If you don't care about context and just want the highlights, skip to 10:17 and check the description for links to some helpful things. Also if you appreciate me being able to talk about mats for 10 minutes straight in one take, please drop me a like for the video. I may look a bit tired here as I filmed this after the kids went to bed and I wasn't wearing my contacts or glasses, so I couldn't see shit, which also means I'm not reading off a prompter or notes lol.
PRO TIP: bring ratchet straps to TSC with you and roll the mats up and strap into a roll, so much easier to move by yourself then wrestling with a 4x6 sheet
Put six of these in my basement a month ago and they are awesome. Since I’m not deadlifting more than a couple hundred pounds, I stuck with just a single layer and it seems be be just fine. I am using steel plates. And, yes, after 30 days, my wife still complains about the smell. I kinda like it. Reminds me of driving bumper cars as a kid.
Great video..I use these mats myself. Mine have a smooth side and a side textured like diamond plate. I agree with staggering them if you're using more than a couple. At least with mine, the accuracy in the size isn't great so they likely won't be a perfect 4x6. And when cutting, I found using a 3" piece of PVC pipe to lay the cut line over helped tremendously. I started with a couple of easy cuts without much pressure to get a groove started. Then I was able to push hard with the blade without worrying about drifting. With the mat on the PVC, it naturally wants to split for you.
Great way to clean your mats once and it worked for me. Lay the outside in direct sunlight. Spray them down. (I used my pressure washer and it worked great). I used regular dish soap and a door cleaning scrub brush and put in about 10min of good old fashion elbow grease and scrubbed. After I was done with all 4 mats I used me pressure washer again to rinse of the soap. I repeated the same process on the other side. I let all the mats dry in the sun. When they were dry the smell was gone and they got all of the grim from the store and manufacture. Took about half a day and a sunny day. Hope it helps.
I bought 4 last year and the stink was overpowering for a basement gym. I sat them in the sun on some 4x4s and scrubbed both sides several time with SG and let them air out a few days. That helped a ton, but they were still rough for a few weeks, so I opened a box of baking soda.
@@yohanniltis5262 not at all. After airing in the sun, simple green scrubs and a box of baking soda, all is well. I would say you need up to about 3 weeks or a month. I am pretty sensitive to smells and the home gym is also my home office. So I was sitting there for up to 12 hours a day.
@@andrewtate5652 I hope to god you’re right. I bought 8 of these things and it’s been four days of scrubbing simple green and power washing, the smell isn’t budging.
Dude thank you so much for this video. We are getting ready to move and I'll have to be moving around 13 mats, that gripper is going to be a back saver.
I found using a couple of vice grips to be the ideal solution for moving the mats. Already had them, so no money spent on a single use product and they worked well.
Horse stall mats are amazing and much cheaper/effective than some of the rubbish flooring you can buy off of Amazon or weightlifting equipment websites. Unlike what I read sometimes they're easy to cut if you know how to do it right. The only thing is that the 4x6 ones are *really* hard to transport and feel much heavier than they weight because of how awkward they are too lift, so make sure to grab at least another person when you go pick them up, because the store workers won't help you (they know better lol)
Fold the mats in half like a taco and carry them in front of you. I have 1" thick 4'x6' mats in my horses' stalls and I move them every couple of months this way by myself. They're easy loading into a truck bed this way, too.
You literary made up my mind of which to buy... the 3/4” matts are cheaper and thicker, if you do your math!..answered all my doubts and questions I had!!👍🏼👍🏼
Great video, thanks! And some great tips in the comments. I have scrubbed mine down with OdoBan once already, a 30 minute soaking session per side. Two days later, the odor has returned so I kicked them back out into the garage. Not much opportunity for airing them out in the sun in the middle of winter. Might have to cut my losses and buy interlocking flooring instead.
I bought 16 of these mats at tractor supply. Under $50 each (no sale). My wife and I did all the lugging. 2 people to move a mat is much easier. One is doable but can be tough. It's not so much the weight but the fact that they are flat and awkward. And your fingers begin to hurt when you grip and drag. I recommend wearing gloves. We also had that strong smell at the beginning but they've been sitting in my garage for a couple weeks and the smell is gone. You say to stagger the mats but in your video when you show them under your rack they are not staggered. Gorilla tape might work but gaff tape I think is nicer if you want to tape the seams, you can get it on Amazon. When you are deciding how to arrange you really want to arrange the mats so you're doing the least amount of cuts. I recommend making a to scale drawing and then also many to scale cut out of the 4 x 6 mats. That way you can arrange it on paper to figure out what's best. Much easier than actually arranging and then rearranging the 100lb mats. I haven't tried cutting any of them yet but that's my next step.
I know this is an older vid but I have a great suggestion on moving the mats from truck to gym. I rolled mine up and used 2 tie down straps from my bikes to keep ‘em rolled up. That way I can “easily” throw it over my shoulder and carry it in. Get it about where you want it then pop the cam release buckle and let it unroll. Easy peazy!
Just bought 3 of these mats. Rinsed and dried outside first to ensure no residue. Social distancing precluded help from a friend. So I rolled them up, bear-hugged them, and walked each from the garage down to the basement. That was a workout. Have mine on carpet. Very stable, no movement. The smell of rubber is subsiding - but will probably need to open the windows once it warms to air the basement out a bit.
For cutting the stall mat, if you can, get some sort of tube(I used my foam roller), then draw the line of where you’ll be cutting. Once you’ve done that, place the mat on the tube. Make sure the line is exactly on the middle of the tube. Will make cutting SO SO SO easy. What happens is that as you start making your cut, the weight of the mat starts pulling at the seams and will just tear with ease. I bought a pack of blades thinking I’d go through them like crazy. I did all the cutting I needed to do with 1 blade.
Just a suggestion with all the home gyms getting purchased! You’ve experienced and tried a lot of different equipment, especially ones in the home gym space. Most people obvs will start with the basics rack, barbell, plates etc. I think a cool video idea would be equipment (based on your experience of usefulness, variety in terms of output of movements or simply frequency of most used etc.) you would recommend purchasing next!
I used dish soap (slightly diluted) and a sharp razor knife to cut these. Blade slides through much easier. The drywall square works great for accurate cuts too. Thanks for a great video Brandon.
