If your treadmill is 300 pounds and you get on top of it, you certainly don’t want to go crashing through the floor. What do you need to know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Typical Load Limit for a Bonus Room<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/A-treadmill-and-handheld-gym-equipment-on-a-room-with-some-mirrors-on-the-far-wall-1024x682.jpg\")
A treadmill and handheld gym equipment on a room with some mirrors on the far wall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThis is often pretty self-explanatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you need to know is that the load capacity for the second floor of a home, including the bonus room, is usually about 30 to 40 pounds per square foot. These are international regulations, and they should be the same just about everywhere you go<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n(Although if you’ve got time for a quick journey back in time, a US government report dating back to 1925<\/a> agreed that 30-40 pounds per square foot is ideal – so this is a time-tested rule, too!).<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you have an older home, or if you think your home was built with inexpensive materials, it might be on the lower side; however, the limit of a bedroom <\/a>is typically closer to 30 pounds while the limit for a bonus room (or other room) is closer to 40 pounds. So, there there are a few caveats you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst, this does not mean that if you put 45 pounds on a single spot in your bonus room<\/a>, it will immediately tumble to the floor below. So, you can put the image of yourself plummeting down into the garage (or whatever room is under your bonus room) out of your mind. What this means is that you need to take the total square footage of the room and compare it to the total load limit to figure out if you are over the recommended amount<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHere is an example calculation. If your bonus room is 15 x 15 square feet, this means that it is 225 square feet. If you are calculating the limit for a non-bedroom, such as a bonus room, use 40 square feet as the number. If you multiply 40 by 225, you get 9000 total pounds. This is obviously quite a bit of weight for a room that is 15 x 15 feet in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What The Numbers Mean<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cool, so you have the limit. Now, what does this mean? What it does NOT mean is that if you put 9,001 pounds in the room, everything will immediately fall to the floor. There are legal reasons (and moral reasons) why these numbers come with some leeway. At the same time, follow the guidelines. Don’t risk it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, don’t take all of that weight and drop it square in the middle of the room<\/strong>. Almost assuredly, you will have major problems, even if the floor doesn’t immediately fall away, which it probably will if you put all of that weight in the middle of the room in one spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTo be on the safe side, you need to distribute all of that weight across the floor as evenly as possible<\/strong>. What does this mean, and how should you set up your bonus room?<\/p>\n\n\n\nSetting Up Your Home Gym<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"Various](\"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Various-gym-equipment-on-a-room-with-an-in-built-shower-1024x702.jpg\")
Various gym equipment on a room with an in built shower<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nNow, if you want to set up your home gym, there are a few general tips you should follow. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Get rid of any extra carpet and padding<\/strong>. This weighs a lot, and it could end up putting you close to the weight limit. Besides, carpet is probably not the best flooring for your home gym. You will probably sweat on top of it, and this will only lead to odd odors<\/a> that you want to get rid of.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- If you have tile in your bonus room, get rid of it<\/strong>. You are going to put heavy home gym equipment on top of it, and the home gym equipment will probably crack the tile<\/a>. Don’t let this happen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Try to place some plywood on top of the floor<\/strong>. Plywood is cheap and it will distribute the weight of the equipment more evenly across the floor. This is critical for preventing the buildup of weight in one place. In addition, you will protect your valuable floors from damage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Then, you can put lightweight rubber flooring<\/a> to further distribute the weight<\/strong>. Rubber flooring designed specifically for gyms is light, so it shouldn’t add much to the total. In addition, it is critical for reducing the noise coming from the gym.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Once this is done, there are a few general tips to follow for placing your equipment. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Put the heavier items up against the walls<\/strong>. This might even place the equipment close to a load-bearing wall, which gives you a bit of extra support. If you are curious about whether the wall is a load-bearing wall, you might want to reach out to a contractor or consult your homeowners’ documents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- In general, you should keep your equipment out of the center of the room if you ca<\/strong>n. This tends to be the weakest point of the room because it is the furthest away from the walls.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Try to figure out where the joists are underneath the floor<\/strong>. Then, try to place your heavier equipment in such a way that it goes across multiple joists. This is a great way to distribute the load throughout the room more evenly. You should also try to place the equipment close to the ends of the joists, as these are the strongest parts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Of course, you need to figure out which pieces of equipment are the heaviest and which are the lightest. You can take a look at the packaging to figure this out, but there are a few general rules. Your dumbbell racks, your squat rack, and your treadmills are generally your heaviest pieces of equipment. This will help you place the items in the right spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related Reading:<\/strong> What Happens When Indoor Air Conditioners Are Kept On The Floor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Happens If You Are Over the Limit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you end up going over the limit, you might start to have visions of yourself plummeting through the floor once again, crashing into your dining room table. Again, this is, more than likely, never going to happen. Instead, you are going to notice structural integrity issues start to develop with your bonus room<\/a>. There are a few ways this might develop. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is often pretty self-explanatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you need to know is that the load capacity for the second floor of a home, including the bonus room, is usually about 30 to 40 pounds per square foot. These are international regulations, and they should be the same just about everywhere you go<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Although if you’ve got time for a quick journey back in time, a US government report dating back to 1925<\/a> agreed that 30-40 pounds per square foot is ideal – so this is a time-tested rule, too!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have an older home, or if you think your home was built with inexpensive materials, it might be on the lower side; however, the limit of a bedroom <\/a>is typically closer to 30 pounds while the limit for a bonus room (or other room) is closer to 40 pounds. So, there there are a few caveats you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, this does not mean that if you put 45 pounds on a single spot in your bonus room<\/a>, it will immediately tumble to the floor below. So, you can put the image of yourself plummeting down into the garage (or whatever room is under your bonus room) out of your mind. What this means is that you need to take the total square footage of the room and compare it to the total load limit to figure out if you are over the recommended amount<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is an example calculation. If your bonus room is 15 x 15 square feet, this means that it is 225 square feet. If you are calculating the limit for a non-bedroom, such as a bonus room, use 40 square feet as the number. If you multiply 40 by 225, you get 9000 total pounds. This is obviously quite a bit of weight for a room that is 15 x 15 feet in size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cool, so you have the limit. Now, what does this mean? What it does NOT mean is that if you put 9,001 pounds in the room, everything will immediately fall to the floor. There are legal reasons (and moral reasons) why these numbers come with some leeway. At the same time, follow the guidelines. Don’t risk it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, don’t take all of that weight and drop it square in the middle of the room<\/strong>. Almost assuredly, you will have major problems, even if the floor doesn’t immediately fall away, which it probably will if you put all of that weight in the middle of the room in one spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be on the safe side, you need to distribute all of that weight across the floor as evenly as possible<\/strong>. What does this mean, and how should you set up your bonus room?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, if you want to set up your home gym, there are a few general tips you should follow. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once this is done, there are a few general tips to follow for placing your equipment. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, you need to figure out which pieces of equipment are the heaviest and which are the lightest. You can take a look at the packaging to figure this out, but there are a few general rules. Your dumbbell racks, your squat rack, and your treadmills are generally your heaviest pieces of equipment. This will help you place the items in the right spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related Reading:<\/strong> What Happens When Indoor Air Conditioners Are Kept On The Floor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you end up going over the limit, you might start to have visions of yourself plummeting through the floor once again, crashing into your dining room table. Again, this is, more than likely, never going to happen. Instead, you are going to notice structural integrity issues start to develop with your bonus room<\/a>. There are a few ways this might develop. They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat The Numbers Mean<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Setting Up Your Home Gym<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\n
What Happens If You Are Over the Limit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/A-bonus-room-with-a-pool-table-in-it-1024x768.jpg\")