Indoor Ice Rink Flooring

Options for Ice Rink Flooring

Whether you are seeking permanent or temporary ice rink flooring, Greatmats has the product you need. We offer dozens of hockey rink rubber flooring products at various price points, thicknesses, and coverage sizes.

Our ice rink flooring is highly durable, meaning that customers receive great value because the floor will last a long time. These rubber mats for ice skates stand up to the blades without showing significant wear and tear.

Features and Benefits of Ice Rink Flooring

Some of the biggest benefits of making use of rubber floors at the ice arena include:

• Durability: Rubber stands up to constant foot traffic, including from the blades of ice skates.
  
• Lifespan: You can install rubber floors and receive several years of use.
  
• Ease of Maintenance: Rubber mats are water resistant and don’t require special cleaning techniques.
  
• Value: Rubber delivers a good value, especially when going over a large space.
  
• Shock Absorption: When walking on skate blades from the locker room or figure skating dressing area to the ice, it can be uncomfortable, but rubber provides some cushioning.
  
• Multiple Thicknesses: Thinner rubber costs less for those who have a tight budget, and thicker rubber provides a greater level of durability where needed.
  
• Slip Resistance: At an ice arena, where moisture and condensation are possible anywhere in the building, rubber offers slip resistance.
  
• Noise Absorption: Hockey rinks can be noisy places, but having rubber floors around the rink can absorb some of this stray sound.

Where to Use Ice Rink Mats

Most people choose to install floor systems for ice rinks in indoor arenas, but you may be able to deploy the flooring outdoors in certain circumstances as well. Use the rubber ice arena mats in areas like:

• Walkways to the ice for hockey players
  
• Figure skating gathering areas
  
• Locker rooms
  
• Dressing areas
  
• Bench area at a hockey rink
  
• Spectator areas at an indoor ice arena
  
• Warming house at an outdoor rink
  
• Walking paths around curling sheets

Types of Ice Skating Floor Mats

Selecting the ideal rubber floor format for the ice rink space that you have helps you gain the greatest value from your purchase.

• Rolls: Because of the large area to cover in the hockey arena, rolls are the most popular format among our Greatmats customers. They typically are thinner than other options, but they also have a lower price per square foot of coverage for areas with low foot or skate-walking traffic.
  
• Mats: Straight-edge rubber mats are an ideal choice in defined areas where you need a little extra protection. Consider placing mats in the bench areas or at the area where skaters enter and leave the ice, because these areas often take the brunt of the force from the skate blades.
  
• Interlocking Tiles: Interlocking tiles are easy to install, as individual tiles have a reasonable weight for maneuvering them into place. They also pop together quickly, meaning even novices can have success with a DIY layout. Tiles have varying thicknesses, so you can select the precise thickness for the needs of the particular area.

Ice Rink Flooring Q&A

For hockey rink rubber flooring, how thick should it be?

At a minimum, we suggest a 3/8-inch thickness and many of our customers use 3/8-inch ice skating mats. However, for those that will primarily be used for smaller youth players, 1/4-inch is usually adequate. For maximum performance, customers may want to select 1/2-inch designs. If there will be significant hefty equipment being hauled over the ice flooring covers repeatedly, consider going with the 1/2-inch material, as it will have the ability to remain in place better than thinner selections if exposed to significant stress.

What kind of ice rink rubber flooring mats are under the bench area?

Ice hockey rink rubber flooring rolls work nicely to cover this space. However, for those who need specific sizes, such as because the benches have a narrower than normal configuration, skate mats that are precut to a specific size may be preferred. The rubberized surfaces in the bench location give coaches and trainers who are wearing regular shoes a grippy surface, so there won’t be any slips.

What kind of rubber mat for ice skates is best?

Because of the sharp blade, selecting high-quality rubber tiles and rolls is key. Poorly manufactured models of hockey rink flooring would have weak spots or bubbled spots, either of which would affect the integrity of the materials while potentially leading to a tripping hazard. Inconsistent tolerances in manufacturing could cause the material to curl on the edge, enhancing the possibility of someone tripping. Rely on Greatmats to deliver the finest materials. Nearly all of our products are made in the USA or Canada, meaning only the purest ingredients are used, along with the best manufacturing processes.

Why is rubber the best floor covering for an ice arena?

When skaters are walking from dressing areas and locker rooms to the ice surface, rubber floors are the best ice arena floor covering. They provide protection against the dulling of the blades of the skates while also protecting the subfloor from the blades. Rubber creates a slip resistant surface in an arena that has low temperatures where any stray moisture or condensation could turn to ice or frost, protecting those who are not wearing skates while walking. Rubber stands up to tough conditions well, maintaining a high level of wear resistance.