in closets about 6 years ago. My 50 lb. dog is in there with me several times daily, and his nails have not damaged the cork.

Painted concrete is the first thing that came to my mind.

@Mark Bischak, Architect, I've got the exact same situation - basement workout space, concrete slab. Would the concrete need to have been poured or finished in any special way or is a regular slab suitable for paint?

To be honest I am not sure. Personally I have painted a concrete floor, but it had been in place for several years. I would think any concrete floor could be painted after it had cured at least 28 days. I know there are paints made for concrete floors, so I would refer to those paints and their application instructions.

Interesting thread, and timely since I am looking into home gym flooring too. Glad to learn of the VOC issue with rubber. My wife was pushing rubber but she won’t like that. VOCs are a big concern for her.

Ours will be a combo home gym and laundry room, and I don’t really want the rubber throughout the whole space. I will look at cork - is it flexible? We have a floor drain in the space and the floor is lower around it. Can cork handle heavy appliances (washer/dryer) and exercise equipment (treadmill, rower)? We use dumbbells and kettle bells and do sometimes drop them so we need something durable. And we have a dog, so good to know about the nails.

I also have LVP in our gym and love it. It was placed over concrete and have had no problems in five years.

What about a thin commercial carpet like they use in office buildings? Particularly if you might drop weights on it. Or even a berber carpet?

If you want painted concrete, then an epoxy or polyaspartic coating will be much more durable than paint, though it would still chip if you dropped weights. VOCs can be an issue though, so I would really look into the product used, and they are best when professionally applied by concrete coating companies (not painters who also coat concrete). The floor needs to be diamond grinded before it's coated.

Concrete - a good option but really hard on the body if you like doing body weight stuff and jumping around so you’d still want cushioned mats of some kind. I’d go for something non-rubber like the kid-friendly foam tile mats that connect together. We were maybe going to have the exposed aggregate concrete in our basement, but the grinding process is suuuper expensive. If you’re painting it, I’d think you’d want to grind it a bit to smooth it out first!

Kellie, if VOCs are a concern rubber is absolutely to be avoided. It is by far one of the worst materials I’ve come across… I think it also off gasses slowly so it’s sort of forever toxic rather than at the beginning like other materials where you can just air it out and it’s fine after. Especially recycled content rubber, despite sounding more ‘eco’ friendly. You might already have a lot of rubber on dumbbells and weight plates for a barbell, these will be off gassing as it is so doing the entire floor in rubber is not ideal in my opinion. If you have a well designed HVAC system and ERV/HRV ventilation in your basement, you don’t have to worry quite as much as you will have fresh air diluting the off gassing. Go with a non-toxic flooring and add some small sections of rubber mats if you need to drop weights! One little strip in front of your weight rack might be enough, there are also foam pads.

Cork is a bit soft so it could definitely get indented from any small pointy heavy objects, it has cellular memory though so it generally ‘bounces back’. I am thinking we will put down something like a piece of plywood under any large piece of equipment if the bottom is uneven or has little legs that might stab into the cork. Depends on your preferences, if you pop into a flooring place that sells cork they will know much more than I do though haha. I like something like this, but there are sooo many options depending on the style you’re after: https://www.icorkfloor.com/shop/leather-1-2-inch-12mm-cork-floating-flooring/

Thank you, izzieo. We talked about this more yesterday and did some research and have moved away from cork. Given this is a combo workout space and laundry room, we have a dog and have lots of doggy visitors, we need something waterproof and durable. We will probably go with low-VOC LVP (more and more eco-friendly options are coming out these days) and use mats in the workout space as needed for cushion and additional protection. Good to know the rubber off gasses slowly; that was one of our questions. I will look into foam instead. We also want something thin or with a beveled edge to avoid tripping hazards. (I am not the most graceful creature and carrying laundry baskets back and forth, well...)

I seriously think you should check out Linoleum! I know there is Marmoleum. It is natural and biodegradable and lasts forever! The main problem is the brands with super ugly colours. But in a neutral solid colour it seems pretty basic looking, almost a concrete like look in a light grey.

We are actually looking at that also. We need something flexible because we have a floor drain in the space.