Hey, Brandon! I ended up getting the horse stall mats from the TSC last week - thanks to your gym flooring video from 2 years ago! I noticed that ~70% of the smell went away in a few days. Also, I'm glad those raised bumps have some use - my hands felt like they were sunburnt after cutting though these bumpy suckers with a utility 🔪!
I ended up going with the 4' x 3', 1/2" stall mats since the ones suggested in this video are hard to find and sold out. Cost a little bit more (two 4' x 3' squares are about $3-$4 more than the one 4' x 6'), but may be easier to move around since they're smaller squares and 1/4" thinner. Hope these will be good enough.
When I got my mats, the smell was pretty bad, and they are going in the basement, so I left them outside for about a month, then cleaned them with simple green and a scrubber, letting them dry off in the sun. The time outside and an aggressive cleaning really helped to minimize the smell when I finally dragged them to the basement.
I used a furniture mover on one end and steered with the other end to get them into place in my garage - why battle the weight if you don't have to? Mine were 4x8 x0.75" thick and a pain to move around. As far as the cleaning goes - if you have a roomba/robot vacuum just let roam around and vacuum up all the dust lol. The smell of the mats is outgassing of material. You can accelerate that by leaving them in the sun. The slight UV degradation will help accelerate the process and hopefully they smell a little less. Thanks for the video!
Just picked some up yesterday. Got 3 of them folded up in my station wagon by myself. Pain in the ass. From store to store and depending on the area they have different kinds of stall mats. Mine were textured one side facing down and almost like diamond patterned on the top, which almost feels smooth. Today after not opening the windows to my home gym, the odor gave me a headache. Airing out the gym as of right now, cleaning the mats on the hour. Hopefully most or the odor goes away, off gassing is crazy on these mats.
I deadlifted on a single layer of stall mats for several years with no problems. I did build a deadlift platform recently, mostly because it looks cool! Lol
Any sort of multipurpose cleaner or believe it or not, degreaser works well. I laid mine out on the driveway and hosed them down, then used a long reach scrub brush to clean them off. I scrubbed them twice on each side and let them dry out in the FL sun. The smell decreased by about 80%. There seems to be some oily residue on the mats when you first get em which can also make them a little slick (hence the degreaser).
I just went to the tractor supply store with my parents today to get these mats for my dad's home gym. The smell was horribly intense! We had to roll down all the windows and it is summer time in Texas! Thanks for the advice about how to minimize the smell.
I like to use a carpet knife to cut stall mats. It seems to track a little better than a utility knife, especially when the cut gets more than half way through.
Good for me that the smell won't be such a problem, because the only space for my deadlifting "platform" will be outside, lol. I suppose if I have the tractor mats outside, I should cover them with a tarp, yeah?
ca if you can drive there thats great but beware of the insane shipping fees if you can’t i got mine free pick up home hardware 2 3/4 3x4’ mats 40$ each
I'd like to add that I bought a household hard floor cleaner/scrubber on Craigslist (Hoover floormate), and once a week I'm able to scrub the mats with some dilute bleach. I find it does make the smell go away faster and makes me feel less weird about lying down on the mats. These floor cleaners scrub but also vacuum so I don't worry about moisture collecting.
Thanks for the video! I'm outfitting a home gym in a small basement room and my wife is SUPER sensitive to VOCs. She'll be using the gym too, and it's also next door to our daughter's playroom. Do you know of any low-odor options that still have the durability of the rubber mats you referenced?
Thanks Brandon. Was second guessing on which size to get from Tractor Supply, which were $50 for one stall mat her in Illinois. Yes, they are heavy, so I rolled it and used a strap or tie down to make it easier to move and carry.
I just got 3 mats last week. None of my local stores had any so I ended up at a store about an hour away. Hadn't realized how much the weighed until the guy loading them into my SUV told me. I actually managed to manhandle those things from my SUV in my garage through the entryway and into my ground floor basement by myself. Not bad for a 5'5" woman where the mats are about 2/3 of what I weigh (I was kind of impressed with myself). Guess all the weight training I've been doing has been paying off. Now I just have to wait for my power rack to arrive.
Great review, nothing beats Tractor Supply for gym flooring. I ended up committing to the 1/2" mats years back, (unable to transport the larger 3/4" mats with my vehicle or load by myself.) That said, I find if one doesn't drop any weights on the mats, 1/2" mats offer adequate protection. In fact, my commercial gym only has 1/2" floor matting as well. Of course, Deadlifting would still require a 1.5" Deadlift Platform. As for all my other items, I think 1/2" mats are sufficient, easy to transport, and don't require pickup (or similar size vehicle) to transport. Plus, don't need another person to load/unload with the smaller 1/2." I would say however, at regular price, you get more value per Sq. Ft. with the larger 3/4" mats.
Great advice. All spot on and I have used them for years. And yes moving them will wreck you. I've moved six of them three times thus far. Count it as two whole body days! Smell goes away after time, mine did.
Smell Removal: - sun the mats - the heat speeds up the process significantly (hours to a week depending on what kind you have) - wash them before sunning /w a PH Neutral cleaner (wont harm the rubber) - scrub with a hard brush/broom Most of the smell will be gone within the week
I fit 3 of these mats in my Subaru, the associate at TSC looked at me and said "WTF is that where you're gonna load them?!" The smell goes away after a while. If you use water along the area where you're cutting them it should keep the smell down while you make cuts. I found that cutting them made the smell even worse. But, I got used to it after a while and now it's faded and not noticeable at all (a few months into horse stall mat ownership).
Appreciate this info! We just got a Tractor Supply store in my town and I've been looking at these exact mats. They're $52.99 now (inflation, I'm sure) but I might just start out with one or two and see how I like them.
Snagged one of these a couple of weeks ago. Only thing I've noticed that wasn't already mentioned was how grippy they are on your shoes - you might want to build the deadlift platform instead of using the bare mat if you do a lot of foot-wiggling prior to a lift.
@@BasementBrandon I find the rubber grip changes as the weather does. Very grippy when hot and hardly noticeable when cold. As for wood I like birch because it's grippier than maple. Sometimes maple is too slick. I'm sure the sanded finish dictates that too.
rogue has a nice option for the 4x6 3/4 inch mats, it has a light texture on the top side which is much grippier, i find my feet slip benching on the regular stall mats. Only down side is the texture makes them a little harder to clean since dirt tends to cake in the crevaces.
