What should I consider when selecting my rubber gym flooring?
When selecting the perfect flooring for your gym, it’s essential to pick a material that not only withstands the test of time but also aligns with your environmental and safety values. Among the variety of options in the market – such as PVC, wooden flooring, and many others -, rubber flooring stands out, particularly when we’re talking about virgin vs. recycled rubber. Let’s break down why virgin rubber could be the best choice for your gym:
Virgin Rubber vs Recycled Rubber: What’s the Difference?
Opting for virgin rubber products means investing in durability, minimal environmental toxicity, and a production process that respects the environment, ensuring a cleaner production cycle. Flooring crafted from virgin recycled rubber is treated through a vulcanization process. This treatment guarantees a flooring solution with a tightly bonded polymeric structure, preventing the release of particles into the environment. Such a feature not only enhances its durability and performance but also complies with the latest EU regulation. Here’s why virgin rubber often takes the lead:
Durability: Virgin rubber is incredibly resilient. It is up to 6 times more resistant than recycled tyre rubber and is built to endure the dropping of weights and the constant foot traffic of a bustling gym without showing signs of wear and tear. As previously mentioned, this is achieved thanks to the vulcanization process, which produces a polymeric chain with a highly compact structure. Recycled rubber, however, is typically glued and therefore subject to damage, and can even peel off.
Hygienic & Clean: Easy to maintain, virgin rubber flooring excels as a great hygienic flooring material. It easily repels water and liquids, requiring little effort to keep clean. Plus, its non-porous surface stops sweat, dirt, and bacteria from getting in, making it a breeze to maintain hygiene. This opposed to recycled rubber, where embedded dirt and micro-organism accumulation occurs due to its porous nature.
Sustainable: With use and over time, recycled rubber its more likely to release microplastics that, according to the EU regulation “degrade very slowly and can easily be ingested by living organisms, raises concerns about their general impact on the environment and, potentially, on human health”. In contrast, the molecular structure of virgin rubber remains intact over time and prevents the dispersion of microplastics, making it the better option for both users and the environment.
Read here the Regulation (EU) 2023-2055/ Restriction on microplastics intentionally added to products.
Opting for virgin rubber flooring is not just about making an investment in your gym’s present durability and functionality; it’s about making a responsible choice for the environment and the well-being of your gym members. By selecting virgin rubber, you’re choosing a path that ensures durability, safety, cleanliness, and sustainability.
Choosing for the Future:
Virgin rubber flooring stands as a testament to what modern gyms should aspire to be: spaces that are not only focused on the health and safety of their users but also committed to environmental sustainability. So, when you’re laying the foundation of your fitness sanctuary, consider virgin rubber – it’s a choice that speaks volumes about the values you hold dear.
