A Quick Fix to Help With a Treadmill Making Noise

Is your treadmill making noise no matter what speed you set your machine to? Are your neighbors complaining about a thrumming treadmill sound when all you want to do is reap the benefits of fitness equipment in the comfort of your own home? When looking for quiet treadmills for apartments or multi-storied homes, the reality is that all treadmills make some amount of noise. This is not only due to the impact of your steps, but also due to the fact that all treadmills vibrate when in use. While this sounds like problem with no remedy, there is in fact a very simple solution. By placing a treadmill noise reduction mat underneath your machine, your treadmill noise will be greatly decreased so that a loud machine won’t disturb your family or neighbors anymore. “Quality” rubber mats for treadmills are generally the only way to reduce impact and vibration.

One of the benefits of fitness gyms at home is that you can work out whenever you want to, making it easier to fit in exercise to your everyday routine. Living in a high rise loft of apartment may make this more difficult, however, because you have to account for the hours your neighbors are at home or you run the risk that you are disturbing their lives with a loud treadmill. To avoid this, a thick treadmill noise reduction mat can act as a barrier between you and your neighbors. Neither you, nor your neighbors can do anything about the building. The structure is already built and perhaps vibrating fitness equipment was something that the architect or the contractors did not have in mind when the structure was conceptualized. Heavy-duty mats for treadmills will act as a protective layer between your machinery and the building. Rubber is the best material for these mats because it absorbs both the sound and impact of the treadmill to greatly reduce the sound. A thick rubber mat will provide enough give for the treadmill to move and shake, without hitting the hard subsurface underneath. Although carpet is also a softer surface than concrete, it cannot absorb the sound of a treadmill effectively because it is not thick enough to provide ample sound absorption. With treadmills, it is best to use the thickest mat possible for the most successful sound reduction.

When purchasing a treadmill noise reduction mat, most mats are sized at four by six feet areas to fit perfectly underneath your treadmill. With a twenty-four square foot area, the vibration of the treadmill is dispersed throughout the entire mat. This is a much larger area than the four wheels that a treadmill sits on. Without a mat, the treadmill sound would be concentrated and funneled through the four small wheel areas into the ground. This increases the amount of noise and damage to your treadmill. The sound waves that reverberate off the harder surface can bounce back into your treadmill and damage crucial parts of your expensive machine. By increasing the area that the waves are channeled through, they are less concentrated and easier to absorb through the layer of the mat. The larger area, as well as the softer cushion, of the rubber mats for treadmills help to absorb these sound waves to prevent them from affecting your exercise equipment; thus, prolonging your machine’s lifespan.

With a machine that shakes and vibrates, it may also be a concern that your treadmill is shifting around on your harder floors. Exercise equipment, especially treadmills, that shift or slide on floors are extremely dangerous and can cause serious damage to anyone using the machines. By using a rubber mat, your machine is safely locked into place. Rubber has a naturally high coefficient of friction providing it with great traction. When a treadmill is placed upon a mat, this enhanced amount of friction ensures that your equipment won’t slide off and that your mat will also stay securely in place. This will also help to reduce the amount that your exercise machine vibrates, further augmenting the amount of noise that the mat reduces. For a more permanent solution, you can also use adhesives to stick the mat into place. The easiest installation would be double sided tape that you place directly onto the mat and then press into the floor. Many companies also provide a polyurethane-based trowel-grade, waterproof structural adhesive, but this is mainly used for flooring rather than mats.

While treadmill sound may be inevitable, it is entirely possible to own quiet treadmills for apartments or homes. Installing a treadmill noise reduction mat will greatly reduce the sound of a treadmill making noise. These rubber mats will not only keep you from disturbing your neighbors or family, but also help keep your machine in top-notch condition by preventing harmful damage from impact vibrations. A longer lasting, quieter machine means that you can keep getting all the benefits of fitness in your home gym for as long as you want!