Making the Right Choice
The choice of entrance floor mat does not seem like a very important decision for someone who is in charge of an office or a commercial building. It might not seem to have too much of an overall effect on the building, but that is a misconception. In reality the kind of entrance floor mat that would be used in a building is going to be very crucial. This is why it is important that you have enough of the appropriate information that will assist you in making the right choice.
Choosing the right entrance floor mat, though crucial is not complicated. However, a rental lift-and-lay program can make this job simpler for you. You can also rely on companies that provide mat rentals such as Alsco. Get their services and you can have all the benefits of a good entrance mat, at an economical cost, without any of the crucial decisions involved in the selection process.
The Right Entrance Floor Mat
Even then it is important to know what constitutes the ‘right’ entrance floor mat.
Commercial and office buildings are in a constant struggle against dirt, dust and moisture. A significant part of the cost and effort to maintain a building clean is taken up by the efforts to keep those out of a building. Most of the dust, dirt and moisture that make it inside a building (around 85% of it) come from the soles of shoes, brought in by the people who are walking in.
Each person who walks into a building brings in 0.58g of dirt and moisture through the soles of his/her shoes and that goes up during wet days. In a very busy commercial building, that gets a great deal of traffic that would mean a lot of dirt getting inside. Getting that dirt cleaned up later costs a lot of man-hours and money.
As always, prevention is always better than cure and the same is true with dealing dirt and moisture in a building. Instead of trying to clean up what gets inside, it would be a better idea to prevent these from getting inside in the first place. This is where a good entrance floor mat would come in.
The Entrance Floor Mat
To lower cleaning costs, the best move is to use a good entrance floor mat that would remove most of the dirt on the soles of the people who are coming in. By having the right kind of doormat at the entrance, the need for constant cleaning would be reduced, which in turn would lead to lower costs.
The problem is that for most architects and designers, the entrance floor mat is not that important. They fail to see its importance and what it can contribute.
How to Choose the Right Entrance Floor Mat
You are aware now of the importance and benefits that can be derived from a good entrance floor mat. The next step is for you to know how to pick the right one.
Here are some the things that you need to consider when picking the right floor mat:
- Location
- Material
- Amount of Matting Needed
- Way of Mounting
- Buy or Rent
The Building Location
The entrance mat of a building should be chosen to match the footfall and other characteristics its location. A building that is located in an area where it rains frequently or is very near vehicular traffic would tend to receive more dirt from incoming foot traffic.
The dirt that can be found in the centre of cities has a tendency to be fine, while in a rural area, the footwear of people coming in tend to have more moisture. All those things should be considered when picking an entrance mat.
The nature of the building should also be a part of this consideration. For example, a shopping mall would require a mat that can handle more wear and tear than a small office.
The Material
The material is going to be a very crucial factor in picking a floor mat. Entrance mats are usually made up of two parts. The first is the external which grabs the dirt and debris from the soles of the foot traffic and the second one takes in the moisture there.
For the external matting, modern materials that are designed to trap dirt are best. Those materials might cost more initially, but they can save you money in the long run. In the secondary zone, mats that are made from a dual-fibre loop-pile are more ideal because they can retain more moisture than other materials.
How Much Matting is Needed?
There is no single answer to this question. Keep in mind that the aim is to remove as much dirt from the soles of footwear of the incoming traffic. Researchers have found that a 1.5 metre stretch of matting can remove about 30% of all dirt. That percentage would go up to as much as 90% if the matting is stretched to 9 metres.
Installation and Maintenance
Other important aspects that should be factored in choosing an entrance mat would be its installation and maintenance. If you want something that’s easy to install and clean then you should go for drop-down mats. As the name suggests, all you have to do with those is to drop it down in place. Cleaning it would be simple too, because all you have to do is to roll it up and take it to where it can be cleaned.
The problem with drop-down mats is that it is not that good to look at, as it is so obvious right away that the mat is over the floor. If you want something that looks better then you should go for using recessed wells. That gives a more streamlined appearance. The problem with using mats on recessed wells is they can be costly to maintain.
Should You Buy or Rent?
When you know the right sort of entrance mat that you want to get for your building, it does not end there. You still need to decide whether it would be better to rent or buy the mat. While some would prefer to purchase a mat, renting has many advantages.
When you rent a mat from the professional, friendly mat rental company company such as Alsco, you are assured of a hassle-free maintenance service with your dusty mats being replaced by clean-as-new mats. That means you get all the benefits of having the right kind of mat, without having to worry about any of the problems.
Getting the Right Mat is the Right Choice
The money that can be saved from cleaning costs alone should be reason enough to get the right entrance mat. Studies have shown that removing dirt inside a building can cost thousands of dollars annually.
With the ideas that we have given in this article, you should be able to pick the pick the right mat for your building.
Try out the two-week free trial of Alsco mats and see the benefits for yourself. We are sure you will not be disappointed.
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