How to Acclimate Rubber Flooring
Merriam-Webster.com, the online dictionary website, defines “acclimate” as a transitive verb.
acclimate: to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation.
Your rubber flooring needs to acclimate to the room before you install it.
As a more visible example, think of a foam mattress that is vacuum-sealed in a bag. When you first open the bag, the mattress begins to expand and return to its intended form. The instructions will tell you to wait 24 hours or more for the expansion process to be completed. The mattress will release any odors or off-gas and eventually the mattress will adjust to the ambient room temperature and humidity. This is the process of acclimation for the foam mattress.
Let’s take a closer look at this simple, but very important step in the installation process for recycled rubber flooring.
Understanding Recycled Rubber Flooring
There are different types of rubber flooring. At RFS, our current products only consist of recycled rubber flooring – and for good reason. Recycled rubber produces economical and durable sheet flooring with superior performance characteristics over other types of rubber flooring. There is no better solution for gym flooring when it comes to performance, longevity and safety.
Recycled rubber flooring is made from a mixture of post-consumer (recycled) synthetic rubber materials that are bound together using a polyurethane binder.
• Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) is the primary material used to make recycled rubber flooring. SBR comes from ground-up post-consumer truck and passenger tires in a black granule form called “crumb rubber.” SBR is used for its high durability, abrasion resistance and resilience.
• Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) is a synthetic rubber produced from the polymerization of ethylene, propylene (hydrocarbons) and a diene monomer (cross-linking molecule for hardening), typically derived from oil and natural gas. EPDM can be added to rubber flooring from other recycled consumer products, such as automotive components, or mixed as virgin (newly manufactured) EPDM color flecks. EPDM is used for its excellent resistance to weathering, ozone, heat and sunlight. It also can be colorized with bright and bold colors for different design options.
• Polyurethane Binder is a liquid adhesive that combines strength and flexibility for long-term durability with resistance to aging and weathering. This fast-curing binder is specifically formulated for use with rubber granules in the manufacture of rubber flooring. It is the glue that holds the rubber flooring together.
All of these materials are combined in specific quantities to create a solid rubber cylinder or “log” that is “split” or cut into sheets of different thicknesses. The rubber sheets are then packaged according to your flooring order as rolls or further processed into rubber mats or rubber tiles.
Acclimating Rubber During Manufacturing
Recycled rubber flooring undergoes multiple periods of acclimation before it reaches your home or commercial space for final installation. At nearly every stage of the manufacturing process, resilient rubber can fluctuate in size, thickness, compression and length. This variability is an inherent characteristic of rubber materials and is influenced by several factors:
Material Variability: Recycled rubber comes from various sources (different types/brands of tires, other rubber products) with different compositions, cure histories and levels of contamination. This leads to batch-to-batch variations in density, hardness and elasticity.
Large bags called Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs) hold crumb rubber in bulk quantities for use in the molding process. The crumb rubber is allowed to acclimate to the ambient temperature and humidity in the manufacturing facility before use.
Manufacturing Process:
• Shrinkage: Rubber materials will shrink as they cool from molding or processing. The amount of shrinkage depends on the mixture, cure time and pressure used during manufacturing.
• Processing Conditions: The conditions of processing such as pressure during molding or curing can affect dimensional or mechanical properties (e.g., compression strength).
Environmental Conditions:
• Temperature: Rubber expands when heated and contracts when cooled. Changes in temperature during processing and storage can cause dimensional changes.
• Humidity: Recycled rubber has a porous surface that can trap and hold moisture from humidity if the manufacturing or storage area is not climate-controlled. Different flooring products such as underlayment can be more porous than dense, flooring-grade rubber rolls.
Physical Form: The size, shape and surface finish of the recycled granules (e.g., tire buffings vs. whole tire granules) can affect how they bond with the polyurethane binder and impact the final product’s dimensional stability, stiffness, elasticity and strength.
Manufacturing recycled rubber flooring has many different challenges that are continually affected by the variability of the rubber feedstock itself, seasonal environmental conditions and the type of granules used for the specific rubber product. These variables often require different adjustments at each stage of the manufacturing process to create high-quality rubber flooring within specified tolerances.
Recycled rubber flooring undergoes different stages of acclimation, starting with rubber granule storage to mixing and molding, then curing and splitting (or cutting), and ultimately storage and shipping.
