Which mat is right for your entrance?
Deciding on which entrance mat to choose can be a bit of a minefield, especially when you look at how many different styles, types and materials are included in our large entrance matting range. However, don’t worry in this blog you will find a matting solution that fits your needs, whether that be for personal, commercial, public or general use.
What is the best matting for you?
First and foremost you may be looking into purchasing an entrance mat as you want to benefit from one (or more) key features of our entrance mats. Before choosing which mat is right for you, it is important to note the key roles that you will experience by having an entrance mat. To start with, entrance mats give the area an increase in safety underfoot as it helps to reduce the risk of slipping when walking on smooth floors, it also increases the amount of dirt and moisture that gets trapped on entry, protecting the interior floor surfaces and coverings and finally the appearance as it can leave an impression when entering or leaving an entranceway.
Outdoor vs Indoor entrance matting
The first decision you need to make is whether you are looking for an outdoor or indoor entrance mat. On the whole outdoor entrance matting is made of more durable materials like rubber and coir as they need to be more hardwearing. This is due to the fact that outdoor mats are usually equipped to remove the bulk of dirt, mud, snow and any other debris that has been collected on your shoes. On the other hand indoor door mats are usually made of carpet or softer materials (usually with a rubber backing) so that when you brush your feet over them the carpet layer soaks up moisture whilst staying in place. Again outdoor mats and indoor usually differ when it comes to cleaning too. With the nature of outdoor mats being durable and hard wearing they can normally just be hosed/jet washed down whereas indoor mats may need more care by either hand washing or placing them in the washing machine.
How deep should my entrance matting be?
This is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing the right entrance mat. As there need to be enough length in order to remove as much dirt, mud or other debris as possible as well as ensuring there is optimum performance on moisture wiping and absorption.
People don’t tend to wipe their feet when entering public buildings for example supermarkets and shopping centres, so it is important that the length of matting is long enough to allow moisture and debris to be removed as people walk on the matting. Our experts recommend that a minimum of six steps should be taken in order to remove as much debris and dirt as possible.
Although this won’t be a necessary guide for personal use, e.g. household door mats, this guide will however give an indication into how long your entrance matting needs to be, depending on the footfall of your entranceway.
We would recommend:
- Less than 80 people an hour = 3-4 metres of entrance matting
- Up to 400 people per hour = 6-7 metres of entrance matting
- Around 800 people per hour = 8-10 metres of entrance matting
- Around 2500 people per day = 9-12 metres of entrance matting
Which material is ideal for an entrance mat?
Certain entrance mats in our range are designed out of specific materials to cater for certain uses/environments. We supply a wide range of entrance mats made of some of the finest materials including; coir, nylon, polypropylene, microfibre and natural and nitrile rubber. To see what material is suitable for your needs, check out our blog on what materials make a good entrance mat.
