Floor Mats Questions and Answers

Our Guarantee: 100% Customer Satisfaction. Our 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee means that Ferguson Cleaning Supplies will always stand behind the floor mats we sell. The most comprehensive warranty in the industry covering all parts of the mats. Including the edging, facing, and backing.

The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) is a non-profit organization that conducts independent product testing and certification, educational training, and standards development designed to aid in the prevention of slips, trips, and falls. As an ANSI-accredited standard developer, the NFSI independently evaluates floor mats to ensure slip-resistance. The following mats have been tested and certified by the NFSI: ColorStar Kneeling Comfort SuperScrape SuperScrape Impressions SuperScrape Plus Sure Stride Sure Stride Plush WaterHog WaterHog Diamond WaterHog Impressions HD WaterHog Inlay WaterHog Plus Wet Step

As a general rule: The Waterhog and Berber style mats are best designed for indoor high traffic entrances. The Colorstar and Classic Impressions styles are best designed for indoor lower traffice locations. The Superscrape style is best designed for oudoor locations. The Wet Step and Frontier styles are designed for high water or moisture locations where a slip resistant mat is needed.

Many times facilities select mats for their entrances without much thought to the size they really need to effectively stop soil & moisture from entering the building. Because 3'x5' and 4'x6' size mats are most often seen in use. Facilities will select one of these smaller mat sizes based on this observation. We also see facilities choose a size similar to the one already in use, which may be too small as well. So how can we help facilities make the best choice of mat size for their entrances? The first thing we must do is make sure the sales person is trained and able to do a facility survey to determine what the needs are for each entryway. Then we must consider other factors. Is the entrance a high/low traffic entrance? Does the entrance have an outside cover? Do carts and buggies come in this entrance? Is this a snowy area? Rainy? Dry? These are a few of the considerations that need to be addressed when deciding how much matting coverage is needed. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends a minimum of 12 to 15 feet of coverage to remove 90% of tracked in soil. While a regional grocery store chain's insurance provider recommended a minimum of 23 to 25 feet to remove the majority of moisture entering their facilities. In both cases, the recommendation was much longer that 5 or 6 feet. Facilities can achieve maximum coverage by utilizing a three mat system that includes an outside scrapper mat, vestibule wipe/scrape mat, and an interior wiping/finishing mat to collect the moisture and soil not stopped by the first two mats. The sizes of these mats could vary depending on the available area but should measure collectively a minimum of 15 feet. One way to determine if the current coverage is sufficient is to look beyond the end of the mat. If there is excess soil, moisture, or wear, it is a good bet that there isn't enough coverage for the conditions. Remember it is always better to have too much coverage than not enough

1. STOP SOIL AND WATER AT THE DOOR Surprisingly, not all entrance mats are designed to do this. The most effective mats provide a combination of scraping and wiping to stop the maximum amount of contaminants. 2. STORE SOIL AND WATER FOR REMOVAL The most effective entrance mats are designed to provide a place for soil and water to go to for storage. It is important that the storage be designed for maximum storage and ease of removal when the mat is cleaned. It is important that the mat provide a way for soil and water to be contained so they cannot spread to the surrounding floor . Contaminants that flow off the sides of a mat cause damage and can lead to slip/fall dangers. Mats with flat borders do not provide the necessary containment for best performance. Higher performance mats provide a dam that will hold the soil and water for removal during cleaning. 3. MINIMIZE TRACKING OF SOIL AND WATER This capability is best accomplished by a BI-level construction that provides an upper surface for walking and a lower area where soil and water are stored until removed by cleaning. The amount of soil that a mat allows to be reattached to shoes is directly related to the construction of the mat. High performance mats utilize this permanent rubber reinforced BI-level construction, thereby, trapping large quantities of moisture and dirt, minimizing the effects of soil and water being tracked further into the facility. Low performance mats such as those with non-reinforced ribbed or cut pile face yarn alone will not hold up under foot pressure and will crush in a short period of time, thus allowing more water and dirt to reattach to shoes and be tracked into respective facilities. A permanently rubber reinforced Bi-level construction extends the performance life of a mat reducing the need to dispose of mats frequently. 4. PROVIDE A SAFE SURFACE The bottom of a mat should be slip-resistant to minimize movement on the floor when it is walked on. Also any water on the mat should be contained in a reservoir below the traffic surface to prevent moisture on flooring surface adjacent to the mat that can cause slip/fall incidents. Rubber-backed mats provide a better slip resistance than vinyl-backed mats. Rubber-backed mats do not curl, as vinyl mats do, thus reducing trip and fall exposure. Some rubber-backed mats have cleated surfaces on the bottom that further enhances non-skid properties and allows moisture to dry from underneath the mat.

