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I'm renting a house in which I have some gym equipment in the garage. I'm anticipating buying some 3'x4'x3/4" rubber stall mats to protect the floor and deaden noise from dropped weights.

I would be lying the mats side by side in a tiling fashion but I have some concern about the mats slipping on the bare concrete.

What would be the best way to safely secure these rubber mats in an impermanent way?

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    it's customary to not accept an answer too quickly. Someone else could come along with a better answer. Having an accepted answer discourages others from providing an answer.
    – JPhi1618
    Nov 14, 2017 at 20:49
  • very noble of you to suggest, given you've already provided a response that definitely answers my question, but will do. Thanks for your answer!
    – mlegge
    Nov 14, 2017 at 20:51
  • Try and not drop the weights helps - some weights are plastic-encased concrete and can crack and shatter. Dropping metal weights can chip the concrete floor.
    – Criggie
    Nov 15, 2017 at 0:26

4 Answers 4

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Once the concrete is cleaned of all dust and oils, the rubber mats should stay in place, especially once you get a few of them down. If you want a little extra help, I'd offer two options:

"Carpet tape" is a thin, double sided tape that's usually about 1.5" to 2" wide and can be placed on the floor under the mats. It's will be easier to remove than other adhesive options, but it will only provide a little extra grip.

If you find you need more holding power, you might want to install some type of perimeter strip around the mats (assuming they are laid in a rectangular pattern) to make a "frame" that holds it all together. Holding the mats from sliding out from the edges means there will be less to remove when you are done. Rather than adhesive under the whole mats, you could glue or screw down strips of wood along the edges. Screws might leave divots in the floor, which could be unacceptable.

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    Carpet tape! That's what I was looking for, but kept finding the permanent double sided tape... thanks very much!
    – mlegge
    Nov 14, 2017 at 20:48
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I don't know if this would be the "best" way, but A way would be to use carpet glue, the same stuff they use for carpet squares. It'll be difficult to remove later on, but it's an option.

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If you have enough rubber mats, lay them out and tape them together using strong tape like duct tape. If the sides reach right to the walls, then it has nowhere to go.

Downside is that this mega-mat can still slide, especially if you turn sharply while walking, or brake a car/bike to a stop in the garage.

Given its a rental, bolting through into the concrete is probably undesirable, but if done properly could be accepted. You could put down a plywood floor layer and screw/glue the mats to that, would reduce the number of "mats" but still have the same fastening problem, or could use angle brackets to fasten the wooden subfloor to the garage wall bottom plates.

Another way would be to find a glue to stick the rubber mats straight to the concrete, and when it comes time to move out you tear the matt up and then use a chisel or paint scraper to remove any leftover. Small dots in each corner would be easier to clean than an enthusiastic slather of glue.

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Velcro strips of high strength variety work well enter image description here

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  • Sum buddy down voted my excellent answer?
    – Kris
    Nov 20, 2017 at 22:05

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