Foam mats create a comfortable flooring surface and are surprisingly very easy to install. But you may experience certain issues like your foam floor buckling, and you will need to find ways on how to keep puzzle mats together and minimize the buckling.
Installing foam flooring tiles is actually very easy, you simply need to glue interlocking foam mats together like puzzle pieces, and it can be installed on any sturdy and even surface.
If you encounter certain difficulties or skip any step during the installation process, you may have to deal with a buckling floor sooner than you would like.
Thankfully this can be fixed with a host of different methods like using double-sided tape or duct tape to keep the puzzle mats together, you can also place a non-slip carpet to keep the mats from sliding around.
How to Keep Puzzle Mats Together
Table of Contents
1. Use Double Sided Tape
Glue interlocking foam mats to the floor using double-sided tape. Simply flip the puzzle mat that shifts around a lot on the tiles over and attach a piece of double-sided tape to its seam.
Flip the mat around and place it on the floor attaching the other side of the tape firmly to the surface to hold the mat in place. This method works best on hardwood or concrete floors, and not carpets.
Related: Tape that won’t damage floors
2. Duct Taping The Foam-Topped Tiles
If you have foam-topped tiles, you cannot use double-sided tapes, instead, you’ll need long strips of duct tape to hold the seams of the puzzle mats that are coming apart. You can use duct tape on the top and the bottom of the mat for extra durability.
You can blend the color of the duct tape into the mat by using a matching color, or you can also use patterned duct tape to beautify and brighten the seams.
3. Use Velcro Strips
If your puzzle mat has a soft carpet top, attach one side of a hook and loop strap across the tile seams. The hooks grab onto the carpet top and hold the mats together.
You can also use velcro strips with a matching color to your mats for a more blended look.
4. Adding a No-Slip Carpet
A no-slip carpet will help hold your puzzle mat together and keep the tiles from sliding around since it won’t be able to shift as much. Measure and cut out a no-slip pad using your mat’s measurements and slide it underneath.
No-slip pads can keep puzzle mats in place on hardwoods, vinyl, and concrete, but cannot be used on carpet.
5. Lock Tiles in Place With Border Pieces
If your puzzle mat has border pieces or small pieces of foam attached to the edges, lock them in place with the interlocking tabs around the mat’s perimeter. This covers up the outside edges of the mat and also locks the outside tiles into place.
You can use border strips that are the same color as your puzzle mat, to enable them to blend in seamlessly.
Related: Best rug pads for hardwood floors
How to Prevent your Puzzle Mat from Sliding
One key preventative method in keeping your puzzle mat from sliding is by installing it in a completely flat area.
Installing your puzzle mat over an uneven surface or basement and concrete floors with a habit of buckling or cracking puts the mats at risk of buckling and separation.
Leave an expansion gap about 0.64 cm away from the wall when installing your puzzle mats as they tend to expand with heat and moisture.
Push down hard on the interlocking tabs to lock it in place and ensure the tabs line up perfectly so the mats match closely together as much as possible. If your puzzle mats are of high quality, they should have good tabs to hold together on their own.
Install each tile facing the same direction. This helps to keep the mats from buckling or folding. Installing the tiles incorrectly increases the chances of them coming apart with use.
Ensure to flatten each tile out as you install them. Use your hand to smoothen out any finished tile before installing the next one. Flattening the tiles completely reduces the chances of them buckling or shifting over time!
Related: How to keep chair mat from moving on carpet
Conclusion
You can keep puzzle mats together with the use of duct tape, velcro strips, or double-sided tapes. This article discusses various effective methods on how to keep puzzle mats together and also share certain installations tips that help to prevent buckling or separation of puzzle mats and keep it together.