The New Rubber Room

03 Nov The New Rubber Room

Popularity of commercial rubber flooring is boosting residential interest on the West Coast

A lot of homeowners are using underlayment made from recycled tires under their hardwood floors.

But a lot of them are using rubber flooring, too.

“We have sold and installed rubber in retail stores and gyms, but we’re also installing it in residential homes,” says Sam Snow, owner of EcoFloors in Portland, OR. “One of the best sellers is Zip Tiles from RB Rubber.”

Zip Tiles are large, thick, recycled rubber tiles that lock together. No adhesive or extensive installation skill is needed, Snow says.

“They work great for mud rooms, basements, or any area where a durable but comfortable floor is needed,” Snow says. “They also have rolled rubber for applications that require a glued down surface, like ski resorts or skating-rink sidelines. “

Image courtesy of EcoFloors

Rubber flooring remains most common in commercial buildings, but an increasing number of Seattle residents are seeking it for their homes, says Mark Thompson, sales manager for Major Brands Floor Supply/Abbey Carpet in Seattle, WA.

“On the residential side, I’ve even done a bathroom floor in a high-end home,” says Thompson who sells rubber floors made by RB Rubber, Johnsonite and Burke Flooring. “The job looked great, and the customer was very happy.”

Much of the time, though, rubber flooring is for stairways and waiting rooms of commercial buildings, while rubber underlayment is becoming a widespread for use under floating floors and is very popular in high-rise buildings because of its noise-reduction properties, Thompson says.

Thompson says it’s important for the residential customer to know that because of production time and shipping,  three to five weeks in lead time is needed when ordering rubber flooring.

Snow says it’s also important for the customer to know that recycled tire products smell like rubber, though RB Rubber offers a neutralizing cleaning product that eliminates the odor over time.©