I made a tremendous amount of headway on the home gym floor this weekend, and I got the FLOR carpet tiles installed in the whole room with the exception of the closet area. And I’m absolutely thrilled with how these look! I used the Rush Street FLOR carpet tiles in black, and I took a chance by ordering them without ordering samples first. But my gamble paid off, because I love how they look!

I still have to do something about that transition strip, but more on that in a second.
I will be adding quarter round or shoe molding (probably quarter round) to the baseboards to cover over areas like this where the tiles didn’t cover right up to the wall. Cutting carpet strips that tiny would be huge pain, but quarter round will cover right over that.

Back to the transition strip. I have two in this room — one coming from the hallway and one going into the bathroom. My initial thought was to match the stain on the one going into the hallway to match the hardwood floor in the hallway.

But then I have this other one going from the black FLOR carpet tiles to a white marbled tile bathroom floor.

So to keep things consistent, I’ve decided to stain both of them black to match the FLOR carpet tiles instead. And I’ve already tested Matt’s wheelchair over the transition strips, and it goes over them with ease.
I know I’ve only had these carpet tiles down for a couple of days, but I’m absolutely sold on FLOR carpet tiles. I absolutely love the way they look.

And installing them was just about as easy as a DIY project can get. I was going to take step-by-step pictures for a little tutorial, but there’s no need. Seriously. You put one tile down. You put sticky squares on the back edge. You put another tile down next to it stuck to the same sticky squares so that the two tiles are stuck together. Repeat. 😀 And if you’re installing wall-to-wall like I did, just use a utility knife with a new sharp razor blade and a straight edge to cut the tiles.

It seriously couldn’t get any easier, and the result is really phenomenal. And while it’s not exactly immediate gratification, you can get a whole room done in a day (as long as you’re not having to deal with subfloor issues, like I am).

I wanted a black floor since this is a home gym, but it’s definitely very black and very dark. It does make the room feel darker, but since the walls are so bright and cheerful, I don’t have a problem with the room feeling a little darker.

Cooper, our very hyper 100-pound dog, has already tested it out as well. I was jumping on my rebounder Saturday night, and I let him come in here with me. He started running and spinning and doing all kinds of sudden starts and stops. None of that had any effect at all on the carpet squares. They didn’t separate (those sticky squares really are super sticky). They didn’t move or shift. They didn’t snag. Other than a few dirty paw prints (he had been outside prior), they looked perfectly fine after he finished playing and left the room. And those dirty paw prints vacuumed right up.

So I’m a big FLOR fan now! They’re not exactly cheap. I bought 100 tiles for this room (I think I’ll have five left over, which I’ll be glad to have on hand in case I need to replace one), and with shipping and tax, it came to just over $1600.

So it’s not a cheap option, but I do think there’s truth in “you get what you pay for.” I tried to go the cheap route the first time, and spent only about $225 for foam tiles for the whole room. (When I bought them, they were cheaper than they are now.) And we all saw how that worked out. They didn’t look as good. The gym equipment left really bad dents in the foam, and they didn’t come out even days later. And Cooper poked a hole in the foam floor the first time he came in here.
But these carpet squares look great, fit together perfectly (no jigsaw puzzle-looking seams like with the foam floor), and they seem pretty indestructible. So while they’re considerably more expensive than the foam home gym floor tiles that I initially tried to use, I think the added expense will be worth it. And since they hold up to my big, hyper dog, I have no doubt that they’ll hold up perfectly to Matt’s wheelchair.


Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I hope you’ll join me on my DIY and decorating journey! If you want to follow my projects and progress, you can subscribe below and have each new post delivered to your email inbox. That way you’ll never miss a thing!
38 Comments
Mona Keegan
February 20, 2023 at 11:10 amYou knocked it out of the park again! Perfect flooring
Tina
February 20, 2023 at 11:17 amIt looks great and comfortable! There is nothing like proving that you picked the right flooring with the help of a beloved pet! 🐾💗🐾
Bobbie
February 20, 2023 at 11:22 amLove the floor tiles.
Elle
February 20, 2023 at 11:25 amIt is really nice how the dark floor grounds the colorful walls. The floor is also a good foil for the black in the exercise equipment. Looks great and sounds like the functionality of it is also just right.
Shelly
February 20, 2023 at 11:27 amOh gosh, what a great job, I really like the color and they look so comfortable. Congratulations👍
Joan Hornung
February 20, 2023 at 11:33 amWow – looks REALLY nice…worth every penny looks-wise as well as for durability in a busy room. What a crazy dog! Our Pomeranian does crazy circles like that too – wonder why they do that? Just can’t contain their excitement I guess….but our other does not do that. 😂 The room looks SO nice.
CathyR
February 20, 2023 at 11:33 amMy first thought is do they off-gas like a lot of these kinds of products?
It looks so wonderful and more finished that the foam. I think it balances the colorful stripes beautifully.
Rachel
February 20, 2023 at 11:41 amI used this type of carpet tiles when I redid my son’s room approximately 20 years ago. Not sure if it’s the same company, but I purchased them at a carpet and outlet store. I was told they were the remnants from when our local airport did some updating. I figured if they held up to terminal traffic, they would work in a teen boy’s bedroom.
To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of your first choice, but figured if anyone could make it work, you could. In a sense, you did make it work. You noped it right on out of there and moved on to something better, and you just Got. It. Done.
Fantastic job, Kristi!
Hollis
February 20, 2023 at 2:49 pmIn my experience, as someone who is chemically sensitive, the answer is yes.
But everyone’s different and this was several years ago. The only way to know for sure is to order some samples and check your reaction to them over time.
Hollis
February 20, 2023 at 2:51 pmWhoops! Didn’t look at the arrows and replied to the wrong comment. Sorry!
Peggy
February 20, 2023 at 11:41 amI’ve used carpet tiles a few times over the years, but not the FLOR brand. I ordered from a place in GA that had a huge variety of colors and patterns. I tried to remember the name of the place but none of my tries worked. But anyway, I was always pleased with the end result. The last project I did was a small laundry room.
Erin
February 20, 2023 at 11:42 amI live in NC, and one time I was visiting the Biltmore house and they told us how they have marble transitions going into all the bathrooms. It was an indicator to guests that the room on the other side was a bathroom. So when I remodeled our house and bathrooms, we used marble transitions in any room that is a bathroom and stained the transition to match the wood flooring anywhere else. It is one of my favorite things that we decided to do!
Bettsi
February 20, 2023 at 11:45 amLooks great, Kristi! Your vacuum robot will probably be pretty busy- I’ve only had dark carpet once and it showed every. little. thing. But that was pre-robot days. I love the way the whole room is coming together.
We use FLOR tiles at my job (community clubhouse) and the ability to switch out stained tiles is game changing, for sure!
Alta Craig
February 20, 2023 at 11:47 amI agree that they do look great! The dark floor really grounds the colorful walls. It’s such a cheerful room that it would be a real pleasure to work out in there. Sometimes, ya just gotta pay the price for the best product! Onward and Upward, Kristi!
marla
February 20, 2023 at 11:55 amI can feel the gym vibe this room gives. Love it !
Carol
February 20, 2023 at 12:35 pmThere is just something about these dark, black floors that mellow out the stripes a little bit and just make the whole room sing. What a beautiful place to exercise. Beautiful!!!!
Kate S
February 20, 2023 at 12:35 pmOne word. Gorgeous. Even THIS old gal would love exercising there 😉
Melanie
February 20, 2023 at 12:38 pmI like how the carpet plays off the strips on the wall. One project done..another check off the list!
Bobbie
February 20, 2023 at 12:40 pmI loved this look. Went to web site and loved the styles. I am considering it for two guest bedrooms. I read the reviews and warranty.
Can someone please tell me experiences on longevity.
Jo Ann
February 20, 2023 at 12:41 pmGood job! It looks great. You made the right decision.
Peggy
February 20, 2023 at 12:42 pmThey are GORGEOUS!!! No more needs to be said. Except, maybe….stunning, love them, and again with gorgeous.
Nadine
February 20, 2023 at 12:50 pmA good gamble that really paid off. Your gym floor looks amazing. I am in awe of how your gym looks so inviting, and yet looks so right down to the point of being a gym for hard work.
Laura
February 20, 2023 at 1:37 pmI think the new flooring looks great! I like the subtle stripes and I don’t think the room looks dark. I agree that the black stain will look good on the transition strips at both doorways. I am anxious to see the light fixture installed in the hallway.
Sharon W.
February 20, 2023 at 1:41 pmIt’s looks fantastic! It sure is coming togther!
Anne
February 20, 2023 at 1:55 pmLooks great!!!
Wendy
February 20, 2023 at 2:34 pmI LOVE this flooring!! Great choice and so glad something that looks so good will be so perfect for durability also!
MsD
February 20, 2023 at 2:41 pmLooks so nice!
Sue
February 20, 2023 at 3:11 pmThe floor looks great! Iove those carpet squares. While they might be a little dark, your cheerful walls and the bright light coming in from the windows keep it light.
Judy
February 20, 2023 at 3:46 pmThey look great! And I agree, the dark tiles make the room sing! Love how colorful it is.
Alexsandra Thompson
February 20, 2023 at 3:54 pmLove the FLOR tiles. they are perfect. I don’t think the colour darkens the room–it makes the wall colours pop!
Brenda
February 20, 2023 at 4:45 pmKristi,
These are absolutely perfect. The slight striping in the carpet tiles compliment your walls perfectly. Although the walls seem toned done a bit, it actually adds depth and dimension as well as texture. Again….perfectly perfect.
marilyn hull-parkes
February 20, 2023 at 11:06 pmIt looks absolutely fabulous, I don`t think it makes the room look dark at all, what it does do ia make the walls really stand out, plus the way you have laid them in an alternating pattern really looks fabulous,,..
Yvonne
February 21, 2023 at 5:42 amGreat job! These look really good. Your gym looks like a fun place to work out. I wonder, when you complete a project like this do you just want to stay in the room and look around at it all?
When I finish something of this nature, I can’t help but stay in the space and simply take it all in! 😀
Kristi Linauer
February 21, 2023 at 2:21 pmI not only do that when a project is complete, but I do it during a project as well. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve gone into that room in the past few days just to look at the carpet. 😀
Karen
February 21, 2023 at 6:01 amWe have this really awkward hallway (floor plan-wise awkward, that is) and it took me a lot of ingenuity to fit in the carpet when we moved in. Nobody advised us to get carpet tiles instead, which I assume would have been far easier. Thank you for your blog post on them, as after 10 years, it feels like a renewal is due in the nearer future 🙂 So I am grateful for some info in a couple of months or perhaps after 6 months or so to find out if you are still as happy as you are now with them. Re the look, they are the perfect match for your lovely walls, they make them pop and ground the whole room. Perfect, Kristi!!!
Lauranette . Lewellen
February 21, 2023 at 10:31 amThe room looks great. Good choice on the floors. Why are you putting off the closet?
Sarah
February 21, 2023 at 11:52 amLove it! Bravo!
Sheri Hepworth
February 21, 2023 at 7:46 pmThe wall colours really ’pop’ now!