@@BasementBrandon ayy true. I purchased the 50 pack with shipping and tax came out to about 3000 or 60 a mat. Not terrible and they are def superior quality compared to the stall mats, biggest issue is getting em clean.
Have you posted a video of a full "garage gym tour" ? If not, would love to see something of that sort. My wife and I are working through designing our ideal garage gym and your videos have been super helpful!
Brandon Campbell Diamond found it, it was great! One of the things I’m thinking through is if we should opt-in for the half rack monster feet, or just go the plate storage route like you originally intended on doing so. Like many, we also don’t want to bolt our wrack to the floor/a platform, but are looking for the stability for heavier lifts. Also going back and forth between the RM3 Fortis and the RM3!
Just picked up some mats at the NK Tractor Supply. Bunch of different styles, asked them to move a few pallets to get to the smooth/button style. Now to carry 11 through my house and downstairs 🙄😭
Some do steel plates on that and are fine. I'd just keep my eye under the mats after a few sessions to see if it's doing anything and if so, add some more layers.
I bought a horse stall mat from tractor supply a couple months ago to build a deadlift platform. It works great, I love it. But then I started researching about the smell and read that the mats might release toxic fumes. Do you know anything about that? I don’t want to commit to full garage flooring if it’s gonna kill me slowly.
Spot on. So far so good with a single layer for me, but I have bumper plates (hey, I didn't watch your video until after I bought them) which may mitigate problems
Great content as always and big congrats on the 200,000 !!! Difficult to get stall mats in the UK but have managed to get two 1m by 1m mats that are 20mm thick for deadlifting in my garage until the gym opens back up - a little short of the recommended 2.4m for a deadlift platform but I've got skinny plates and I'm not filling the bar so should be fine. When everything opens back up again I plan on getting some plywood and making a platform.
@@BasementBrandon Just on Amazon in the end. It was the only place I could find that was still delivering. They were £34 each for a 1m by 1m (20mm thick) tile - search for "POWERGYM Rubber Flooring Tiles"
If yall on carpet i recommend using 3/4 plywood then putting mat on top. I built a deadliftk platofrm of 2 3/4 plywood and then horse stall on top and it was real hard and stable recommened on carpet
If you don't have a truck when you pick these up, bring a roll of Duck Tape. Roll them up (as much as possible) and wrap some tape around. Makes them much easier to transport - especially from the car to the basement.
i cleaned my mats with a soap, vinegar, salt mixture ... i sprayed it on each mat and used a scrub brush ... after scrubbing i let it almost dry than i wiped off each mat with a damp towel after a few cleanings the odor was gone ...
Wow... nice video brother... you just clear my mind , after this Covid-19 I decided to do my own mini gym at home, ans prices are crazy expensive sometimes expensive and just a sponge real bad quality but this one is good and amazing price I just called my tractor supply and they have it in stock I am going to have 3 or 4 4x6 mats today thanks buddy
I know you mentioned the smell but these mats are not ideal for indoor spaces (like guest rooms, etc.) even after airing them out for a while. It would be nice to know if there are alternatives out there that have minimal or no smell even if they cost more than the TSC ones.
I just purchased three of these for my garage gym so i don't have an answer for you regarding alternatives. As far as smell this is what I did: Lay them out in the front driveway for two or three weeks Flip them over every couple of days so they get sun and rain Every couple of days, sprayed them down with water and detergent (Tide) and scrub with an industrial brush (MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN BOTH SIDES of the MAT!)
Here's a tip guys-Use mending plates under your mats to keep them together, look up Allan Thralls gym flooring hack video to see what I mean. (I know you saw it already Brandon but for those that may not have I wanted to share it here) Also some people suggest putting concrete screws with a washer to squeeze it down around the perimeter, I would suggest doing that during the summer though so they don't buckle when they expand from the heat
My wife and I just moved three of those things up stairs to an upstairs bedroom. Be careful scraping against a wall. Easily leaves black marks. We have to do a touch up paint now. Otherwise, they are great for their intended purpose.
If you lower a deadlift with control or perform a controlled drop (never dropping from the top) can you getaway with just 1 layer of stall mat or is a platform the way to go as to not damage concrete in the garage?
awesome video man. very informative. Just wondering in regards to the problem that these mats can move... what do you think about laying down a piece of thin stiff/dense carpet underneath to combat that problem? I know the high quality plush carpet would definitely make everything feel really squishy, but what about those cheap thin ones you generally see on the stage in theaters? If adding wood in between is not an option, would you rather just ditch the carpet and deal with having to adjust the mat placement? lol Thanks a lot!
I'd prob just go an easier route of the tape like i show, or get some mending plates, which are small metal plates with teeth that can be placed under the seems.
Brandon, moving into a new home in 2 weeks and I will finally get a dedicated space for a garage gym. It is built on a slab. Do you think I need to make an additional deadlift platform to put on top of the horse stall mats that you recommend to protect the slab and soften the noise so I don’t wake up the kids at 5am when I am training? I was hoping to keep that open area next to the PR-4000 rep fitness rack more level to do kettlebell and other exercises. Any recommendations on a good bar that I can do bench, deadlifts, overhead press along with hang and power cleans? I know you don’t do cleans but I am kind of on a budget and can’t talk my wife into getting more then one barbell to start. Later on I would like to get an actual deadlift bar. I was going to get either the rogue 2.0 bar or rep fitness gladiator bearing bar. Appreciate the feedback and what you do. Love the videos and I miss living in Rhode Island...did my anesthesia training at RHI in Providence several years ago
I mean it's going to be loud if you're lifting heavy regardless. If you look at the comments there are a lot of people who just use a single stall mat and say it's fine, but I just prefer to go an extra layer.
Brandon Campbell Diamond ....thanks brother on the rep fitness site that just re-opened. It’s like the hunger games trying to get stuff before they sell out
Are there any alternatives to the stall mats? They give my wife horrible migraines because of the smell. I tried cleaning and letting them sit but the odor is still strong. There was also some sticker warning of cancer and reproductive harm caused from the rubber so that sketches her out. Any reccomendations for other gym flooring solutions would be awesome thanks man. Love your channel!
