I bought this mainly to use the gray side up, however it was rolled with the gray side facing in when shipped, so when I unrolled it and put the gray side facing up, the edges of the mat didn't relax and remained curled up. It's been 3 months of using this, and the edges still haven't unrolled, even after placing heavy furniture on it! We have to use heavy packaging tape to secure it to our hardwood floor so that it doesn't cause a tripping hazard! If you're going to use it with the road side up, you should be fine. It also appears durable (no squares have come off for me yet, unlike other reviewers), but do take note that the whole mat is textured with small squares, so things like kids' paint will be harder to wipe clean because it'll settle into the crevices of the squares.