What is the best custom printed mat to use outdoors?

Placing a Corporate Logo Mat outside your building is a great way to create a personal and warm welcome or get a message across to people as they pass through your door. If you want your mat to look in top condition for its entire life then it is essential that you select the correct floor mat.

All mats are affected in some ways by nature’s elements. Ultraviolet or UV rays will cause certain materials to discolour and fade high levels of precipitation or rainfall can waterlog mats and make them become ineffective and large amounts of mud tracked across the mats can stain and therefore ruin other materials fast.

So what logo mat do I choose then?

If your mat is going into direct sunlight then a printed mat no matter how well the ink penetrates the carpet fibres or other material printed onto will always fade, this includes any printed carpet (not solution-dyed) and some rubber mats that have an imprinted section embossed into the rubber, this is because the ink never penetrates the whole way through the material and is only ever coating the top of it that is why it will fade over a period of time.

The solution is to go for an inlaid type logo mat, this type of mat uses solution-dyed fabrics that are stencil cut into a logo and then pressed back into the mat to form a permanent logo. The two most common materials for this are polypropylene and extruded PVC and are usually supplied on a rubber or PVC backing.

If the mat is going to be subjected to heavy rainfall or a lot of moisture you need to make sure the mat in place is non-absorbent, when a mat is at its maximum capacity of water retention (this can happen very quickly in a heavy downpour of rain if the mat is not undercover) it loses its functionality to trap water and therefore becomes ineffective and in some cases can create a hazard.

By using a complete rubber mat or an extruded PVC type material which is the most effective mats in this situation this allows the mats to drain off quickly and because neither material absorbs moisture however they still provide a high level of traction and grip whilst allowing for the feet to be scraped clean as they pass over the mat. Because they are not soaking up moisture they will outperform standard carpet surface mats in these applications.

Last of all, in a muddy or very dirty area it is important to avoid a logo mat that will trap dirt and moisture as this will cause the mat to stain and lose its attractive appearance quickly. An ideal mat to be placed here that will perform best is once again the moulded rubber-type material or the extruded PVC material, both these options are very easy to clean and maintain due to the simple, durable and non-marking and non-absorbent material surface. When the mats become soiled they can be easily cleaned down with a hose or pressure washer and will become restored to their original state.