Mats that will be placed on a smooth surface like marble, tile, or wood perform best with a smooth backing. The smooth backing allows the two surfaces to have the most contact and create the most friction to prevent the mat from moving. Some larger size mats and styles can only come in a smooth back only.

Mats that will be placed on a carpeted surface perform best with a full-cleated backing. Cleats are small nubs that grip the carpeted surface to minimize movement. Universal-cleated backing is a hybrid option designed to perform on both smooth and carpeted floors. Some larger size mats and styles can only come in a smooth back only.

The following is only a guideline for the cleaning/maintenance of the mats. Floor mats are an investment. Our mats are made with only the best nylon or PET facing and rubber backing and edging materials. Normally special care is not needed. Be careful of sharp edges on vacuums and extraction wands. Pickup any sharp objects or debri on the mats throughout the day. Do not clean with any high solvent or harsh cleaners. Solvent cleaners melt glue and reduce the integrity of carpet and floor mats. Use only approved labeled carpet extraction chemicals. Remove gum, tar, or sticky items with freeze carpet spot cleaner. Freeze spot cleaner hardens the spot, so it can be chipped off. Berber Roll Goods & Berber Roll Goods Logo -Vacuum regularly-Daily in high traffic applications, weekly in lower traffic applications. -Extract clean as needed to remove heavy soil. Do not use Bonnet or Spin Brush cleaning process for cleaning. -Due to the inlay and settling process, Berber mats should not be rolled back up after being laid out. They should be either cleaned in place or slide around to be moved. Brush Hog™ & Brush Hog Plus -Vacuum regularly-Daily in high traffic applications, weekly in lower traffic applications. -Extract clean or hose off as needed to remove heavy soil. -Hang mats to dry. -Mats should be dry before placing back in service Classic Impressions, Classic Impressions HD, Classic Impressions HD Vacuum regularly - daily if your mat is in a high traffic area, weekly in lower traffic areas. -Extract clean or hose off as needed to remove heavy soil. -Hang mats to dry. -Mats should be dry before placing back in service. - Avoid placing Classic Impressions mats in direct sunlight. Over time high intensity sunlight will fade some of the colors, especially sunlight coming through windows. ColorStar & ColorStar Impressions, Colorstar Impressions HD Vacuum regularly - daily if your mat is in a high traffic area, weekly in lower traffic areas. -Extract clean or hose off as needed to remove heavy soil. -Hang mats to dry. -Mats should be dry before placing back in service. - Avoid placing Colorstar mats in direct sunlight. Over time high intensity sunlight will fade some of the colors, especially sunlight coming through windows Legacy Classic-Fashion, Legacy Grand, Legacy Inlay -Vacuum regularly-Daily in high traffic applications, weekly in lower traffic applications. - Extract clean or hose off as needed to remove heavy soil. -Hang mats to dry. -Mats should be dry before placing back in service Due to the inlay process, care should be taken when extracting around the logo inlay pieces Waterhog Classic, Waterhog Inlay -Vacuum regularly/daily in high traffic applications, weekly in lower traffic applications. -Extract, clean or hose off as needed to remove heavy soil. -Hang mats to dry. -Mats should be dry before placing back in service - Due to the inlay process, care should be taken when extracting around the logo inlay pieces. Waterhog Impressions HD Vacuum regularly/daily in high traffic applications, weekly in lower traffic applications. -Extract, clean or hose off as needed to remove heavy soil. -Hang mats to dry. -Mats should be dry before placing back in service - Avoid placing Waterhog Impressions mats in direct sunlight. Over time high intensity sunlight will fade some of the colors, especially sunlight coming through windows

Though vinyl-backed mats are often an alluring choice for the cost-conscious shopper, they do not perform well in settings with more than moderate traffic, and they are prone to cracking and curling around the edges. When this happens, if vinyl mats remain in service, they can become dangerous. If you’re looking for a mat that offers long-term durability and safe performance, invest in a rubber-backed mat. Rubber will lay flat. It will not crack or curl and will provide years of reliable service.

The WaterHog mat has been in use since 1986 and walking on the surface of this mat with high heel shoes has not proven to be a problem. We believe that this is due in part to the design of the WaterHog mat with its rubber reinforced face pattern and the narrow gaps between these raised surfaces. Combine this design feature with the beveled border and you have a safe walking surface that effectively removes and traps dirt and moisture away from the traffic level. Containing the dirt and moisture on the mat greatly improves the safety of the surrounding floor surfaces.

In most cases, No. Almost all the mats have approximate sizing that is generally an inch or two smaller than the listed foot measurement on each side. Each product page has a link to actual inch measurements for your information.

There are benefits to owning your own mats. You’ll experience substantial cost savings and improved safety from better performance and no rental program costs. Hit the "Get the Facts" link to read more.