I had written a previous article on a solution for flooring in a basement. While not all basements are perfectly ready to be claimed as living space due to mold producing humidity or potential water leakage problems which leaves the idea of carpeting out of the question, there are still other options to make use of the space other than for storage. I have an area in my basement that was once used as a bedroom sometime back in the 70’s or 80’s. I would never sleep in a basement, nor was I about to re-carpet the already bare concrete due to the possibility of water leakage. On a side note, I think I have my water leakage issues solved, but one never knows. And who knows what could happen during the summer when you have that overnight downpour that brings 8 inches of water to soil that is already saturated from previous rains. Unless it’s a brand new home that has a basement that is sealed, I am reluctant to put the money out for flooring or carpeting in a below grade area of an older home.
So since the bedroom in my basement was going to go unused, why not turn it into a little workout room? A workout room that looks more like a gym and not just placing exercise equipment on a bare concrete floor. The first thing I did was clean the concrete floor and seal the cracks. I then primed the concrete and then painted it with two coats of grey Behr porch and floor high gloss paint. This definitely made the floor much cleaner and covered any strange smells that might arise from the old dingey concrete.
The solution for flooring? I went with interlocking foam mats for exercise areas. They are waterproof and come right up in the occasion that water happens to make its way into the basement. I had about 200 square feet of floor to cover. The downside is that covering the floor of a room with interlocking mats can cost just as much, if not more than carpeting. I priced all the interlocking mats made by various companies, and on average they were about $2.89 per square foot. That would put me up near $500 or $600 to cover the concrete floor! Not quite worth it in my opinion. Luckily, I happen to find GetRung.com. They offered 5/8 inch interlocking foam mats for exercise areas at less than $1 per square foot. I was able to purchase 216 square feet of fatigue resistant interlocking foam mats for $172 which also includes shipping. The shipping was in the neighborhood of $20. That is what I call a bargain! I went with the common charcoal color because I wanted the room to look like a gym. But they also have a selection of other colors such as blue, red, violet, etc.
After getting the mats installed, they performed just as well as more expensive foam mats that I have used in the past underneath exercise equipment. There have been some complaints of leaving marks on the soft material, but what I purchased seems to hold up just fine with my weight bench sitting on top. I am very pleased with my purchase. So, if you want to turn that old basement area into a workout room, order yourself some interlocking mats from GetRung.com, purchase some mirrors to hang from Home Depot, and swing by Walmart or your local sporting goods store to add some items such as an exercise ball or punching bag. I already had a weight set and smith machine which was the main reason why I wanted to create a workout room. I wanted to put the equipment to use again on those occasions when I decide not to go to the gym. I was able to install the flooring, hang mirrors, and move my equipment all in just a matter of hours spread over two days. One of the easiest, yet most enjoyable projects I’ve done. And I am very pleased thanks to GetRung.com.
