A treadmill mat is something that goes under the treadmill to cushion the ground from the treadmill. While you're pound pounding away on top of the treadmill, the ground is taking quite a beating. This will become particularly obvious if you use a treadmill in a second floor apartment and hear complaints from the tenant below you. In addition to protecting the ground from the physical force of the working treadmill it also protects your treadmill from itself, and the stuff that comes up from the ground.
The treadmill mat should be a little longer and wider than the base of your treadmill. The standard size is 6.5 ft x 3 ft but can be longer or wider or both. Standard thickness is a quarter inch but also come in 3/8 inch to provide extra padding. The mat will absorb the vibration from your machine. Otherwise, the vibrations hit the ground and reverberate back into the treadmill causing damage that adds up over time shortening the life of your treadmill.
All that vibration also creates the noise the lucky neighbors get wake up to. Noise and life span is enough reason to buy a relatively cheap accessory for your thousand dollar investment. Did I mention your floors and/or carpet could also take on some damage?
Some people think regular carpeting will take place of the treadmill mat. In truth, the carpet is another reason to get a mat. While the machine is in use, carpet fibers along with other junk from the floor float around just waiting to get into the mechanics of your treadmill. Also, as with most motorized machines, there will be some grime from the treadmill that will inevitably end up in your carpet or on your floor and a treadmill mat is so much cheaper to collect grime than the carpet.
Another reason some people like to get mats is simply for the look. Some people like to center their treadmill in a room and show it off. If that's the case, then having a mat under your treadmill helps to center the machine as the focal point of the room just as you intended and creates a solidifying effect for the object. Since most mats are simple solid colors, usually black. I've seen a couple with logos in the corner, and personally I like the minimalist look with nothing but a solid color. Whatever your reason, a standard mat will run about -. There's no reason not to get a mat for your treadmill.
