Featured Mat of the Month: Concierge Entrance Matting


With winter coming, now is a great time to choose a quality entrance mat!

For those of us living in northern climes, winter is just around the corner! The winter season, bringing as it does ice and snow, together with de-icing salt and sand, poses a particular challenge for keeping building entranceways clean, dry, and slip-free.

Buying a good entrance mat can help mitigate the challenges of winter. Good quality entrance mats are the first line of defence against tracking the elements into a building entranceway. A good mat will remove the dirt and debris that is tracked in on wet boots and shoes, as well as reducing the moisture that may accumulate on floors and create a slip hazard.

When selecting an entrance mat for the winter season there are a few things to keep in mind. These include the following:

  • Buy the right kind of mat. Entrance mats generally fall into two types. First there are “scraper-type” mats that use fingers or ridges to scrape dirt and debris away from shoes and boots. Then there are “finishing mats” that wipe away moisture and dust. Scraper-type mats are more appropriate type for the winter season, although a very effective solution is to use a combination of the two types: a scraper mat right at the door to remove detritus, and then a run of wiper matting to remove and trap moisture.

  • Choose mats made from “winter-friendly” materials. Mats made from pure rubber can crack or chip in cold weather. A good quality entrance mat is made from a specially-formulated rubber compound which will stand up to everything winter can throw at it.

  • Keep the mat in place. When floors become wet, mats have a tendency to migrate or move. Recessed mats, where the mat is installed in a recessed well in the floor, avoid this problem. If it is not possible to install the mat in a recessed well, choose a mat with non-slip backing which will help keep the mat in place.

  • Choose the right size. Always choose a mat that is sized correctly for the entrance. This is especially important in the winter season where people may want to briefly stand on the mat to clean shoes and boots, as well as drain moisture from clothing. Mats should always be at least 80 per cent of the entranceway width, and in the winter season a wider, or oversize, mat may have advantages.

  • Keep mats clean and replace frequently. A clean mat will trap more dirt and debris, as well as retain moisture more effectively, so clean entrance mats as often as is practical. In addition, it is false economy to use an entrance mat beyond its useful life. The cost of removing a pound of dirt from a building can be very expensive in terms of labor, equipment and deferred maintenance. Replacing worn entrance matting is not an option but a budget-saving investment.

At Canada Rubber Group Inc. (CRGI), we carry a line of premium quality entrance mats. The Concierge model is particularly suitable for winter season use. This mat has thousands of scraping "fingers" that remove dirt and snow and hides it from sight. The Concierge mat provides superior traction and prevents slips, trips and falls with beveled edge on all four sides. It is manufactured from high-quality rubber and will stand up to winter conditions. The Concierge mat is an ideal mat for heavily travelled indoor-outdoor entrances. The mat is available in black and comes with a 5-year warranty. Available sizes include:   24” x 32”, 32” x 39”, and 36” x 72”.

To find out more about the Concierge mat or any of our entrance matting products, contact our sales department today.