Types of Floor Mats

Commercial Floor Mats

Using the correct floor mats in the various areas of your business is essential to the longevity of your floors and the safety of your staff and customers. Consider your restaurant's kitchen layout when choosing commercial kitchen mats. For example, you may need a different floor mat near your compartment sink that can handle wet areas than your frying station, which needs mats that can hold up to grease splatters. Additionally, you will need to think about the front-of-house, entry points, and transition areas. Read on to learn about the different types and styles of floor mats.

1. Anti-Fatigue Mats

Keep your employees comfortable with commercial anti-fatigue floor mats. These mats ease the stress on your workers' legs and backs for jobs that require a lot of standing. They are ideal for placement near sinks, bars, prep areas, cooking stations, assembly lines, cash registers, and hostess stands.

Below are some common styles of anti-fatigue floor mats.

• Rubber Anti-Fatigue Mats: Perfect for high-volume traffic areas, rubber anti-fatigue mats resist water, extreme temperatures, chemicals, and physical abrasions. The rubber material is durable for long-lasting use and allows the mat to absorb the shock of impact from feet to reduce the stress on the user's feet and legs.
• Interlocking Anti-Fatigue Mats: Use interlocking anti-fatigue mats to customize your floor mat system to meet the needs of your business.
• Vinyl Anti-Fatigue Mats: Perfect for low- to medium-traffic areas, vinyl anti-fatigue mats are an affordable choice for hostess/cashier stations and behind counters.
• Non-Slip Anti-Fatigue Mats: Use non-slip anti-fatigue mats near dishwashing areas and loading dock ramps to maintain safe and stable footing on wet surfaces.

2. Industrial Floor Mats

Make any work environment safer and more sanitary with industrial floor mats. These floor mats are best for non-foodservice commercial establishments, such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, medical facilities, and gyms.

Below are some common styles of industrial floor mats.

• Interlocking Floor Mat Tiles: Many interlocking floor mat tiles have drainage holes, making them great for showers, saunas, pools, and locker rooms. These mats interlock together to conform to whatever size you need.
• Switchboard Mats: Protect your employees from electrical shock with switchboard mats. These mats are perfect for use around control panels, fuse boxes, and heavy machinery.
• Tacky Mats: Also known as contaminate control mats, tacky mats have a thin layer of adhesive film on top to remove dirt, contaminants, and particles from shoes. They are ideal for clean rooms, medical applications, and manufacturing facilities.
• Carpet Protection Mats: Protect your carpet's longevity while ensuring safe footing in your industrial areas by using carpet protection mats. They are ideal for use in aisles, walkways, work areas, storage rooms, and assembly lines.
• Weight Room Floor Mats: Ideal for weight rooms and fitness centers, gym floor mats feature soft cushioning that offers extra support for weight equipment users' joints and legs.

3. Entrance Mats

Choosing the right commercial entrance mat is important to your business's first impression and should not be overlooked. Your customers will see and walk on them, so make sure to choose entrance mats that enhance the safety of your entrances, transition areas, and hallways while meeting your aesthetic standards. Entrance mats also help maintain the cleanliness of your floors by trapping dirt and moisture. They also have high traction to prevent slipping.

Below are some common styles of commercial doormats.

• Indoor/Outdoor Entrance Mats: Place indoor/outdoor entrance mats in transition areas to keep guests and staff from tracking moisture, dirt, and dust onto your floors.
• Scraper Entrance Mats: Help keep your floors clean with scraper entrance mats. Their abrasive surfaces remove dirt and moisture from shoes to keep guests and staff from tracking moisture, dirt, and dust onto your floors.
• Custom Entrance Mats: Use custom entrance mats with your college's insignia, team's mascot, or restaurant's logo to help further your established brand. These mats have beveled edges for easy wheelchair access and anti-slip backs to ensure they stay in place.
• Nylon Entrance Mats: Ideal for high-traffic areas, most nylon entrance mats are machine-washable for easy maintenance.

4. Wet Floor Mats

If you plan to use your mat in a kitchen, dish room, cooler, or outdoor setting exposed to moisture, then you'll want a floor mat with good water resistance and, potentially, drainage holes. Wet area floor mats promote safety by increasing traction and covering surfaces that would otherwise present slipping hazards when they become wet. They are ideal for warewashing areas, walk-in coolers, freezers, and other areas with wet surfaces. Wet floor mats are available in perforated and solid styles to adequately fit your applications.

Below are some common styles of wet area floor mats.

• Anti-Fatigue Wet Floor Mats: An anti-fatigue wet floor mat combines exceptional performance in slippery conditions with an added comfort that lessens the stress on your employees and promotes a happier work environment.
• Perforated Wet Floor Mats: Use a perforated wet floor mat to reduce slip hazards in high moisture environments. The drainage holes allow water, liquids, and waste to pass through the mat instead of retaining the moisture under the surface.
• Solid Wet Floor Mats: Use solid wet floor mats in areas that require moisture resistance but spills are infrequent, such as in walk-in coolers and freezers. They feature a ribbed surface that promotes safety by increasing traction to reduce the risk of slipping and falling.

How to Clean Anti Fatigue Kitchen Mats

Routinely cleaning your anti-fatigue kitchen mat extends its service life and maintains its safety and non-slip properties. Wash them daily to reduce their natural wear and tear and keep your kitchen clean. It's important to note that rubber mats should not be run through the dishwasher or folded since doing so increases the chances of cracking.

Use a mat transport and wash cart for ease of cleaning. These carts allow you to drape floor mats over the top bar and transport them safely to a wash station. Once the cleaning process is complete, hang the floor mats back on the cart to dry.

Watch our video tutorial on how to clean anti-fatigue kitchen mats: