Rubberized floor mats are the ideal matting option for creating and promoting non-slip safety in any setting. Rubber is naturally a traction-enhancing material that can provide excellent floor protection and create a safe anti-slip surface. Oftentimes, rubberized floor mats are available with added surface patterns that are designed to offer extra grip. In addition, they are versatile indoor/outdoor products that can provide long-lasting protection in the face of damaging environmental factors. Furthermore, rubberized floor mats are cost-effective ways to protect sensitive floor surfaces as well as prevent injury-causing slip, trip, and fall accidents.

What are the Best Floor Mats?

The best floor mats are rubberized floor mats due to rubber’s superior protective, comfort, and anti-slip properties. There is a wide variety of rubber floor mats to choose from, such as kitchen, entrance, comfort, and gym, each with a different function. The post-consumer and synthetic rubber variations used to create rubberized floor mats are highly resistant to weathering and the damaging effects of environmental factors, such as UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and moisture, allowing them to be used both indoors and outdoors without worry of deterioration or loss of functionality. Rubberized floor mats are used for numerous purposes, including surface protection, and creating an anti-slip surface. These rubberized floor mats are available in different materials that are best suited for certain purposes. For example, kitchen mats are available in grease/oil resistant nitrile rubber material. While, other times, rubberized gel foam is used to create excellent comfort mats, or anti-fatigue mats. Additionally, they are also available in different forms. Rubber drainage mats feature numerous holes that cover the entirety of the mat to help prevent moisture from pooling on the walking/standing surface to help promote non-slip safety. Some rubberized floor mats feature unique surface patterns that produce raised protrusions that act as extra gripping points for shoes to firmly grasp. Furthermore, thicker rubber floor mats are available for heavy-duty floor protection applications. For instance, rubber is the ideal protective material that will absorb the force of impact and resist abrasions. Its flexibility and pliability allow rubber to efficiently absorb damaging energy produced by shock and vibrations (journals.safepub.com). Overall, rubber is the best material for creating floor mats because they can create an anti-slip surface and promote non-slip safety in any setting, whether it be commercial, industrial, or residential.

• (a) What is Rubber Floor Mat?

  A rubber floor mat is a protective and non-slip surfacing option that is available as long rubber rolls or as pre-cut, single person mats. Rubberized floor mats are designed to provide reliable surface protection as well as enhanced traction, even in the presence of moisture. Due to their size, long rubber mats are generally used to cover entire wall-to-wall floors to provide surface protection against heavy or constant foot traffic and create an anti-slip surface. Small rubber mats are often used as entrance mats to help scrape away dirt and debris before they can trail indoors on shoes. The accumulation of dirt and debris on the interior floor can cause slip, trip, and fall accidents that may lead to injury. This also helps create and maintain a clean and hazard-free interior floor, whether it be a professional business aesthetic or just a clean and attractive home floor.

  (b) Are Floor Mats Worth It?

  Floor mats are worth it because not only do they promote non-slip safety, but they also help create and maintain a clean interior floor. Rubber retains a naturally grippy surface that offers enhanced traction, even when moisture is present on its surface. Oftentimes, to enhance rubber’s natural grippy surface, rubberized floor mats are sometimes available with an added surface pattern that produces a raise surface texture ideal for enhancing traction. While this aids in enhancing traction, it also aids in removing dirt and debris from footwear before they can collect on the interior floor. In addition, not only does the accumulation of dirt and debris on the interior floor can create dangerous tripping hazards, but it can also make for an unattractive aesthetic. Businesses, in particular, will benefit greatly with the addition of rubberized floor mats. The addition of rubberized floor mats in businesses not only reduces the chances of dangerous slip, trip, and fall accidents that can lead to expensive liability settlements, but they can also help maintain a clean and professional aesthetic.

  (c) How Much Should Floor Mats Cost?

