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Nine years ago, I joined Sterling Supplies and thought mats are mats and if you have seen one, you’ve seen them all… With a company full of matting gurus and decades of experience, I quickly learned that there is much more to matting and now I can bore people to death with conversations about compliance, fire ratings, polypropylene, needle punch, nylon pile, low profile nosing, rubber backing and all kinds of technical details.
To me, the most interesting thing about matting is that it seems so simple that it is often overlooked or an afterthought and yet it is so significant to a clean, safe and healthy environment.
A commercial entrance matting system helps businesses of all kinds provide a safer, healthier and more attractive environment for their employees, customers, patients, students, tenants, guests and visitors. From indoor air quality improvement to interior flooring protection, there are many features and details of a proper entrance matting system to consider.
1. Safety
The best and most effective entrance matting systems consists of a variety of products, each with a specific job, aggressively scraping off dirt, removing additional debris and moisture, and drying any remaining moisture to effectively clean the bottom of shoes before reaching the interior flooring. All of the products work together to improve safety and reduce the risk of liability from potential slip and fall accidents. Inferior matting products curl at the edges or slide on the floor which can result in a tripping hazard and work against the safety benefit. Durable matting products with quality backing and edging will ensure that mats remain flat and securely in place.
2. Interior Floor Protection
Terrazzo, ceramic tile, marble, granite, and hardwood are popular floor coverings used in commercial buildings and a valuable investment for building owners and managers. Tracked in dirt and moisture can cause scratches, scuff marks and staining on interior flooring surfaces. Entrance matting can eliminate damaging particles from the bottoms of shoes before reaching interior flooring and will help prolong its new appearance.
3. Reduce Interior Maintenance
Studies have shown that 80% and more of the dirt and debris in a building are tracked in on the bottom of shoes. With just 4.0m of matting, 75% of dirt, dust and moisture can be contained at the entrance to help reduce interior maintenance. If space allows, installing 8.0 – 9.0m of matting will ensure that each foot makes contact with the matting approximately 6 times to remove nearly all of the dirt. This allows for most of the cleaning to occur in one convenient location and less dusting, mopping and vacuuming around the building.
4. Clean First Impressions
Choosing the right mix of products will influence the effectiveness of the entrance system and the first impression of your building. Matting with slats are best for scraping off dirt and keeping it out of view for a clean image at the entrance. Some fiber matting products are better than others at hiding the dirt but even when it can’t be seen, daily vacuuming of commercial entrance matting is important to make room to capture more dirt.
5. Indoor Air Quality
People track in all sorts of dirt, moisture, chemicals and other pollutants on their shoes. An entrance system that is at least 4.0m will reduce exposure to hazardous particulates and chemical pollutants. Keep in mind 8.0 – 9.0m is the recommended amount of matting for the best results and will help maximize the impact it will have on improved indoor air quality.
So with all of these important contributions to a clean, safe and healthy environment, there is a little more to matting than you thought, isn’t there?
What problems is your matting causing?
