Treadmill Noise and Vibration Damper

I live in a condo and got tired of going to the gym, so I bought a treadmill to use in my place. I bought a "vibration absorbing mat" to put under the treadmill, thinking that it might help. Well, first time using the treadmill I got a knock on the door. My next door neighbour was complaining that the floor and wall were shaking so much she thought it was an earthquake. I need to listen to her....she is the super for the building!

So, I decided I needed to build a vibration-damper for the treadmill. Used it and it works perfectly - my neighbours say they do not hear or feel a thing now. Here is what I did....

I got two hardwood planks (36" x 8") and put one under the treadmill front feet and one under the back feet. I bought a butyl rubber mat (you can use neoprene, buna-N....whatever....as long as it is bouncy rubber that springs back and doesn't compress too easily) and cut it into 4 rectangles, each 8" x 10". I put one under each end of the hardwood planks (under each treadmill foot) between the plank and the vibration mat.

I am 185lbs and run 4-6 miles at a pace of 7.5-8.5 mi/h. I think this would work for just about anybody.

Simple, cheap, effective.
 
Sorry. I made a mistake. I bought a 5/8" thick NBR rubber mat to cut into rectangles (not a Butyl rubber mat). Sorry for the error
 
That's pretty cool. I never would have thought you could get away with a treadmill in an apartment. I would have gone with a bike or a rower. Nice job.
 
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