Rental mats are very common in offices, shops, hospitals, and other commercial places. Rental mats are preferred by many businesses due to their easy acquisition, easy replacement and they do not need a large initial investment. The mat company delivers the mats and cleans them regularly and also replaces them when necessary. This straightforward system predisposes rental mats to be popular.
Meanwhile, the design of entrances has evolved significantly in the contemporary business premises. The construction of the buildings today has broader door access, open lobbies, glass fronts, and increased level of foot traffic. Systematic neatness, security and looks have ever been more valued.
This gives rise to a good question. Have modern entrances become large enough to no longer be accommodated by the standard rental mat sizes, or have the mat sizes failed to keep up with entrance size? This article is an answer to that question in plain and straightforward words.
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What Are Standard Sizes in Rental Mats?
Normal rental mats are normally fixed in size. Rental mat companies determine these sizes to ensure that it is easy to wash, handle, and replace.
Common sizes include:
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Small mats for single doors
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Simple office entrance floorings
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Hallway long runner mats
Standard sizes are necessary in the case of rental services since they enable:
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Quickening cleaning and rotation
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Reduced storage and transportation expenses
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Replacement with no measurement of sites
Such a system is convenient, yet it is not customizable. The mats are designed in such a way that they fit an average entrance, rather than a life entrance that can be different in terms of width, depth, and design.
How Modern Entrances Have Changed
The contemporary entrances do not resemble the ancient ones. Most business areas currently contain:
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Bigger doors that allow easy movement
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Open lobbies rather than limited doors
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There are also glass doors that are more visible with dirt
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The increase in foot traffic during the day
Hygiene is also given more importance. The visitors are demanding clean and dry floors particularly in offices, hospitals, hotels, and retail stores.
The other significant shift is the walk-off zone of longer length. A walk-off zone refers to the place where individuals walk in a few steps on a mat to remove the dirt and water on their shoes. To do this, modern buildings simply require mats that are longer.
Related Blog: Floor mats for Home
Coverage Limitations of Standard Rental Mats
The entrance cover by the typical rental mats is not capable of covering fully in the contemporary entrances.
Common problems include:
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Mats which are so narrow as to be in the way of wide doors
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Too short mats that could not form a walk-off area
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Areas of the entrance, which are not covered
In case the mats are not used to cover the entire entrance:
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Dust and water move round the mat
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Floors get dirty quickly
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Mats fail to do their main job
This diminished coverage is even more apparent and problematic in high-traffic places.
Gaps, Overlaps, and Visual Inconsistency
There are quite a number of businesses that place several standard mats sideways or end to end to cover a bigger entrance. This creates new issues.
Common issues include:
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Openings between mats into which dirt gets into
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Groups of mats forming irregular surfaces
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Mats that move when not at the right place during the day
These issues touch on appearance and security. A doorway that has incongruent mats appears to be disorganized and ill-thought-out. It is also likely to affect the chances of tripping particularly among elderly individuals and children.
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Safety and Cleanliness Concerns
Mats which do not fit in may pose safety hazards.
Some common concerns are:
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Slipping as a result of water spreading outside mat
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Tripping over curled or overlapping sides
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Mats that move over due to poor sitting
When the moisture and dirt go beyond the mat:
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Premises floors get slippery
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The cleaning personnel should work more frequently
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Floors wear out faster
This adds to the maintenance work and may create a rise in long-term expenses.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All Entrances
Every entrance is different. There are indoor and outdoor ones. There are those which are narrow and there are those which are curved and wide. Others experience high traffic of people on their feet whereas others are utilized few times in a day.
Standard hiring mats are incapable of adjusting to:
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Recessed entrances
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Irregular shapes
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Different weather exposure
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Certain safety or design requirements
Due to this reason, there is no standardized size that can suit all entrances.
Long-Term Cost Implications
Initially, rental mats appear to be cost efficient. Nevertheless, ineffective coverage may introduce an untold cost in the long-term.
These include:
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Higher cleaning costs
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Faster damage to flooring
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Increased risk of accidents
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Staff to make more frequent mat adjustments
The long-term costs may be the result of the short-term convenience. Increased savings as a result of renting can gradually be lost when the mats are not doing very well.
When Standard Rental Mats May Be Sufficient?
There are still instances in which standard rental mats will be useful.
They may be suitable for:
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Small offices with small entrance ways
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Temporary spaces
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Short-term events
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There are those with extremely low foot traffic
The size and use of the entrance in such situations are comparable to the shortcomings of the regular mats.
The Need for Better-Fitting Matting Solutions
The more the buildings are modernized the higher the expectations get. Entrances desired by businesses are:
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Clean
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Safe
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Professional-looking
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Easy to maintain
Entrance planning is gaining significance. This is because many businesses now seek something more than normal offerings of renting with better fitting and performance.
Better-fitting mats help:
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Improve cleanliness
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Reduce safety risks
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Improve the general outlook of the entrance
Conclusion
There were easier entrances that were designed using standard rental mats. The modern buildings of today have a lot of requirements that cannot be offered by the fixed sizes.
Then do modern entrances have large enough standard rental mat sizes? In many cases, the answer is no.
Each entrance must be considered according to its size, layout, foot traffic and usage. The selection of the appropriate mat solution assists in cushioning floors, enhancing safety, and making the initial impression better.
