Mats That Defend Against The Elements

The location of a facility might dictate the type of mat most appropriate for use. Below, we asked manufacturers to weigh in on how much of a factor climate and location is when selecting matting systems.

JoAnn Durette
Vice President of Marketing
Mats Inc.
Stoughton, Massachusetts

Don Mistro
Senior Regional Sales Manager
Superior Manufacturing Group
Chicago, Illinois

How much of a factor is climate and facility location in choosing the right mat?

Durette — There are several factors that should be considered before making a matting purchase including amount of space available, type and amount of traffic, rolling loads, quality, budget, maintenance impact, climate, etc. These points are important and should all be considered before making the purchasing decision, but we can provide some general climate and location considerations to help influence the decision-making.
Regardless of climate or location, a combination of scraping and drying products should be incorporated into a matting system. The amount and aggressiveness of each type of product can change based on what type of matter is regularly coming in on the bottoms of shoes. 
Entrance systems defending against snow, mud and ice melt should include a foot grille product (proven to be slip resistant) to remove particles and store them below the surface. In snowy and wet climates, look for nylon matting with the highest moisture absorption capacity and include it in the overall system design.  Debris removal in dry climates can be accomplished with aggressive scraping mats, and incorporating foot grilles to capture larger particles is highly effective.

Mistro — This is the most important question when determining the correct mat for a facility. Sizes and quality or mats needed can vary based upon the application and environment. When budgeting custodial executives should think about safety and choose the right mats for the most used applications.