A gymnasium or workout space requires the right equipment to deliver an inviting environment that helps you meet your fitness goals. But don’t focus so much on the gear that you forget to create a safe workout place. Wall padding delivers protection to keep athletes safe from bumps and bruises if they crash into a wall.

Whether you’re seeking wall padding for a school gym, an athletic facility, or your home basement or garage, multiple thicknesses and colors exist. You even can add custom art to the padding, creating the perfect look.

Wall padding. The best wall protection you can provide in a workout space is foam pads. For basketball, the padding underneath the basket protects players from crashing into a wall. In a school gymnasium, where P.E. classes occur, padding around the entire perimeter is useful for protecting students from collisions with the wall during all kinds of games and workouts.

These are thick foam pads, which compress when someone crashes into them before rebounding to the original shape quickly. Multiple thickness measurement options are available.

Martial arts studios also can make use of thick pads on the walls. As athletes are working out or grappling with an opponent, they may lose their balance and stumble toward a wall. Padding provides protection against injury during the collision with a solid wall.

For a play room at home, some customers choose to mount thin foam pads on the wall. Kids can become rambunctious when playing, so pads, even thin pads, provide protection. These pads reduce the noise and sound being generated in the play area, too, keeping the rest of the house relaxing and quiet.

Although you may not think of it this way, wall padding also will protect the wall. For example, if your martial arts athletes punch and break boards while working out, flying splinters can damage walls, but pads deliver a protective layer.

Stage padding. In many schools, the gymnasium is used for multiple purposes. Often times, it may also have a stage area that’s raised above the gym floor.

Players chasing a loose ball in a basketball or volleyball game need protection from crashing into the hard area around the stage. This area requires a form fitting pad that’s different from what’s found underneath the baskets on the basketball floor.

Custom sized stage pads are available to fit whatever space needs protection in terms of both height and width. Depending on the layout of the gym, you may need stage padding that can be removed at times, such as to gain access to storage underneath the stage. Greatmats offer those custom options too.

Support post padding. Another popular type of padding doesn’t fit onto the wall at all. Instead, it’s made to fit around support poles and columns inside a room. These posts can be common in basements or older buildings, and athletes working out in the space need protection from crashing into them.

Padding for columns can be customized to fit the exact size and shape of the post in the area. You may be seeking to cover a round post with a 4-inch diameter or a square post that’s 2 inches across. Either way, post padding exists that will fit and give protection to the athletes.

You can purchase these pads in many of the same custom colors as the traditional wall padding, which is helpful in creating a theme throughout the workout space or gym.

Easy installation. The majority of wall padding can be hung with a DIY installation. Manufacturers make the installation process easy to follow, allowing homeowners and those operating athletic facilities the ability to save some money on installation.

You can attach these wall pads to cement block or to wood studs. All of the hardware required to mount the pads is included, simplifying the process.

The mounting hardware is hidden behind the padding. This means the pads will look great, while also keeping athletes safe from crashing into a hard metal bracket or an exposed bolt.

You can even specify to have cutouts placed in specific locations in the padding to reveal outlets, door knobs, or windows.

Custom designed panel. Find just the right wall padding for any facility by matching the colors of the pads to the design of the facility. The thick pads hanging on the wall are covered in a protective layer of vinyl. Greatmats offers the vinyl cover in more than a dozen color choices, including some custom options.

Additionally, you can add any wording or printed logos to the vinyl cover, creating a branding message that reflects your facility or school. Some places choose to promote the school mascot or school name with this custom printing. Others will allow advertisers to purchase printed space on the vinyl, which helps to offset the cost of the athletic program.

Best pads for walls. Use our wall padding guide to learn more about your wall pad panel and tile options. We have links to multiple ideas for these products, including customer testimonials, blogs, and videos.