Interlocking Rubber Flooring Tile: Used as Safety Floors!

Published: Santa Ana, Calif., September 25, 2012

Safety was a big concern for the Lutz family. So when ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and host Ty Pennington needed an attractive, yet, durable and safe rubber flooring material, they turned to Rubber-Cal and our Terra-Flex rubber tile floor. The homeowners, Kathleen, John and their six children, who have Down’s syndrome, have been living in a very small home in New York. The home and living conditions were not conducive to a family with that many special needs children.

From 1979 to 2003, the prevalence (total number of cases of a disease in a population at a specific time) of Down syndrome (DS) at birth increased by 31 percent, from 9 to 12 per 10,000 live births in 10 US regions. Safety took precedence when it came to providing the family with a better life and home. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” teamed up with Rubber-Cal to install flooring that truly accomplished that goal and then some.

Terra-Flex, an eco-friendly gym puzzle mat, was installed throughout the home. The resilient tile would give the family a safe-slip resistant surface that would also be tough enough to withstand the tremendous amount of foot traffic a busy family of eight could create.

Using to use the easy-to-install rubber tile floor was a no-brainer for the “Extreme Makeover” crew. Assembling the pieces of flooring is comparable to building a puzzle. Each individual gym puzzle mat tile has a connector piece on all four sides. This allows for quick installation and creates a simple and inexpensive way to replace a piece that may deteriorate or become damaged in any way.

Because of such tight time frames, speedy and easy installation is of high importance in this process. The”Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team typically has less than a week to demolish the old residence and complete the entire build of the brand new home.

The interlocking rubber tiles come in a variety of colors and add a level a beauty not found in other rubber flooring options. ABC, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and Rubber-Cal were able to accomplish so much in such a short time for this special family. They brought the outside world to them with a culturally inspiring décor, while providing a safe and comfortable environment to live and grow in.