Best Knee Pads For Flooring Work

Physical jobs that require you to spend hours each day on your knees can cause permanent damage to those fragile joints in a surprisingly short amount of time. Your knees need to last you a lifetime so a pair of work knee pads specifically designed for daily use and abuse on the job site can make a massive difference to your overall comfort and mobility for the rest of your life.

Best Knee Pads For Flooring Work 2017

We’ve researched and compared the 6 best knee pads for flooring work to find the most comfortable and durable professional grade kneepads so you can focus on getting the job done while keeping your knees comfortable and protected.

1. Dewalt DG5204 – Editors Choice: Best for Flooring Work

We put these tried and tested knee pads in first place because of their combination of durable materials, overall comfort and general knee protection. Users have noted being able to wear these kneepads for 8+ hours without them getting uncomfortable or creating pressure points. Plus, they are designed for multi surface use, meaning they hold up well to all materials of flooring including carpet, tile, concrete, hardwood, brick and more. This is important to point out because you will find some kneepads on the market that are designed to be used on only one type of flooring surface.

So what makes these kneepads so tough and versatile? For starters, they are primarily made out of a durable material called ballistic poly which is a thick heavy duty nylon that is strong without being heavy or overly bulky. What this means for you, is a lightweight kneepad that can take a regular beating without restricting movement or including unnecessary bulk and weight. After all, if you work in flooring, you don’t want to worry about a kneepad that’s going to fall apart due to the daily wear and tear of your job.

So we’ve talked about what makes the DEWALT DG5204 so durable, but what makes them so comfortable? Firstly, the layered gel padding that surrounds the knee provides support and protection. The thick padding means they remain comfortable no matter what position you may find yourself in while working on floors, roofs or in crawl spaces. The gel padding contours to your knee which means no hot spots and pinching even after wearing them for hours (a common complaint among less well designed, cheaper kneepads).

The straps are a slip-buckle fastener system designed to be easily and quickly adjusted to your liking. This means spending less time fiddling with straps and more time focused on the job at hand. The material the straps are made out of is neoprene which is a common, rubberlike material that has excellent stretching properties while still maintaining its strength. This helps to keep the knee pad in place. The straps are large which will help keep the knee pad from sliding up and down as they provide a bigger contact patch and lower the chance of digging into your skin or rubbing after hours of use. Most users prefer to wear these pads over jeans or shorts which will provide an extra layer of padding between the straps and your skin. A few users have commented that they have found the upper strap to be a little too thick to position. However, keep in mind that all parts of this kneepad, including the straps, are designed for maximum durability while remaining comfortable.

2. NoCry Professional – Editor’s Choice: Best for Roofing

Roofing involves a lot of time kneeling and moving around on hard or irregular surfaces. The best type of kneepads for this line of work have hard caps. The NoCry Professional Knee Pads with high density foam padding and absorbent gel cushion have abrasion resistant hard caps made with PVC plastic. These caps will protect your knees against roof shingles, loose nails and screws and sharp edges. In addition, these caps are designed to be flat in the center, which helps you remain balanced as you move around. This added stability is definitely a positive safety feature when working in a field that involved heights.

Keep in mind that as these protective pads for your knees are hard cap, while they do have a textured finish to help you stay put, the PVC material may still slide on smooth surfaces, like hardwood floors, or certain types of tile. This is something to consider, if you know your work involves a significant amount of time working on these types of surfaces.

These knee pads are made with a heavy weight, but breathable nylon. This is a durable fabric designed to hold up to even the toughest jobs. The fabric also features a mesh design to help them remain breathable and to discourage moisture buildup. This helps to prevent your knees from feeling hot and sweaty, making them great for roofing work which often involves spending plenty of time in the sun.

3. KP Industries Knee Pro – Best for Construction Work

So far the knee pads we have covered are primarily constructed from soft yet durable fabrics. With the KP Industries Knee Pro we introduce a pair of hard shelled knee pads primarily constructed out of plastic. You may be thinking “isn’t a hard-shell pad going to be stiff and hard to move around in?” Well that’s not the case with this product. KP has designed these to be ultra-flexible, and this combination of a hard outer shell with a surprising amount of flexibility is the main reason why we chose these as our best knee pads for construction work.

Hard-shell knee pads are ideal for construction work because they help protect you against the wide variety of hazardous materials that are found on a typical construction site. This model includes a ½ inch thick lining of inner foam to keep you comfortable and absorb any impacts. They connect with two elastic straps. Some users have commented that these straps are not as durable as the rest of the knee pads, but individual results may vary in this regard.

Before we end this KP Industries review, we do have to mention that these knee pads have the added bonus of being available in 5 different colors. There is a gray and orange dual color style, and then there is solid black, tan, OD green, and foliage green.

4. Dewalt DG5224 – Best for Tiling

This is our second pick from Dewalt. The company is known for crafting durable products for the construction industry, and that craftsmanship shines through in their DG5224 heavy-duty flooring knee pads.

If you work in tiling, then you are aware of the challenges involved in protecting the tiles (and grout) from damage during their installation. We chose these as the best knee pads for tiling, because they were designed to eliminate scuff marks and protect delicate tile materials. They also protect your knees from repeated hard surface impacts with a textured PVC shell in the caps and ample foam padding which helps to spread the pressure and absorb impact. Some people with thinner legs have found that there is not quite enough padding for their liking, and that the straps have a difficult time staying in place. The straps can be adjusted, so it may just be a matter of finding the right position, but this is something to consider if you have thinner than average legs.

5. Fiskars Ultra-Light – Top Lightweight Knee Pads

If you are looking for a very lightweight, but still sturdy knee pad that will keep you supported and protected then the Fiskars Ultra-Light knee pads may be the solution for you. Their design is simple but effective: a hard outer shell, soft foam on the inside, and a single strap to hold it in place.

This simplistic design actually makes this knee pad suitable for any leg size. The single strap makes for easy adjustment. Flooring work involves a lot of movement, so their design serves another added bonus of being very lightweight, so that you are able to move freely as you work.

These are a hard shell type kneepad, so they offer protection against sharp objects and abrasive materials. As stated above, they have a simple design to them, so this also means they do not have as much padding or the enhanced support found on some of the other knee pads on this list. However, this lack of thicker padding can also be seen as a bonus, as there’s nothing in these knee pads that can feel too bulky or obtrusive. They are moisture proof and also designed for outdoor work, which makes them very useful if you are working in rough terrain. The Fiskars Ultra-Light knee pads are also ideal for gardening or landscaping work or any household chore for that matter.

6. Custom Leathercraft 339 – Best for Flooring Installers

For our number 6 spot, we close out the list with the Custom Leathercraft 339 Armor-Flex knee pads. These are a hard shell pair of knee pads with a hinge at the cap to increase mobility. They are great for protecting you during flooring installation work, and will protect your knees from the impact of hard surfaces like brick and concrete.

While they don’t have as much padding as some of the other knee pads on this list, the inside is lined with thick foam to helps absorb the shock to your knees that occurs when working on hard surfaces.

Perhaps the main drawback to this knee pad is, that they may not fit bigger people. They do have adjustable straps, but some users have noted that the entire build of the knee pads on the smaller side.

And there you have it. Whether you work in construction, flooring, roofing or welding we’ve got you covered with a wide range of professional grade work knee pads that will meet your requirements with ease. This roundup shows you don’t need to spend all that much to pick up a comfortable, durable pair of work knee pads that will prolong your knees and give you one less thing to worry about on the job site.