March 9, 2023

Choosing the Right Hardwood Flooring For Your Home Fitness Room

Young woman sitting cross legged on hardwood floor with hands on knees meditating.

Health and fitness have been some of the top focal trends within different industries across the globe since 2020. More people are investing in their health by making drastic lifestyle changes. Renovating their homes by adding fitness rooms or home gyms is one of the ways they’re dealing with it. Similarly, hardwood floors remain at the height of interior design additions. Combining health and fitness with hardwood flooring through home gym renovation could be a complete success or an utter failure. Here’s how you can succeed by choosing the right hardwood for your new room.

1.   Consider The Wood’s Durability

Gyms are different from other rooms or spaces in your home because they’re high-impact zones 24/7. It means it handles the usual heavy foot traffic while experiencing concentrated pressure in different areas within the room because of intense workouts and equipment.

Unlike other parts of your home, home gyms or fitness rooms are where high-intensity activities like skipping, jumping, and running in one spot happen. Due to that, your hardwood flooring should be durable enough to withstand the constant and intense force on concentrated areas. Soft hardwood planks could cause you to replace your floors often.

Consider the durability of your hardwood floorings through their score on the Janka hardness scale test. The higher the score of the hardwood, the more durable and longer it can withstand the impact. Oak, ash, maple, and cherry have high Janka hardness ratings, making them hard-wearing and great options for your home gym.

2.   Find One that Offers Optimal Performance

Hardwood floors affect the athletic performance of people using their fitness rooms or home gyms. In addition, they also offer numerous benefits to your well-being, like lowering your anxiety and stress levels and increasing your comfort. Some studies have also proved hardwood floorings help manage energy consumption and fatigue during workouts.

Interior designers and remodelers focus on optimal performance when making home gyms. They use it as the basis of their entire design and room plan to prevent possible cases of injuries or other flaws that can affect your exercise routine.

Many professional gyms and sports facilities use hardwood floors with high levels of shock resistance. Shock-absorbent hardwood floorings absorb the kinetic energy you release during an exercise and discharge it into another energy form. It makes workouts more comfortable and minimizes the risk of injuries that come from the impact your floor receives. 

3.   Look for Hardwood Flooring That’s Low Maintenance

One of the notable features of hardwood floors is their little to no need for maintenance. Unlike other rooms inside your home, home gyms have the highest volumes of traffic and impact. Because of the highly intensive workouts and high foot traffic, regular upkeep on your flooring is essential to keep them in mint condition.

Like your kitchens, home gyms, and fitness rooms are frequent victims of spills. In addition to spillages from your water bottles and protein shakers, sweat pools are usual sightings in these places. Sweat and spills need to get mopped immediately. If not, the water seeps into the hardwood and causes damage over time.

When buying hardwood flooring for your home gym, look for planks that won’t absorb stains or spills quickly. In addition, coating your floors with water-resistant wood coats can help provide extra layers of protection from moisture, scuffs, and dents.

Pre-finished solid hardwood floors and planks with high Janka scale ratings are your top choices when considering durability and low maintenance. You can also look into hardwood planks that are less porous. They can keep your floorboards from absorbing too much water. It can also reduce the risks of water damage.

4.   Check on Floors’ Look and Feel

Many homeowners often disregard the appearance of the floorings in their home gyms. Contrary to what many believe, the appearance of your hardwood floors is as essential as their durability and longevity. Your hardwood flooring should match the aesthetic or style of your fitness rooms.

Although they’re private gym areas inside your house, you always need to think of how the room’s hardwood floors represent your style and statement. Homeowners should have hardwood floors that appeal to them and makes them more interested in working out.

The look and feel of your hardwood floors are also crucial to ensure you get the most benefits from them. Every color, pattern, and grain your hardwood floorboards have can affect the amount of natural light you can use. Rooms filled with natural light and well-laid hardwood flooring ensure better comfort and results during workouts.

Buying the Best Hardwood Flooring in Austin, Texas

Hardwood floors provide homes with safety, functionality, durability, and timeless elegance. While home gyms and fitness rooms require heavy-duty hardwood floorboards, homeowners

should filter out which planks are best for their needs and want. These considerations can help narrow down your choices and allow you to buy the best hardwood flooring for your wellness space.

Find the best hardwood flooring for your home with an expert from Kelly Hardwood Floors today!