The best alternative to painting the floor

Mats are ideal for covering areas of the floor that can’t be painted.

If you are trying to highlight a section of your floor, for safety or any other reason, paint might have been your first thought. But sometimes, and especially with carpet, paint isn’t the best option.

A customer recently asked how they could create a safe space around a server rack in the railway station where they worked. The rack was surrounded by carpet, so the customer needed something that would work well inside that.

We couldn’t paint on the carpet, and the customer did not want to pay for it to be ripped up. So, they wanted a safety mat to run around the outside of the rack and blend into their dark carpet.

 

Benefits of using mats instead of paint:

• Portable: Using mats instead of paint lets you move the highlighted section of the floor as needed. With our customer above, if they wanted to move the server rack, they could move their matting along with it very easily.
• Easy to install: Similarly, you do not need to hire a painter, which means less time and money spent on installation. You also do not need to wait for the paint to dry – a potential day of disruption for anyone that works nearby.
• Easy to clean: You can easily clean matting with a vacuum, and if it gets really dirty you can machine wash it too.
• Cleaning properties: Mats have additional features as well as highlighting sections of the floor. Depending on the mat you choose, it might remove dirt from shoes by scraping them as they walk over. A good quality mat will also hide this dirt from sight until you clean it.
• Absorbent: Carpet-surfaced matting has absorbent fibres that remove water and other liquids from shoes. This keeps your workplace clean and safe from slip hazards.
• Slip, trip and fall prevention: If you choose a non slip mat, you can harness its ability to prevent slips, trips and falls in the workplace. Go for something with a rubber backing or fix your mat permanently to the floor.
• Customisable: Print your logo onto your mat for cost-effective, always-on marketing.

 

Floor painting alternatives using mats include:

Custom printed matting

Custom-printed mats give you the freedom to display whatever message, logo or other images you want. Combine your health and safety efforts with marketing for a win-win flooring solution.

Hazard stripe matting

Hazard stripe matting is what our railway customer mentioned above went for. It’s a great way to highlight a potential safety hazard while maintaining the style of the room. Hazard stripes are typically yellow and black diagonal so that they are universally recognised.

Safety message mats

Safety messages are often found on mats, and they’re preferred by many of our customers due to their versatility. ‘Watch your step’, ‘Stop’ and ‘Stand here please’ are common phrases to print.

Image or symbol mats

In airports and other security checkpoints, footprints indicate where customers should stand. Images and symbols like this can be easily printed on a mat, and then have the added benefit of being portable.

 

4 great alternatives to painting the floor

One of our favourite ways to help our customers is by thinking outside the box.

With this customer, we helped them avoid ripping up their current carpet and added a stylish alternative to painted concrete. The hazard lines around the server rack made a great warning sign for employees not to go near, and it also helps to keep their floors clean and dry.

For your own creative solutions – whatever your problem – our team of friendly matxperts are on hand and ready to assist. Just reach out for a quote or recommendation by calling 1300 628 746 or emailing [email protected]. You can also reach us during business hours using the chat function at the bottom of your screen.