Whatever industry your business operates in, it can benefit from good quality matting. A well chosen, well maintained mat or matting can help to elevate the aesthetics of your environment, as well as improving health and safety in a huge range of ways. Here’s our guide to some of the more popular types of business matting:
Entrance mats
The classic. Entrance matting can both provide a professional look to your business (the entrance being among the first impressions that a new customer or client will have) and also serve an important safety function by cleaning and drying off the soles of the shoes that pass over it, preventing water and dirt from becoming a slip hazard.
Outdoor mats need to be waterproof, so are typically made out of a thick, sturdy perforated rubber. These mats are a great first line of defence; the rigid structure brushes the shoe clean of any mud, leaves and other dirt.
Indoor mats are more often made from a softer material with more absorbency. These are the second line of defence, more focused on drying the shoe. Logo mats are a great choice for inside your entrance – they can display your logo, company name or a slogan in any number of colours and shades, providing a really impressive expression of your brand name and mission.
Matwell mats are a particularly good option for higher-traffic areas. These are installed in a fixed position (the well) and should fit the space perfectly. You’ll commonly see these in hospitals, shopping centres and department stores, but they are increasingly being installed in office buildings, apartment blocks and smaller retail sites due to their durability and ease of maintenance.
Anti-fatigue matting
If your business requires staff to be on their feet for long periods (retail, production, manufacturing, etc) then you can increase productivity and alleviate certain health issues by buying an anti-fatigue mat. These mats provide a small amount of flexibility, which translates to a light cushioning for the user.This, in turn, forces the person standing on the mat to make micro-adjustments to their stance and position, which promotes blood flow and flexes the muscles, preventing discomfort and stiffness.
Anti-fatigue mats can be found in heavy-duty variants, best for industrial use, and light-duty options that are more suited for retail and packing sites, for example. Be sure to select the most appropriate choice for your site.
Chair mats
Office-based businesses can benefit from using chair mats. These are durable and hard-wearing mats that sit between the office chair and the flooring, protecting carpets, vinyl and other floor types from abrasions, scratches and divots caused by the chair’s movements.
Forklift mats
Sites that use forklifts to move goods in and out of buildings need special forklift matting. Water and dirt can easily be tracked in on the wheels of forklift trucks, and can cause a very real danger to both pedestrians and forklift users – the floor becomes slippery and people can fall over, or the lack of traction can cause your truck drivers to lose control and either skid or not brake effectively. Matting will dry the wheels as they pass over it, preventing water from making it into your facility.
Kitchen mats
Commercial kitchens that use rubber matting see a wide range of positive effects. First, your kitchen staff are less likely to slip as the matting gives much improved traction. Secondly, there is a cleanliness and hygiene benefit: dropped or spilled foodstuffs and liquids will fall through the perforations in the matting and sit there until the mat is rolled up and the area is swept – this prevents the mess from being trodden in and spread throughout your site.
What’s more, these types of rubber matting often have anti-fatigue properties, making your employees more comfortable and productive. And lastly, you can protect both your floors and your equipment. Anything dropped on a rubber mat has a lot more chance of remaining intact and not damaging the flooring than if it was dropped on other flooring types.