I was looking at those Amazon interlocking mats and realized they were made with EVA foam. Came to YT to see if you had a video on flooring and, viola. lol. Thanks!
You can buy actual mats this size made for the gym which are advertised as low/no odor. You can also buy squares or rolled flooring but the cost is substantially higher.
We've had stall mats for a few years but my problem with them is they start to crumble. I sweep up a pile every day and it never feels clean and tracks all over the basement. We are looking for a smoother more durable finish mat, but the one my husband picked out is $2000 for a 10x14 foot area. Sob, still searching for the best option.
Do the ones with dimples on one side feel softer? I got the flat on both sides mats before watching this since I thought the bumps would make it less stable.
Hey Brandon, I just picked up two of these mats from my local TSC and the smell was awful just like you said. However since we got them out of the car and in the garage, my car smells awful. I vacuumed any rubber pellets and got like 4 car air fresheners, but it still smells awful. Any suggestions?
For deadlifting, do you think having 2 sheets of plywood underneath stall mats would provide significantly more protection for your floors vs 1 sheet. In your platform videos, you use 1 layer of plywood underneath. Any reason why you don’t use 2?
I think it's "better" but I also think there is a point of diminishing return. Never had an issue with a single layer of plywood and a single layer of matting.
![How To Cut Stall Mats [deadlift platforms, flooring, horses?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yPO6-uEbK_c/mqdefault.jpg)
No annoying music, no corny intro, straight to the point. Thanks mate
🤘
If you don't care about context and just want the highlights, skip to 10:17 and check the description for links to some helpful things. Also if you appreciate me being able to talk about mats for 10 minutes straight in one take, please drop me a like for the video. I may look a bit tired here as I filmed this after the kids went to bed and I wasn't wearing my contacts or glasses, so I couldn't see shit, which also means I'm not reading off a prompter or notes lol.
Yeah Brandon, I thought Wuhan got you and you were turning into a zombie.
PRO TIP: bring ratchet straps to TSC with you and roll the mats up and strap into a roll, so much easier to move by yourself then wrestling with a 4x6 sheet
my man, that's clutch
And if dont have many ratchet straps can use twine as well
I had to just roll 3 of them up and somehow fit them 3 in the back of a corolla 🥴
@@joebigjoe I would have loved to see that.
joe richer Hah. Try 4 in a Mazda3!
Put six of these in my basement a month ago and they are awesome. Since I’m not deadlifting more than a couple hundred pounds, I stuck with just a single layer and it seems be be just fine. I am using steel plates. And, yes, after 30 days, my wife still complains about the smell. I kinda like it. Reminds me of driving bumper cars as a kid.
If they smell bad, leave them out in the sun for a couple days.
Good to know!
Great video..I use these mats myself. Mine have a smooth side and a side textured like diamond plate. I agree with staggering them if you're using more than a couple. At least with mine, the accuracy in the size isn't great so they likely won't be a perfect 4x6. And when cutting, I found using a 3" piece of PVC pipe to lay the cut line over helped tremendously. I started with a couple of easy cuts without much pressure to get a groove started. Then I was able to push hard with the blade without worrying about drifting. With the mat on the PVC, it naturally wants to split for you.
Good tip about layin pipe!
If you load them in a car, place towels or something where they make contact. They will leave black marks where they make contact
Good call
Your channel is needed more than ever.
Thanks Aj
this is the truth bro!
Great way to clean your mats once and it worked for me.
Lay the outside in direct sunlight.
Spray them down. (I used my pressure washer and it worked great).
I used regular dish soap and a door cleaning scrub brush and put in about 10min of good old fashion elbow grease and scrubbed.
After I was done with all 4 mats I used me pressure washer again to rinse of the soap.
I repeated the same process on the other side.
I let all the mats dry in the sun.
When they were dry the smell was gone and they got all of the grim from the store and manufacture.
Took about half a day and a sunny day.
Hope it helps.
Good tips!
The smell was absolutely insane driving home. Thanks for the simple green idea 💡
Hope it works!
I bought 4 last year and the stink was overpowering for a basement gym. I sat them in the sun on some 4x4s and scrubbed both sides several time with SG and let them air out a few days. That helped a ton, but they were still rough for a few weeks, so I opened a box of baking soda.
@@andrewtate5652 Do you still smell it?
@@yohanniltis5262 not at all. After airing in the sun, simple green scrubs and a box of baking soda, all is well. I would say you need up to about 3 weeks or a month. I am pretty sensitive to smells and the home gym is also my home office. So I was sitting there for up to 12 hours a day.
@@andrewtate5652 I hope to god you’re right. I bought 8 of these things and it’s been four days of scrubbing simple green and power washing, the smell isn’t budging.
Dude thank you so much for this video. We are getting ready to move and I'll have to be moving around 13 mats, that gripper is going to be a back saver.
Not a problem!
TJ u should do isolations for ur back if they hurt
I found using a couple of vice grips to be the ideal solution for moving the mats. Already had them, so no money spent on a single use product and they worked well.
Horse stall mats are amazing and much cheaper/effective than some of the rubbish flooring you can buy off of Amazon or weightlifting equipment websites. Unlike what I read sometimes they're easy to cut if you know how to do it right. The only thing is that the 4x6 ones are *really* hard to transport and feel much heavier than they weight because of how awkward they are too lift, so make sure to grab at least another person when you go pick them up, because the store workers won't help you (they know better lol)
Very good point, they're deceptively heavy and awkward. My brother in law (who doesn't lift) now will no longer help me lol.
Fold the mats in half like a taco and carry them in front of you. I have 1" thick 4'x6' mats in my horses' stalls and I move them every couple of months this way by myself. They're easy loading into a truck bed this way, too.
22 mats to cover my entire 2.5 car garage several years ago. Smartest thing we did.
Damn, must still be sore from moving those.
@@BasementBrandon Dad strength. I've gotten used to building an infinite amount of things.
How do they handle with parking cars on them?
Worried about the weight of the car deforming them, and/or liquids from the car damaging them
You literary made up my mind of which to buy... the 3/4” matts are cheaper and thicker, if you do your math!..answered all my doubts and questions I had!!👍🏼👍🏼
Great to hear! Now just need to find them lol
Great video, thanks! And some great tips in the comments. I have scrubbed mine down with OdoBan once already, a 30 minute soaking session per side. Two days later, the odor has returned so I kicked them back out into the garage. Not much opportunity for airing them out in the sun in the middle of winter. Might have to cut my losses and buy interlocking flooring instead.
Thanks for sharing!
You could sell tren on a Wallmart parking lot with that outfit Brandon Lol
Don't knock the hustle!!!
We’ve got 50 of these and installing them now. Just my wife and I. Fun stuff
It's a workout in itself.
@@BasementBrandon yes it is but it’s actually not too bad seems we’re not in a hurry. Our equipment is a few weeks out so we’ve got time to slack.
Man your channel it is so underrated, please keep bringing this stuff!
Appreciate it man.
I bought 5 of these a few weeks ago to install in my garage. It was an instant leg day and core workout combined, I tell ya! 😂
Haha glad I wasn't just being a wimp.
are they comfy enough to do ab work on the mats too? im tired of the cheap walmart floor mats lmao
I bought 16 of these mats at tractor supply. Under $50 each (no sale). My wife and I did all the lugging. 2 people to move a mat is much easier. One is doable but can be tough. It's not so much the weight but the fact that they are flat and awkward. And your fingers begin to hurt when you grip and drag. I recommend wearing gloves. We also had that strong smell at the beginning but they've been sitting in my garage for a couple weeks and the smell is gone. You say to stagger the mats but in your video when you show them under your rack they are not staggered. Gorilla tape might work but gaff tape I think is nicer if you want to tape the seams, you can get it on Amazon. When you are deciding how to arrange you really want to arrange the mats so you're doing the least amount of cuts. I recommend making a to scale drawing and then also many to scale cut out of the 4 x 6 mats. That way you can arrange it on paper to figure out what's best. Much easier than actually arranging and then rearranging the 100lb mats. I haven't tried cutting any of them yet but that's my next step.
Right on, appreciate the feedback. The Gorilla tape still looks as good as it did when I put it down a year ago.
I know this is an older vid but I have a great suggestion on moving the mats from truck to gym. I rolled mine up and used 2 tie down straps from my bikes to keep ‘em rolled up. That way I can “easily” throw it over my shoulder and carry it in. Get it about where you want it then pop the cam release buckle and let it unroll. Easy peazy!
Great tip!
Just bought 3 of these mats. Rinsed and dried outside first to ensure no residue. Social distancing precluded help from a friend. So I rolled them up, bear-hugged them, and walked each from the garage down to the basement. That was a workout. Have mine on carpet. Very stable, no movement. The smell of rubber is subsiding - but will probably need to open the windows once it warms to air the basement out a bit.
appreciate the insight!
I order 13 mats 4x6 for my garage. Cant wait!!! Also i order my squat rack rogue rm4. So excited !!!!
Good choice!
Bro I have had to move 40 of these by myself twice for my studio.... I’m still not recovered
lol
For cutting the stall mat, if you can, get some sort of tube(I used my foam roller), then draw the line of where you’ll be cutting. Once you’ve done that, place the mat on the tube. Make sure the line is exactly on the middle of the tube. Will make cutting SO SO SO easy. What happens is that as you start making your cut, the weight of the mat starts pulling at the seams and will just tear with ease. I bought a pack of blades thinking I’d go through them like crazy. I did all the cutting I needed to do with 1 blade.
Some helpful tips, thanks!
Just a suggestion with all the home gyms getting purchased!
You’ve experienced and tried a lot of different equipment, especially ones in the home gym space. Most people obvs will start with the basics rack, barbell, plates etc. I think a cool video idea would be equipment (based on your experience of usefulness, variety in terms of output of movements or simply frequency of most used etc.) you would recommend purchasing next!
Noted!
Just picked up 16 of these from an old Ballys gym that shut down for $20 a pop! Score!
Nice score
I used dish soap (slightly diluted) and a sharp razor knife to cut these. Blade slides through much easier. The drywall square works great for accurate cuts too. Thanks for a great video Brandon.
Ah good call on the soap.
Worst timing but finally committing to building a home gym setup here in Cali. Appreciate you as always BC
Good luck man!
Hey, Brandon! I ended up getting the horse stall mats from the TSC last week - thanks to your gym flooring video from 2 years ago! I noticed that ~70% of the smell went away in a few days. Also, I'm glad those raised bumps have some use - my hands felt like they were sunburnt after cutting though these bumpy suckers with a utility 🔪!
Haha yeah def a workout in itself!!
Thanks! Handles...... Totally agree on a gripper or you can use a couple of c-clamps. Lots of us have them in our shops. Makes a huge difference.
Good call!
I ended up going with the 4' x 3', 1/2" stall mats since the ones suggested in this video are hard to find and sold out. Cost a little bit more (two 4' x 3' squares are about $3-$4 more than the one 4' x 6'), but may be easier to move around since they're smaller squares and 1/4" thinner. Hope these will be good enough.
Right on!
When I got my mats, the smell was pretty bad, and they are going in the basement, so I left them outside for about a month, then cleaned them with simple green and a scrubber, letting them dry off in the sun. The time outside and an aggressive cleaning really helped to minimize the smell when I finally dragged them to the basement.
Appreciate the tips!
How is the smell today. Do you still notice it? Does it buildup when left in a closed indoor basement? Would you still recommend these?
Traveler i left one of mine out in the sun elevated above the ground for like 3 months and i smell nun
@@Traveler-PKK I have hardly any smell to them now, a year or so later. I notice it every now and then, but not often, and never bad.
I used a furniture mover on one end and steered with the other end to get them into place in my garage - why battle the weight if you don't have to? Mine were 4x8 x0.75" thick and a pain to move around.
As far as the cleaning goes - if you have a roomba/robot vacuum just let roam around and vacuum up all the dust lol.
The smell of the mats is outgassing of material. You can accelerate that by leaving them in the sun. The slight UV degradation will help accelerate the process and hopefully they smell a little less.
Thanks for the video!
Appreciate the insight!
Just picked some up yesterday. Got 3 of them folded up in my station wagon by myself. Pain in the ass. From store to store and depending on the area they have different kinds of stall mats. Mine were textured one side facing down and almost like diamond patterned on the top, which almost feels smooth. Today after not opening the windows to my home gym, the odor gave me a headache. Airing out the gym as of right now, cleaning the mats on the hour. Hopefully most or the odor goes away, off gassing is crazy on these mats.
