Rubber treads on new ground

An alarming number of landfills across the country are home to millions of used car tires piling high amongst trash and rubble. But why let such a strong, durable product go to waste? Recycled rubber flooring, made almost completely from post-consumer rubber tire byproducts, allows for an environmentally responsible, effective means of re-using an old material and revamping it as a new durable commodity with aesthetic appeal.

Recycled rubber flooring tiles contain a mix of pure, ground-up chips of recycled rubber tires and a much smaller portion of new, pre-colored rubber granules. "The raw materials we use come from high-quality black-shred tires," says Flori Hendron, vice president of design and marketing for Washington D.C.-based To Market, manufacturers of Atmosphere Rubber Flooring. "The final product is 95 percent recycled, 5 percent new rubber and 100 percent recyclable."

"Rubber is not necessarily a new trend, but it's taking off rapidly," says Laura Dodge, director of marketing and communications for Lancaster, Pa.-based Dodge-Regupol Inc., manufacturers of ECOsurfaces Xtreme Rubber Flooring. "It's crossing over into retail as an alternative surface, from sporting goods to shoe stores." The neutrality of rubber flooring makes it extremely accessible to a variety of retailers. "Rubber is very heavily-textured to the eye," Hendron says. "It adds a lot of interest to the floor, but yet does not overpower the space."

Aside from the aesthetic aspects, recycled rubber also provides a resilient, durable surface underfoot. Even in high-traffic environments, the natural resilience of rubber allows the product to last over time with only minor maintenance.

Rubber surfacing may also appeal to retailers seeking sound absorption to cut down on background noise in spaces with poor acoustics. "Rubber is one of the most sound-absorbing surfaces out there," says Keith Schaetz, owner of EnviroFloors, Brookfield, Wis. "There is virtually no noise when you walk on it. It's as quiet as carpet, but will last much longer."

Designers looking for new ideas in creative surfacing may be pleased to discover the vast color variety of recycled rubber flooring. Maintenance is not especially costly or laborious, but must not be neglected. "We offer a penetrating bonding agent which fills in the pores between the rubber chips," Schaetz says. "Other than that, just running a damp mop or vacuum over the surface will do the job."