  Floor mats should range in price depending on quantity and the type of rubber material. Rubberized floor mats are available in different rubber materials, including post-consumer rubber and synthetic rubber. Recycled and reclaimed rubberized floor mats are considered tire-derived products, or TDP, and are environmentally friendly variations of rubber. Recycled and reclaimed rubber is made up of old vehicle tires that are cut into smaller pieces and adhered or melded back together. Recycled rubber is made of tire crumbs that are essentially glued back together whereas reclaimed rubber is a more solid variation of repurposed rubber and is made by melding strips of old vehicle tires together to form a solid sheet. Being made of repurposed vehicle tires makes recycled and reclaimed rubber products more cost-effective than new rubber products. Contrastingly, synthetic rubbers are man-made variations of rubber that are made using a blend of chemical compounds that give them enhanced physical and chemical properties. Because it is a man-made material, synthetic rubber will be more expensive than post-consumer rubber or natural rubber. Rolls of rubberized floor mats are available to be purchased in custom cut lengths of up to 50 consecutive feet. Long rubber mats will cost more than small rubber mats due to the amount of rubber material is used to create them. Depending on the length of the rubber floor mat and the material it is made from will both affect the price of a custom cut rubber floor mat.

How Do I Choose Floor Mats?

You choose floor mats depending on where they will be placed and their primary function. There are various forms of rubberized floor mats, such as drainage and textured, that are best used in certain applications. For instance, drainage mats are ideal for areas that have excessive amounts of moisture or see frequent spills (i.e., kitchens and public restrooms). On the other hand, textured rubberized floor mats can be used to help scrape away dirt and debris from shoes and can offer added traction through the raise protrusions that act as extra gripping points for shoes to firmly grasp. Rubberized floor mats are also available in different sizes. Long rubber mats are commonly used to cover entire floors or line walkways whereas small rubber mats are generally used for entrance matting or for single person use, such as anti-fatigue mats. Additionally, depending on the level of abuse the application will face, rubberized floor mats are available in different gauge thicknesses. Protective heavy-duty rubber floor mats are 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick for added protection against heavy and repeated impacts. Furthermore, for comfort purposes, softer and thicker rubber mats are also available. Comfort, or anti-fatigue, mats are offered in a rubberized gel foam material to help relieve pressure on leg joints and lower back. Rubberized floor mats are available in numerous materials, sizes, and thicknesses to ensure a perfect fit for any application.

• (a) Are Floor Mats Necessary?

  Floor mats are necessary, especially in businesses, for creating and promoting non-slip safety to avoid costly liability lawsuits. Safety is a requirement in commercial businesses not only for their customers, but also for employees. A slip and fall accident on commercial premises can lead to a liability lawsuit against a business. Case in point, “One of most common incidents leading to premises liability claims are slip-and-fall accidents. This term is used by personal injury lawyers for cases in which a business owner is accountable for an individual slipping/tripping and falling on their premises” (torklaw.com). These lawsuits can possibly lead to costly settlements if the business is found responsible. Thanks to rubber’s naturally high coefficient of friction that gives it its grippy surface, rubberized floor mats can efficiently create a safe and anti-slip surface no matter where they are placed, whether it be in a commercial business or at home. Rubberized floor mats for promoting anti-slip safety can be used as front entrance mats (pre-cut small rubber mats) or they can be used to cover entire walkways (long rubber mats or rolls). Additionally, rubber can also offer excellent floor protection that can prevent trip and fall accidents caused by uneven or broken surfaces. Not only can rubberized floor mats promote non-slip safety, but it can also protect against broken floors that may also lead to tripping accidents.

Rubber is the ideal material for creating protective and non-slip floor mats due to its naturally grippy surface and impact absorbing properties. They are made of durable and weatherproof post-consumer and synthetic rubber variations that can stand up well against UV rays, ozone, oxygen, and moisture. Rubberized floor mats are designed to provide versatile surface protection and create an anti-slip surface to promote non-slip safety. Long rubber mats can provide surface protection and non-slip safety over large wall-to-wall spaces or walkways. On the other hand, small rubber mats, such as comfort mats or entrance mats, are available to cover smaller areas. Overall, rubberized floor mats are the ideal matting option for creating non-slip safety and preventing damaging to floors.