If you’re looking for a mat to go at the entrance of your premises, you will likely have come across the terms “entrance matting” and “barrier matting”. Although similar, these two products are subtly different and therefore have specific use cases.
What is entrance matting?
Entrance matting is what you’ll see inside many commercial properties and public-access buildings like shopping centres, hospitals and airports.
This type of matting is typically installed just inside the doors and is designed to absorb moisture from people’s shoes, as well as to pick up dirt and debris to prevent it being tracked further into the premises.
Entrance matting is typically made in what’s called closed construction, which means there are no gaps between the wipers. This means the dirt remains on the surface of the mat and therefore that these systems need to be regularly cleaned to stay effective.
What is entrance matting made from?
Various materials can be used for high-performing entrance matting. For example, the Gradus Boulevard range of products is made from tufted, cut-pile, high-performance barrier carpeting that features a heavy scraper fibre to remove the worst of the dirt on people’s shoes.
Other Gradus entrance matting products, such as the Access Click Mat in a Box, feature a UPVC base with polypropylene wipers to capture moisture and dirt.
What is barrier matting?
Barrier matting is a more robust matting system that is typically installed outside a property. It works in the same way as entrance matting, in that it is designed to remove dirt, debris and moisture before it is tracked into a building.
However, unlike entrance matting, barrier matting often has an open construction, which means there are gaps between the wipers that allow dirt and water to fall into the mat well beneath.
Barrier matting is therefore an ideal first line of defence for buildings that see high levels of footfall and where cleanliness and hygiene is a top priority.
What is barrier matting made from?
Barrier matting, like the Gradus Esplanade systems, is typically made from rubber, nylon or PVC wiper blades that are designed to remove as much dirt as possible as people walk across the surface.
For extra cleaning power, systems like the Gradus Esplanade 9000 come equipped with aluminium scrapers connecting the strips.
Do you need barrier matting and entrance matting?
In many buildings, combining the two matting systems is a great idea as this provides superior cleaning and protection from dirt and other debris being tracked indoors.
One of the best ways to plan a new matting system is to approach it from the perspectives of different zones.
This simply means that you designate each area of your premises in a zone from one to four, with zone one being the areas that see the highest footfall and that will need to collect the most amount of dirt, while zone four are areas further into the building.
Zone one will typically be just outside your main entrance points, which is where robust barrier matting will be essential.
Zone two, then, is the interior access points, providing a double layer of protection to prevent unwanted mess coming in from outdoors.
This might be enough for your premises, but you can also designate zone three and four areas if you need to. Zone three would be anywhere inside your property that people move through frequently, such as foyers.
Finally, zone four covers any other areas where matting might be beneficial for hygiene purposes or to prevent slipping.