Rubber Mats and Flooring: What is out there?
11/06/09
Rubber-Cal Inc.
Rubber flooring and matting can be foreign to people not intimately familiar with it. These terms “Rubber flooring and mat” are general terms for products that have very diverse and distinct purposes. The easiest way to begin to break down the different types of rubber surfaces, would be to categorize them into two categories: flooring and matting. The distinction between the two simply is flooring as one might expect, covers an entire flooring in a specific room or area. Matting typically refers to smaller areas. For example: a mat in front of a kitchen sink, or a mat for a cashier to stand on.
Rubber flooring can be broken down in a variety of ways: recycled, versus non recycled, rolls versus tiles, permanent versus temporary, or any number of ways. The easiest way to look at it however would be how the product is available. In rubber flooring there is typically two ways it is available: either a tile or rolled form. Both forms have different benefits. For example, rolled products (which would come in a specific width, generally 3 ft or 4 ft wide), are excellent because of the minimal amount of seams that would be seen using it. Since the material is rolled out, you would see seams only every 3 foot or 4 foot in s single direction. A tiled product would have seams running both ways, and probably in smaller increments too, since rubber tile products generally are 2 ft by 2ft or perhaps less. That is not to say tiles do not have their benefit however. Rubber is a heavy medium, so handling smaller tiles is much more manageable than trying to handle large 50 foot rolls of rubber. Installation would be another factor in deciding which product to choose. Both generally have the option of being glued down, but many of either type do not require permanent installation. Roll products typically use double sided tape or free float (use no adhesive at all), while many rubber tile products interlock in some way so that no adhesive is required. It is important to note that both rolled products and tiled products have recycled and non-recycled options, both of which can play a role when picking which type of flooring product to use. No matter which type you choose, they all exhibit excellent durability and resilience.
Rubber matting is comprised of many options, for all sorts of uses. These can be broken down into the function you want the mat to perform. Some example of applications would be anti-fatigue mats, drainage mats, scraper/entryway mats, industrial or heavy-duty mats, any many other applications. Mats such as the Safe-Grip, Dura-Chef Mats, Paw-Grip and Kitchen Mats all fall into the drainage mats, as they all contain drainage holes, which allow for water, dirt, mud, or anything you do not want to walk in, to drain to the subsurface below. This reduces the risk of slips and falls since all the debris is not sitting directly on the walking surface. Some of these mats also offer excellent anti-fatigue qualities as well. A very common place to see these types of mats would be in bars, restaurant kitchens, entryways, and locker room showers.
Anti-fatigue mats are great for relieving pain and stress from standing for long periods of time. The Bubble Top, All Foam Mat, and Foot-Rest are all very comfortable surfaces to stand on. For occupations that require a lot of standing in one place, or even residential kitchens, these provide excellent comfort. Depending on the mat, these can be available in single area mats, or interlocking versions if long runs are necessary.
Rubber scraper mats are typically used for door entryways. Both the Door Scraper and Super Grip Scraper offer a rough surface pattern for excellent shoe scraping action. The Door Scraper also contains a raised perimeter, allowing for the catching of debris and water, so it does not harm nearby areas. Carpet mats are also available, which offer scraping action as well as providing absorbing qualities, making it perfect for an entry mat.
There are also industrial, tougher mats available, which are used in large variety of applications. These may be available in rolls (like the Corrugated Rubber products) or in single mats (such as the Maxx Tuff and Shark Tooth). They can be used for pet flooring/matting, industrial floor protection, vibration reduction (i.e. treadmills, ellipticals, etc) ramps and any number of applications. These all contain tough, resilient rubber that will hold up to a lot of abuse.
Since rubber flooring and matting is such a versatile material, there are many “crossover” applications for the products. For example, Elephant Bark flooring is not only good for gym and fitness applications, it works great for vehicle flooring too. Pinning rubber matting down to specific application is difficult due to the versatility of it. When choosing rubber matting, the best solution is to figure out what the purpose the mat will serve. Once that is figured out, locating a mat that meets those requirements is all that is needed!
11/06/09
Rubber flooring can be broken down into two main categories: single area rubber mats, and complete rubber floors. Each type of flooring is suitable for several different applications. Single area mats are most suitable for performing a specific function in a limited area. Complete rubber floors are more general purpose, and obviously span close to the entire area of a room. Within each category, there are mats for a variety of applications and functions. The following is intended only as a brief overview of the many possibilities of rubber flooring.
