Entrance matting: your first line of defence in floor care
Most of the soil in your building comes in on the soles of shoes. Stop it at the door.
The most effective way to keep your floors clean is to prevent them from getting dirty in the first place. An entrance matting strategy is not just about having a 'welcome' mat; it's a technical barrier designed to trap grit and moisture.
Without adequate matting, your carpets and stone floors act as the filter for the building, leading to rapid wear and high cleaning costs.
Matting needs also change with the seasons and with the direction an entrance faces, and a strategy built for summer footfall can fall short during a wet winter.
Reviewing your matting setup against the weather and layout of each entrance ensures it keeps performing all year round, not just when it was first installed.
Specification at a glance
- • Stop the bulk of soil at the entrance.
- • Use a three-zone system for maximum effect.
- • Size and maintenance are critical for matting performance.
- • Review matting against each entrance's weather exposure.
- • Consider seasonal swaps between heavier and lighter matting.
- • Match matting durability to the type of traffic using each entrance.
Written for
Facilities manager, Site manager
Explain the importance of entrance matting in a maintenance programme
The Three-Zone System
Zone 1 is outside the door (scraping off heavy grit). Zone 2 is in the vestibule (removing remaining dirt and starting to absorb moisture). Zone 3 is just inside the building (completing the drying process).
If you skip any of these zones, the grit will be carried further into the building, where it will act as an abrasive on your primary floor coverings.
Size matters
A common mistake is having a mat that is too small. To be effective, a person should take at least five steps on the matting before hitting the main floor. This usually requires 4–6 metres of matting in high-traffic areas.
- Zone 1: Coarse scrapers
- Zone 2: Scraper/Absorber hybrids
- Zone 3: High-absorbency textiles
- Minimum 4 metres of travel distance
Maintaining your defence
Mats only work if they aren't full. A saturated mat will actually start releasing dirt back onto shoes. Regular vacuuming and periodic deep extraction of your mats are essential.
Matching mat type to weather and footfall
Entrances that face prevailing wind and rain need more absorbent matting and more frequent maintenance than sheltered entrances, since they take on far more moisture and grit through the year.
Consider swapping to heavier, more absorbent matting during the wetter months, then reverting to lighter matting in drier periods when the main risk is dust rather than moisture.
High-footfall entrances used by delivery staff or forklift traffic need more durable, industrial-grade matting than staff-only entrances, which see lighter and more predictable use.
- Implement a 'three-zone' matting system.
- Ensure mats are long enough to allow for 5-6 footsteps.
- Maintain mats regularly to keep them effective.
- Choose the right material for both scraping and absorbing.
- Matting significantly reduces slip-and-fall risks in wet weather.
- Matting needs change with the seasons and entrance orientation.
- Exposed entrances need more absorbent matting than sheltered ones.
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