The soles of hundreds of employees can bring dirt, moisture and unwanted pathogens into your office, increasing maintenance costs, increasing the risk of trips and slips and hurting the first impressions of your establishment.
This is why smart barrier matting from Gradus can be an essential part of your entrance and reception layouts, as its hard-wearing surface can scrape and remove dirt, mud and moisture, maximising cleanliness and minimising safety issues and liability.
To understand what Gradus’ range of barrier matting systems can do for you, here is a guide to barrier matting, the various types available and why it is an essential part of your reception room design.
What Is Barrier Matting?
A type of entrance matting, barrier matting is a highly robust, professionally installed, large-scale installation that scrapes away dirt from shoes.
It is made from heavy-duty materials, typically taking the form of a metal grid with multiple strips of matting or rubber, which is built to withstand thousands of wet and muddy footsteps every day, whilst requiring little maintenance to remain at its best.
It is often an essential part of avoiding slips and falls by minimising the amount of standing water in the workplace.
Barrier matting is primarily used for the principal entrance of a building, but it has also been used in other major points of traffic in an office, such as near lifts, staircases, breakout rooms, canteens and outdoor balconies.
Types Of Barrier Matting
Barrier matting is a relatively broad group, and there are a wide range of barrier matting types designed for different purposes rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
In general, there are three main types of barrier matting to consider as part of your design:
- Primary Barrier Matting – Designed for indoor and outdoor use, primary matting uses a scraper wiper and abrasive textiles to remove dirt and moisture.
- Secondary Barrier Matting – A high-performance textile placed further into a room or in targeted areas that further removes potential spills and adds traction.
- Hybrid Barrier Matting – Also known as a “mat-in-a-box”, a hybrid barrier system is a modular barrier matting system designed to be easy to install and easy to expand as required.
As each type of barrier matting has its own uses and locations, it is often best to get in touch with flooring and matting experts to see which system is right for you and how large your barrier matting should be to get the best result.
Why Do You Need Barrier Matting?
Barrier matting is often essential for many workplaces, and it is difficult to find a retailer, office, factory or other place of business that does not use some form of barrier matting.
Whilst there are a lot of benefits to doing so, here are the three biggest.
Safety
An office with excess moisture and mud is more dangerous for users, creating potential trip hazards and the greater risk of infections and pathogens entering carpets.
A barrier mat scrapes these away at the door, providing a much safer environment.
Lower Maintenance Costs
Less mud tracked into the building means far lower cleaning costs and fewer deep carpet cleans required per year.
Professional Image
First impressions are key in business, and a solid entrance mat and clean office will help with business deals, audits and reputation building.