I'm most impressed there are still station wagons out there (I had one as my first car back in 1997! Use some simple green on them, it'll help.
I deadlifted on a single layer of stall mats for several years with no problems. I did build a deadlift platform recently, mostly because it looks cool! Lol
Ah appreciate the insight! I've always been too worried so never tried less.
Was the ground beneath concrete?
panther - yes concrete garage floor
Any sort of multipurpose cleaner or believe it or not, degreaser works well. I laid mine out on the driveway and hosed them down, then used a long reach scrub brush to clean them off. I scrubbed them twice on each side and let them dry out in the FL sun. The smell decreased by about 80%. There seems to be some oily residue on the mats when you first get em which can also make them a little slick (hence the degreaser).
Thanks for the feedback!
I just went to the tractor supply store with my parents today to get these mats for my dad's home gym. The smell was horribly intense! We had to roll down all the windows and it is summer time in Texas! Thanks for the advice about how to minimize the smell.
That drive home is the most difficult!
Did the smell dissipate over time?
I like to use a carpet knife to cut stall mats. It seems to track a little better than a utility knife, especially when the cut gets more than half way through.
Right on!
Good for me that the smell won't be such a problem, because the only space for my deadlifting "platform" will be outside, lol. I suppose if I have the tractor mats outside, I should cover them with a tarp, yeah?
They can handle a beating, more of personal preference!
I had to move 4 mats into my basement by myself, and damn was that a pain in the ass. Not because they were heavy but because they weren't rigid.
floppin around
I regularly have to move them in and out of my horse stalls. Fold them in half and carry them in front of you. Super easy.
Canadians - 6'x4'x3/4" stall mats are $100 at TSC. Fitness Depot has comparable mats (rubber, same size) for $60 and $46.
ca if you can drive there thats great but beware of the insane shipping fees if you can’t i got mine free pick up home hardware 2 3/4 3x4’ mats 40$ each
Good call
Yeah TCS is expensive here, idk why. I got mine from fitness depot as well. Fitness avenue has them also
I'd like to add that I bought a household hard floor cleaner/scrubber on Craigslist (Hoover floormate), and once a week I'm able to scrub the mats with some dilute bleach. I find it does make the smell go away faster and makes me feel less weird about lying down on the mats. These floor cleaners scrub but also vacuum so I don't worry about moisture collecting.
Great tip!
Thanks for the video! I'm outfitting a home gym in a small basement room and my wife is SUPER sensitive to VOCs. She'll be using the gym too, and it's also next door to our daughter's playroom. Do you know of any low-odor options that still have the durability of the rubber mats you referenced?
I'd look at actual commercial rubber flooring. They also market some as low/no odor. The downside is it's usually more pricey.
Thanks Brandon. Was second guessing on which size to get from Tractor Supply, which were $50 for one stall mat her in Illinois. Yes, they are heavy, so I rolled it and used a strap or tie down to make it easier to move and carry.
Nice move!
I just got 3 mats last week. None of my local stores had any so I ended up at a store about an hour away. Hadn't realized how much the weighed until the guy loading them into my SUV told me. I actually managed to manhandle those things from my SUV in my garage through the entryway and into my ground floor basement by myself. Not bad for a 5'5" woman where the mats are about 2/3 of what I weigh (I was kind of impressed with myself). Guess all the weight training I've been doing has been paying off. Now I just have to wait for my power rack to arrive.
Haha good work! People always think I'm kidding when I say they're super awkward to move!
Great review, nothing beats Tractor Supply for gym flooring. I ended up committing to the 1/2" mats years back, (unable to transport the larger 3/4" mats with my vehicle or load by myself.)
That said, I find if one doesn't drop any weights on the mats, 1/2" mats offer adequate protection. In fact, my commercial gym only has 1/2" floor matting as well.
Of course, Deadlifting would still require a 1.5" Deadlift Platform. As for all my other items, I think 1/2" mats are sufficient, easy to transport, and don't require pickup (or similar size vehicle) to transport. Plus, don't need another person to load/unload with the smaller 1/2."
I would say however, at regular price, you get more value per Sq. Ft. with the larger 3/4" mats.
Right on, good to know!
Great advice. All spot on and I have used them for years. And yes moving them will wreck you. I've moved six of them three times thus far. Count it as two whole body days!
Smell goes away after time, mine did.
Right on!
Smell Removal:
- sun the mats - the heat speeds up the process significantly (hours to a week depending on what kind you have)
- wash them before sunning /w a PH Neutral cleaner (wont harm the rubber) - scrub with a hard brush/broom
Most of the smell will be gone within the week
All great tips, I find that for some people they're just super sensitive and no amount of cleaning will save them lol.
You literally just saved me hundreds of dollars. God bless you sir lol
Awesome to hear.
I fit 3 of these mats in my Subaru, the associate at TSC looked at me and said "WTF is that where you're gonna load them?!" The smell goes away after a while. If you use water along the area where you're cutting them it should keep the smell down while you make cuts. I found that cutting them made the smell even worse. But, I got used to it after a while and now it's faded and not noticeable at all (a few months into horse stall mat ownership).
Ha nicely done!
Appreciate this info! We just got a Tractor Supply store in my town and I've been looking at these exact mats. They're $52.99 now (inflation, I'm sure) but I might just start out with one or two and see how I like them.
Not a bad bet... and to see if the odor bothers you.
Snagged one of these a couple of weeks ago.
Only thing I've noticed that wasn't already mentioned was how grippy they are on your shoes - you might want to build the deadlift platform instead of using the bare mat if you do a lot of foot-wiggling prior to a lift.
I actually like the grip of these more than the wood!
@@BasementBrandon I find the rubber grip changes as the weather does. Very grippy when hot and hardly noticeable when cold. As for wood I like birch because it's grippier than maple. Sometimes maple is too slick. I'm sure the sanded finish dictates that too.
rogue has a nice option for the 4x6 3/4 inch mats, it has a light texture on the top side which is much grippier, i find my feet slip benching on the regular stall mats. Only down side is the texture makes them a little harder to clean since dirt tends to cake in the crevaces.
