What an honor it is to be writing as a guest to you all in this thorough and informative blog. I’m Bill Harris of Foamtiles.com. We are a website dedicated to marketing and selling closed cell EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate) foam tiles in many varieties.

For those of you not familiar with what closed cell, EVA foam is, it is the same material high quality flip flops are made from. If a little patch under each foot can last years, imagine the longevity you can expect with an entire room’s floor covered in it! The “closed cell” part of the description means that, while foam, it is non-absorbing. Liquids will pool on top and can be easily wiped away with a towel. There are many uses for EVA foam. You can find this amazingly versatile product in shoe soles, seat cushions and ski boots to name a few.

This inexpensive and resilient flooring option has becoming one of the most popular choices for flooring in many different applications. It has been used for years in children’s play rooms and day cares as kids play mats. The wide variety of colors, durability, ease of installation and cleaning have all aided the increased usage of these products to protect little heads and knees.

Additionally, foam tiles can now be found in home weight rooms and light duty commercial gyms where a lot of ground work or body weight exercises are performed. The increased popularity of the P90X and plyometric type routines has added to the popularity of soft floor tiles. I can tell you from experience that it is much nicer taking a knee or doing sit ups on foam flooring products than a wooden or hard rubber surface found in many work out areas, providing extra cushion for the joints without being so soft that it will compromise stability. For gyms, it should be noted that heavy equipment like tread mills or weight racks can cause indentations where the feet sit that may not fully recover if the machine is moved from its place.

Another usage that has become increasingly popular lately is in martial arts studios. Anyone that has watched a competition or demonstration can tell you; these guys hit the ground with all their body weight. Having anywhere from ½” to 1 full inch of padding to land on will allow you to extend your workouts and prevent bruising from the throws associated with this kind of sport. They link together tightly with a jig-saw type puzzle interlock that prevents separation during even the most vigorous sparring.

Closed cell EVA foam tiles have infinite color options. There are even tiles that have a very realistic wood pattern laminated to the surface. Tiles like these can be found in trade show booths at nearly every convention center in North America. It is an excellent way to set your booth apart from the competition while providing antifatigue properties for you and your presenters.  Being light and easily installed means you can set up and take down quickly as well as take them with you from show to show, avoiding the costly rental of the facilities flooring. They can also be reconfigured to fit any booth size.

In closing, if you are interested in soft yet durable, affordable and versatile flooring for an area in your home, studio, exercise area, child’s room or trade show booth, consider soft floor tiles next time.  They work great as a portable foam mat or as an installed wall to wall soft flooring solution.  For more information, please feel free to www.foamtiles.com.