Entry Matting
Entrance mats are a great addition to any building because of how they help you protect your floors from dirt. Everything good or bad in the building starts at the door, and you can give off a good first impression by using entrance matting. People entering a building will not wipe their feet unless something triggers that act. For example, sighting a slippery floor ahead will most likely make the person try to remove moisture from the soles of their shoes to avoid slipping. Also, a white carpet will trigger the thought that they do not want to drag dirt over it and be responsible for spoiling something so delicate. There are many triggers that you can implement in your building to create this thought process in people that walk in. However, the majority of people will still stroll in with the dirt regardless of the triggers. This is why entry matting is so essential for the cleanliness of your floors.
Importance of Entry Matting
Research has shown that about 70% of the dust, moisture, and dirt that enters a building is brought in by pedestrian and wheeled traffic. This is a huge percentage, and for buildings that require a high level of cleanliness, the amount of dirt that gets tracked in needs to be vastly reduced. This is why it is important to utilize a commercial system that is specifically engineered to get rid of high levels of dirt and also control moisture levels. Unless this suitable flooring system is installed at the entry point of a building to manage the spread of dirt, moisture, and dust, then the day-to-day pedestrian and wheeled traffic will lead to dirt marks and staining on the floor surfaces. Not only will this create a bad impression on other pedestrians entering the building, but it will also increase cleaning and maintenance costs while causing early damage to the floor finishes. Having extra moisture and dirt on the floor also increases the risk of pedestrians falling or slipping, which could lead to liability.
It is important that matting is placed correctly at the entrance of buildings. Did you know that ingress of moisture and dirt is responsible for about 70% of floorcovering deterioration and 25% of people slipping? Entry mats guard against so many damages that can be easily prevented. Allowing people to track dirt and moisture into the building could lead to a whole chain reaction of issues, and could create a big problem out of nothing. Consider wintertime, when people are tracking in all kinds of moisture like snow, hail, rain, etc. Setting up the entry matting not only protects the people within the building from slips and falls, but it also protects the building’s floors from that dust damage.
Entry Matting Design
We have seen hundreds of good and bad designed entry matting. we have seen mats changed because the owner wanted it to comply with the FENG SHUI design. Feng shui design matting required lines in certain directions. as a front entry is you it is your image it’s the remembered part then the bar is raised with the Matting being an important element to a designer.
Most matting can be shaped through a cut on-site or template and factory cut.
Another misunderstood factor is that not all dirt is Black, in fact, it is more correct to say most dirt in urban areas is a light colour, eg mud on mats shows as light beige, paper debris, cardboard, bird excretions on matting all is a light colour.
We strongly suggest looking at a beige or light grey.
However public transport tends to attract chewing gum which leans toward dark grey colour.
It is wise to study the dirt and moisture ingress of the building and ensure that an aesthetic design does not create a non-functional dirt removal zone.
Other things to consider are – mat alignment with doors and frames, picture framing mats with tiles, airlocks, Tbar positions
Area for cleaning mats nearby with water and hard stand and drain. expansion and contraction, weight for lifting and carrying to clean and ensure cleaners are given cleaning information and budget to do it.
Spare fill-in mats while other mats are being cleaned .colour fade, drainage of matwell.
We cant download all our knowledge here but you can see we have experience and we are happy to share when discussing projects.
NOVAPRODUCTS has some of the best matting systems you can find anywhere. And we have several different designs created to fit your taste specifically. These designs include:
1. Novatred Matting: This easy-to-install, heavy-duty matting system has been specially designed to provide a solution for dirt and moisture in entrances with high traffic. This mat is very versatile, and it has several commercial and industrial applications. You can use it to protect your flooring while also maintaining the quality architectural image of the building. Check out our new Novatred Design.
2. Nuway Matting: This fully reversible matting has a staggering 20year warranty on it. It offers excellent performance in dealing with high-traffic entrance locations, and it protects the flooring against moisture and corrosive grit. It is available for purchase in several different colours and a wide range of options.
3. Portal Plus (MA0307S): The portal plus matting system is a heavy-duty nylon pile that is both flexible and has waterproof rubber vinyl backing. It has been crafted to specifically function in commercial-duty clean-off areas. It has a pile density that can act as a hard brush on the sloes of footwear, and this helps to remove any dirt or dust that might otherwise be tracked into the building. The moisture is also removed from the footwear by capillary attraction in the tufting, so the matting has a very effective moisture barrier. Talk to Us for more information about it.
4. Boardwalk: Another heavy-duty tufted nylon pile, the Boardwalk is a super dirt remover. It is an excellent innovation and very easy to install. It is best used in areas with a medium level of foot-and-wheel traffic like schools and offices. Because of its non-metallic construction, the Boardwalk matting system is great in zones where electronic tagging systems are in operation.
Maintenance of Matting
After getting your matting system installed, it is of utmost importance that you maintain it properly. This is so that you can enjoy the benefits of having this matting system to the maximum. The best position to place your mat would be in the driest warm area, where it will get a lot of airflow. It is best to avoid rain spraying on the matting, as it would not be able to remove moisture anymore. So, the feet will continue to carry dirt. With the addition of the NOVAGRATE, you would be given extra drainage in your matting as well as air circulation through the matting for drying. Whichever of the mat designs you choose will work well for your building.
The best spot for mat installation has been proven to be inside the building and on either side of a rotary door with air conditioning. The circular revolving door promotes slow and small steps, which creates feet shuffling, and in essence, forces the soles to be cleaned against the matting. Every step on the prime condition matting will remove 10% of the removable dirt and moisture, so the more steps are taken, the more can be removed. Considering the door type in place is very important, as a large revolving door with a large weather-protected area in front would be the ultimate choice. It is in the same principle that manual doors are better than automatic doors
Replacement of Matting
Mostly matting has reduced to less than 50% functionality when facilities management starts looking at matting. This can be because the fibres are worn or mounted flat or succumb to a combination of dirt and cleaner to become a flat non-fibrous pad.
Matting is the collection zone for walking in the dirt. it must be cleaned with vigorous methods, mostly water blasting.
After using a suggested method of cleaning if the mat fibre pile has died or simply worn away then it’s time to replace it. this does not mean a warranty because it is just normal wear and tear.
The Novaguard mats can be turned over and you will have a good length of life out of the other side.
Typically we expect Novaguard to outlast single-sided mats by double the life.
Keeping mat wells clean also preserves the underside of matting.
You can contact Novaproducts for some consultation regarding the matting, and we will give you all the help you need. Remember, our symbol is a globe for we are an all-around support service.
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