They do look great, but you end up basically paying $70/mat!
@@BasementBrandon ayy true. I purchased the 50 pack with shipping and tax came out to about 3000 or 60 a mat. Not terrible and they are def superior quality compared to the stall mats, biggest issue is getting em clean.
Have you posted a video of a full "garage gym tour" ? If not, would love to see something of that sort. My wife and I are working through designing our ideal garage gym and your videos have been super helpful!
I did a few weeks or months ago!
Brandon Campbell Diamond found it, it was great! One of the things I’m thinking through is if we should opt-in for the half rack monster feet, or just go the plate storage route like you originally intended on doing so. Like many, we also don’t want to bolt our wrack to the floor/a platform, but are looking for the stability for heavier lifts. Also going back and forth between the RM3 Fortis and the RM3!
Joel Yates I don’t believe the feet will fit on a fortis version bc of the panels being welded.
Very helpful video. Working on building my in home gym.
Nice! Good luck!
congrats 200K man!!!!
Thanks!!
One take wonder! Always good bro!
Haha makes my life easier!
I bought these stall mats. Believe me, you are gonna need a couple hands bringing them in
I found best way is to roll them up and either synch them or just grab the sides together.
Just picked up some mats at the NK Tractor Supply. Bunch of different styles, asked them to move a few pallets to get to the smooth/button style. Now to carry 11 through my house and downstairs 🙄😭
Do it on an off day. It's a process!
Link to leaf blower?
10% link in description.
You just answered my question. So Carpet it is. And I will just use a Platform for deadlifts. I am not dealing with that smell in my basement. Thanks.
No problem.
Do you think bumper plates are safe to deadlift on the 3/4 thick mats? Awesome video man, much appreciated.
Some do steel plates on that and are fine. I'd just keep my eye under the mats after a few sessions to see if it's doing anything and if so, add some more layers.
I bought a horse stall mat from tractor supply a couple months ago to build a deadlift platform. It works great, I love it. But then I started researching about the smell and read that the mats might release toxic fumes. Do you know anything about that? I don’t want to commit to full garage flooring if it’s gonna kill me slowly.
I haven't seen anything to make me worry.
Congrats on 200k!
Thank you!!
Great video, literally just left tractor supply with a truckload of stall mats
Nice work!
Every tractor supply around me within 50 miles is sold out of them, and shipping is like $300
Spot on. So far so good with a single layer for me, but I have bumper plates (hey, I didn't watch your video until after I bought them) which may mitigate problems
Thanks Bob!
Great content as always and big congrats on the 200,000 !!! Difficult to get stall mats in the UK but have managed to get two 1m by 1m mats that are 20mm thick for deadlifting in my garage until the gym opens back up - a little short of the recommended 2.4m for a deadlift platform but I've got skinny plates and I'm not filling the bar so should be fine. When everything opens back up again I plan on getting some plywood and making a platform.
Appreciate the insight, where did you find them? Sure other people in the UK would appreciate it!
@@BasementBrandon Just on Amazon in the end. It was the only place I could find that was still delivering. They were £34 each for a 1m by 1m (20mm thick) tile - search for "POWERGYM Rubber Flooring Tiles"
What would you recommend for a bedroom gym? Would you still use stall mats? Constant smell/off-gassing doesn't seem very pleasant or healthy.
You can pay more for actual gym mats that are supposed to be low/no odor.
If yall on carpet i recommend using 3/4 plywood then putting mat on top. I built a deadliftk platofrm of 2 3/4 plywood and then horse stall on top and it was real hard and stable recommened on carpet
Solid suggestion
If you don't have a truck when you pick these up, bring a roll of Duck Tape. Roll them up (as much as possible) and wrap some tape around. Makes them much easier to transport - especially from the car to the basement.
Right on!
Man you covered everything I was looking for. Thanks
Ah appreciate that!
Tractor supply price matches! I bought 6 mats for less than $170 because I showed them Cashman’s website with the same stall mats for $27.00 ea.
Damn it, wish I knew this!
I tried this and they told me no.
@@shangaertner5380 they have quality one($35)and quality 2( $27-ripped & missed edges). maybe they didnt do quality 2 but would quality one?
This video was really useful. Confident I'll find more useful info from you. Subscribed!
I apprecaite it.
i cleaned my mats with a soap, vinegar, salt mixture ... i sprayed it on each mat and used a scrub brush ... after scrubbing i let it almost dry than i wiped off each mat with a damp towel after a few cleanings the odor was gone ...
Thanks for sharing!
Thats what I use to kill weeds with, works great!
You can also use industrial grade double sided carpet tape to secure your rubber flooring. It looks a lot cleaner than gorilla tape over the top.
Will have to give this a look
@@BasementBrandon Its what I used for my rolled rubber flooring. Really cheap and easy to work with. Make sure you buy the fat 4" wide rolls.
Can you attach turf roll easily over the top of the stall mats? Whats the best way to add a roll of turf for sled pull with stall mat flooring?
I haven't tried. I think many leave an alley to do so.
Wow... nice video brother... you just clear my mind , after this Covid-19 I decided to do my own mini gym at home, ans prices are crazy expensive sometimes expensive and just a sponge real bad quality but this one is good and amazing price I just called my tractor supply and they have it in stock I am going to have 3 or 4 4x6 mats today thanks buddy
Nice!
I know you mentioned the smell but these mats are not ideal for indoor spaces (like guest rooms, etc.) even after airing them out for a while.
It would be nice to know if there are alternatives out there that have minimal or no smell even if they cost more than the TSC ones.
juvinious regupol flooring
I think I've seen some marketed as low to no order but don't have any firsthand experience here.
@@BasementBrandon Thanks!
I just purchased three of these for my garage gym so i don't have an answer for you regarding alternatives. As far as smell this is what I did:
Lay them out in the front driveway for two or three weeks
Flip them over every couple of days so they get sun and rain
Every couple of days, sprayed them down with water and detergent (Tide) and scrub with an industrial brush
(MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN BOTH SIDES of the MAT!)
Roll them up and carry them at waist level. I carried 17 around my house into my walkout basement and it wasn’t too bad.
Maybe you're just a beast lol
Brandon Campbell Diamond lol, Far from it! It was a good trap workout.
