Types of Rubber Flooring

• Rubber flooring is often made from recycled materials. Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Rubber flooring is a popular choice for a number of reasons, including cost, durability and the opportunity to buy a recycled product. Rubber flooring can be found in homes and businesses alike, and is particularly popular at recreation centers and around pools or in shower areas. There are several types of rubber floors, each of which carries certain advantages and disadvantages.

Tiles

• Tile rubber flooring is the easiest type to install and is arguably the most popular. The tiles fit together easily with interlocking grooves. Tiles tend to come apart and show damage more easily than other types of rubber flooring. They also allow moisture to seep through more easily, so they should be installed in areas where the floor isn't likely to be wet too often.

Roll

• Another type of rubber flooring comes in solid rolls. This type of rubber flooring is harder to install, but holds up better. It also prevents moisture seepage better than tiles. Most people don't find this kind of flooring as attractive as tiles. One way to make this type of rubber flooring look better is to look for a continuous design.

Surfaces

• Rubber flooring comes with a variety of surface options. Round stud flooring is covered with small round bumps throughout. This helps give better traction, and is especially useful in areas where moisture is a problem, such as around pools. Smooth rubber flooring doesn't have any kind of texture, which can sometimes cause a problem with traction. It is popular in homes, where moisture isn't as much of a problem. Diamond grip flooring have diamond shaped grips, which grips better than smooth rubber flooring but not as well as round stud flooring.