What you will need for your deadlift platform:

• 2 pieces of wood measuring around 40 x 100 cm with a thickness of 20-30 cm
• A 15 mm rubber mat or some 15mm rubber mat scraps/leftovers
• 10-20 wood screws
• 5-10 minutes of your time

I used this small and mobile 3-piece deadlifting platform during the two years, where I had a tiny homegym in a spare bedroom. But, even after I moved into my new ~30m² homegym, I still often use them for deficit deadlifts or to help me get more range of motion on seated horizontal cable pulls.

I used two old spare IKEA IVAR shelves and some rubber mat scraps. One shelf was kept in its full length as the piece I would be standing on, while I cut the other shelf into two pieces – one for the weight plates on each end of the barbell.

After cutting the wood into three pieces, you simply attach the rubber mats on top with some wood screws. You now have a tiny platform that can be stored away and will help you distribute the weight over a bigger area (the wood) and soften the impact (the rubber).

I have lifted between 200 and 215 kg on my tiny platform a few times. But the weight was mostly between 140-180 kg when deadlifting in training at that time. I never dropped the weights. and I would always put them down gently with control, and hence my floors were unharmed during those two years. Therefore, I cannot recommend that you drop the weight from lockout or lift significantly more than 200 kg on this platform, if you want to be sure that your floors do not take damage.

Below, you can see the platform in action. An unexpected benefit of this platform was that it really forced me to get a tight deadlift setup where I felt locked in before initiating the deadlift.

I hope this was helpfull.