If you want to spend a lazy day practicing roller skating at home, you can’t help but skate on tile floors. During those times, you will have your mom screaming at the top of her lungs, telling you to not ruin her precious tiles. But, does skating really ruin tile floors? This leads to the question: can you roller skate on tile floors?
You can roller skate on tile floors. These days, skates are manufactured with plastic wheels that go easy on the floor. They don’t tend to leave behind marks that’ll remain forever. Additionally, tile floors are receptive to heavy loads. They won’t get ruined or cause slip-ups on such light gliding.
However, skating on tile floors might not be as safe as you’re thinking. So, you should be aware of a few things if you plan to continue skating on it. Additionally, if you want to look for alternative places to practice skating, check out our list of floors you should rather roller skate on.
Is It Safe To Skate On Tile Floors?
Skating on tile floors can be labeled safe; after all, you’re just gliding on a floor that produces friction. However, tile floors tend to be a bit more slippery than normal skating floors. The friction they provide might not be strong enough to hold you off in the case of big leaps.
So, we suggest that even if you skate on tile floors, don’t do big leaps or any heavy gliding. It just isn’t safe. Stick to learning normal gliding tricks and practicing regular skating when you’re skating on tile floors. Better safe than sorry.
Do Roller Skates Ruin Tile Floors?
Roller skates don’t leave behind many marks and scratches. Roller skates are far more durable these days, and they ensure your floor remains scratch-free. So, roller skates don’t ruin tile floors.
That being said, light marks can be left behind on tile floors after a skating session. However, a regular clean-up will most likely get rid of the marks right away. Despite that, to ensure a good skating experience, you should look after your tile floors anyways.
How To Care For Tile Floors
If you regularly skate on tile floors, you have to take good care of them to not ruin their surface. Although heavy skating can leave a few scratches, you can maintain the smoothness with a proper clean-up routine.
A mopping routine can go a long way to keep your tiles fresh and receptive to roller skating. After doing a dry clean-up round using a vacuum or dust mop, just redo the area with a mop and some soap and warm water. Then dry the floor right away. And voila! You’ve got a shiny, glossy, and clean floor!
Although the regular clean-up routine will keep your tiles healthy enough for another round of skating, check out our suggested tips for a more safe and satisfying skating experience.
Give Your Tiles A Deep Clean
A deep cleaning session once in a few months will do. This will help deep clean all the dirt away. Dirt that’s been deposited on the floor from the skating wheels.
Although a regular clean-up helps prevent the build-up of dirt, it can’t really make the dirt disappear. Hence, you should do a deep cleaning routine once in a while.
Clean Your Grout For Smooth Skating
See, grouts can hold up a lot of dirt and make your skating experience very rough. If you give a bit of extra attention to your tile grouts, you can get rid of the dirt which will help you slightly reduce the bumpy feeling you experience while skating on tile floors.
If you can go as far as to fill in your tile grouts, that’ll be even better for smooth skating! However, it is not required because a little friction helps to keep a skater steady throughout their ride.
Best Floors To Roller Skate On
Although skating at home on tile floors is an easy way to keep practicing, it is not the ideal floor to skate on. Heading out from time to time and forming a routine to skate outdoors is the best way to learn skating.
However, being equipped with a helmet and safety pads is a must for a safe skating experience. So, whichever floor you skate on, you are safe from falls and bruises. On that note, you should try skating on any of the following floors.
Outdoor Roller Skating Rinks
First and foremost, try skating on a real skating rink. See, these floors are made for skating wheels. You’ll find many people either enjoying their leisure time or learning to skate in the rinks every day. You should consider joining in too!
However, professional skaters usually avoid skating rinks because they have difficulty reaching their desired speed on that floor. The sound can also get a bit too much to handle sometimes. On top of that, falls on a skating rink can really sting!
However, it is a good place for beginners. As long as they are equipped with all the safety gear. So, try to find a nearby skating rink and schedule a visit right away! If you get to skate at an outdoor roller skating rink, you’ll get the hang of skating in no time.
Concrete
A concrete floor is the best place to practice skating as it’s the cheapest alternative. You can easily start by skating on the sidewalks of your neighborhood or a nearby park.
Although concrete floors give good support to skating wheels, their uneven nature can cause quite a few hurtful slip-ups. If you’re a beginner, your skating experience might not be as smooth as the one in an outdoor skating rink because of the bumpy concrete floors.
Therefore, you should always be strapped with the necessary pieces of safety equipment to lessen the blow of any hard falls. Hence, although a concrete floor is a good option, we would suggest it for intermediate or pro skaters rather than beginners, as beginners are more prone to hurting and bruising themselves.
Wooden Floor
This is the best floor to practice skating on for beginners. Wooden floors help to give a comparatively soft landing and can cushion your fall safely. After all, it is not a shocker that a beginner is likely to take quite a few falls before they get the hang of skating.
The good thing about wooden floors is they are softer than any other surface. They also have a good grip as the floor texture has a slightly sticky nature. Although ‘sticky’ doesn’t sound like a good trait for skating, it actually helps hold off skaters. This makes wooden floors one of the best surfaces to practice skating on.
Tennis Court Tile
If you’re shopping for roller skating tiles, tennis court tiles are a good option to consider. These tiles are usually very durable. Even though they’re made for tennis, they also work well for skating. These tiles are pretty affordable.
They also ensure comfortable falls and a long-lasting court.
Final Thoughts
These days, you can easily skate on any floor as manufacturers are making sturdy skates now. But, if you were wondering can you roller skate on tile floors? Now you know you definitely can.
All you need to do is keep your tile floors clean, and if you’re still skeptical, just skate on wooden floors, concrete, or any of the other floors!
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