How to Acclimate Your Recycled Rubber Flooring
Acclimating your rubber flooring before installation allows the material to adjust to the temperature and humidity levels of the space where it will be installed. This important step helps the flooring to relax into its natural size and shape, preventing problems after installation.
-
Sublfoor Preparation: The subfloor should be clean, dry and level before laying out the material for acclimation. If the surface is not uniform, the rubber will conform to any subfloor irregularities it is resting on. If the moisture level in concrete exceeds 75% relative humidity or wood is above 14%, then a moisture barrier will likely be needed for proper installation. Read Can You Install Rubber Gym Flooring Over Concrete, Wood or Carpet? for more info on this topic.
-
Unpackage the rubber flooring: Remove any stretch wrap from the rubber rolls and unroll them so they are completely flat in the installation space. Spread tiles out in stacks of two or less to help with airflow. Unroll and lay rubber mats flat.
-
Maintain room conditions: The installation space should be maintained at a consistent temperature (65˚F- 85˚F) and relative humidity level (40% - 60%) for the entire acclimation process. The room conditions should be what you intend to keep the environment like at all times.
-
Acclimation time: The typical acclimation period for recycled rubber flooring is usually 24-48 hours. If you do not have temperature control or air conditioning in the space, then the acclimation period may be longer and/or additional steps may be required for proper installation. Extreme temperatures during transit or storage may also require a longer acclimation time.
-
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP: Rushing to install your rubber flooring can lead to poor fit, poor performance, and even safety issues. Read on to understand why this step is critical.
Reasons for Acclimating Your Rubber Flooring
• Temperature and Humidity Changes: Most flooring materials require acclimation before installation.
This includes hardwood, laminates and most vinyl products. Recycled rubber flooring is no different. It will expand in warm, humid conditions and contract in cold, dry conditions. By acclimating the rubber, it ensures equilibrium with the environment it will be in over a long period of time, leading to a more uniform and professional-looking finished floor.
• Manufacturing & Shipping Stress: Rubber rolls can be tightly wound and stretched during the manufacturing and packaging processes. Stacks of rubber tiles and rolls can become compressed under their heavy weight on a pallet. Laying them flat allows the rubber to relax and regain their original dimensions.
• Maximum Adhesion: Acclimation ensures that the rubber flooring and adhesive (if used) are at the same temperature. This is important for a strong, secure bond to the subfloor.
• Prevents Installation Problems: Allowing your recycled rubber flooring to acclimate for 24-48 hours helps the material to adjust to the room’s temperature and humidity. This prevents the rolls from buckling or warping after the floor is installed. For interlocking tiles, acclimation ensures that pieces fit together cleanly and evenly during installation. Even with proper acclimation, an expansion gap should be used around the perimeter of the room for fluctuations in room conditions.
Downside of Acclimating Your Rubber Flooring
The upside of acclimating your recycled rubber flooring far outweighs any downside you may encounter. Nevertheless, acclimation can create some disruption to your installation schedule.
• Delayed installation: A 24- to 48-hour acclimation period can cause delays in starting and completing the installation in your space. Flooring contractors may not have extra time to accommodate acclimation of the rubber or perhaps your own work schedule conflicts with this requirement.
Knowing that you need extra time for the rubber flooring to acclimate can help you plan accordingly. The window for acclimating the flooring is insignificant compared to the cost and time it could take you to correct any installation issues without acclimating the rubber.
• Rubber odor: Recycled rubber flooring will have an initial smell that may linger for some time and does not go away with a short acclimation period. Some off-gassing can occur by storing the rubber flooring in a garage or other covered space outside of your home prior to installation. Odor from rubber will only dissipate over time with proper room airflow and routine cleaning. RFS recommends using Betco Best Scrub floor cleaner and Betco Rescue TruMatte floor sealer for proper rubber flooring maintenance.
Acclimating your recycled rubber flooring is a necessary step much like preparing the subfloor to receive the rubber flooring. The flooring in your home gym or commercial space is a valuable investment toward your fitness goals and for the health of all who will use the space. A little bit of acclimation time is well worth it for a rubber floor that can last you many years.
RFS is committed to supplying the highest-quality, American-made rubber flooring at affordable prices.
Review the product pages on this site and our blog topics for additional information and reach out to us if you have any specific questions.