It requires:
1. Puzzle mats. The interlocking kind you find in the majority of Taekwondo or Martial arts schools. (This is the most expensive part, so this flooring system really works great if you have these already and want to make them better to fall on). You can also grab these at Walmart.
2. 3/4 inch open cell foam. Get the cheapest and squishiest you can find. We got 260 sq. feet for about 300 bucks.
3. Thin hardboard. The ultra thin light 4x8 pieces.You can pick this up at most hardware or home improvement stores.
Every other flooring system we heard about involved closed cell foam and was still fairly pricey. What makes this different is that this uses really lightweight spongy foam over concrete. (You can put some plastic down to avoid moisture seeping up from the floor). Then the hardboard goes on top to disperse the weight. The puzzle mats go on top of this.
We ended up having a great floor that feels like the puzzle mats are floating on a layer of air. You can practice throws, falls, and more without having to haul out the blue folding mats.
2 comments:
This is a quasi-floating floor construction technique, which is great for just this kind of use - martial arts, tumbling, gymnastics, etc. The open-cell foam is great for absorbing shock and providing padding, while the closed-cell gives you the stability and strength with another layer of softer-than-concrete padding. Congrats on finding an effective, affordable solution!
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