Here's a tip guys-Use mending plates under your mats to keep them together, look up Allan Thralls gym flooring hack video to see what I mean. (I know you saw it already Brandon but for those that may not have I wanted to share it here) Also some people suggest putting concrete screws with a washer to squeeze it down around the perimeter, I would suggest doing that during the summer though so they don't buckle when they expand from the heat
Right on!
Great vid! Your channel is going to reach 1mil subs by the end of this pandemic lol
We'll all be dead before that happens lol
Great video as always! I noticed in the description of the Rogue mats they say there's no odor but, they appear identical to TSC stall mats
No first hand experience, but i do see they also are much more expensive.
@@BasementBrandonyup, cost is definitely not justified if someone can put up with the off gassing for a month or so
My wife and I just moved three of those things up stairs to an upstairs bedroom. Be careful scraping against a wall. Easily leaves black marks. We have to do a touch up paint now. Otherwise, they are great for their intended purpose.
Ah good point!
Finally just got my mats from TSC and unfortunately they did not have the rubber feet but i cant wait anymore!
understandable!
Would the 1/2 inch mats be ok if we are doing orange theory workouts , no heavy lifting
Def!
If you lower a deadlift with control or perform a controlled drop (never dropping from the top) can you getaway with just 1 layer of stall mat or is a platform the way to go as to not damage concrete in the garage?
Lots of people in the comment section say so!
I need some mat to my gym to give it a more pro look. The concret floor raises a lot of dust
In my old home I had to do a wet mop/shop vac to get a lot of that dust out.
awesome video man. very informative. Just wondering in regards to the problem that these mats can move... what do you think about laying down a piece of thin stiff/dense carpet underneath to combat that problem? I know the high quality plush carpet would definitely make everything feel really squishy, but what about those cheap thin ones you generally see on the stage in theaters?
If adding wood in between is not an option, would you rather just ditch the carpet and deal with having to adjust the mat placement? lol
Thanks a lot!
I'd prob just go an easier route of the tape like i show, or get some mending plates, which are small metal plates with teeth that can be placed under the seems.
Brandon Campbell Diamond basically idea is to have the two piece be stuck onto one piece of plate right (kinda like tape but on underside)
You mentioned you are in a garage. So what are your thoughts on Home Gym flooring basics when it comes to dealing with the slope of the garage?
Depends on the grade. Most aren't that bad and prob only really impact things like deadlifting, in which case you can just shim a deadlift platform.
Brandon, moving into a new home in 2 weeks and I will finally get a dedicated space for a garage gym. It is built on a slab. Do you think I need to make an additional deadlift platform to put on top of the horse stall mats that you recommend to protect the slab and soften the noise so I don’t wake up the kids at 5am when I am training?
I was hoping to keep that open area next to the PR-4000 rep fitness rack more level to do kettlebell and other exercises.
Any recommendations on a good bar that I can do bench, deadlifts, overhead press along with hang and power cleans? I know you don’t do cleans but I am kind of on a budget and can’t talk my wife into getting more then one barbell to start. Later on I would like to get an actual deadlift bar.
I was going to get either the rogue 2.0 bar or rep fitness gladiator bearing bar.
Appreciate the feedback and what you do. Love the videos and I miss living in Rhode Island...did my anesthesia training at RHI in Providence several years ago
I mean it's going to be loud if you're lifting heavy regardless. If you look at the comments there are a lot of people who just use a single stall mat and say it's fine, but I just prefer to go an extra layer.
Brandon Campbell Diamond ....thanks brother on the rep fitness site that just re-opened. It’s like the hunger games trying to get stuff before they sell out
How about caulking the seams and edges of the mats? That, to prevent moisture getting in and creating mold.
I'm not as familiar on if that would stick to the mat and/or how permanent that would be if you wanted to rearrange.
Hey bro I've tried the caulking on the seans and idk if it was the kind I bought or what but it just started to peel off after a while
Clean the mats good and seam with Gorilla tape. Holds up pretty well
Well should i choose extra hard or medium hard mats?
In my country there are two variants.4x3.5 size
Not sure the difference.
Are there any alternatives to the stall mats? They give my wife horrible migraines because of the smell. I tried cleaning and letting them sit but the odor is still strong. There was also some sticker warning of cancer and reproductive harm caused from the rubber so that sketches her out. Any reccomendations for other gym flooring solutions would be awesome thanks man. Love your channel!
You can pay more for actual gym flooring. Usually has no odor but is much more $.
I was looking at those Amazon interlocking mats and realized they were made with EVA foam. Came to YT to see if you had a video on flooring and, viola. lol. Thanks!
Good timing!
Any suggestions for a non-smell/ off gassing option? Smell too overwhelming
You can buy actual mats this size made for the gym which are advertised as low/no odor. You can also buy squares or rolled flooring but the cost is substantially higher.
We've had stall mats for a few years but my problem with them is they start to crumble. I sweep up a pile every day and it never feels clean and tracks all over the basement. We are looking for a smoother more durable finish mat, but the one my husband picked out is $2000 for a 10x14 foot area. Sob, still searching for the best option.
Sorry to hear, I haven't had any issues with mine in the past 6 years.
Do the ones with dimples on one side feel softer? I got the flat on both sides mats before watching this since I thought the bumps would make it less stable.
Nope, can't even tell.
Hey Brandon, I just picked up two of these mats from my local TSC and the smell was awful just like you said. However since we got them out of the car and in the garage, my car smells awful. I vacuumed any rubber pellets and got like 4 car air fresheners, but it still smells awful. Any suggestions?
Might just take a few days, keep the windows down!
@@BasementBrandon Okay cool. Thanks!
Congrats on 200K! 👏🥳💪
Thank you!!
For deadlifting, do you think having 2 sheets of plywood underneath stall mats would provide significantly more protection for your floors vs 1 sheet. In your platform videos, you use 1 layer of plywood underneath. Any reason why you don’t use 2?
Alex Desta I use 2 layers of plywood with the TSC mats and another plywood in the middle. It’s better safe than sorry.
I think it's "better" but I also think there is a point of diminishing return. Never had an issue with a single layer of plywood and a single layer of matting.
Brandon Campbell Diamond What do you think about just stacking 2 stall mats together instead of the plywood sheet?
Alex Desta fine room. Might get a bit more bounce.