Bolting horse stall mats to the AoM platform?

[floridarunner]

For those who have built the AoM weightlifting platform:

Do you somehow secure the horse stall mats so they don't wiggle around? Bolt them to the platform? Does that even work?

[jfsully]

I used wood screws, and added a washer so the screw head wouldn't just pull through the mat. Even with the washer, you have to be careful not to torque the screw down too hard. The mats are heavy enough that they wouldn't move too much on their own, but I think its worth screwing them down as it would annoy me to see them shifting around bit by bit over time.

[Satch12879]

First, get a tube of construction adhesive and apply that between the mats and the underlying plywood.

Then, use screws and washers to secure the mats to the plywood. They'll have to be long enough to go through the mats and the plywood, but not too long to come out the bottom. 1 inch should probably be fine. Make sure the head of the screws aren't larger than the washer hole. Secure them at even intervals around the perimeter of the mat. The washers help prevent the screws from going all the way through the mat.

[jfsully]

I think using the adhesive is overkill, and may prevent you from reconfiguring your mats and platform later. You can always do it stepwise: just lay the mats down. If they move then screw then down. If it looks like the mats are moving and enlarging the screw holes, unscrew them and glue ‘em down.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Most of the mats in my gym are not glued down. They are either held in place by the framing edge of the platform, or they are heavy enough to not move much, and we just recenter them occasionally.

[floridarunner]

Thanks guys. Hadn't thought of the glue/adhesive. And good call on using a washer to avoid the screw going entirely through the mat. From Rip's comment, I don't have a frame around my platform, and maybe that would help keep things in place.

Gonna think it through.

Thanks for the help!