FAQ

Not as such.  However, as part of the Health and Safety at Work Act, employers are responsible for ensuring that workplace floors are safe. This includes taking measures to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls for employees and visitors. General health and wellbeing is a factor too. If workers have to regularly stand for prolonged periods of time in their occupation, then an employer may consider anti-fatigue mats to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) but this is only a recommendation, rather than legislation.

Any building open to the public also has a legal obligation to ensure its floor surfaces are safe for visitors/customers, as failure to comply, could lead to compensation claims from any individual who has an accident, such as slip on an unsafe floor.  Entrances to new buildings should also comply with Buildings Regulations and the requirements of The Equality Act 2010. (Please refer to the full document for detailed information relating to the purpose of the building.)  This means buildings should be accessible to all people regardless of disability, age or gender. It requires “reasonable adjustments to be made for accessibility” to certain buildings. Entrance mats should not impede wheelchair access, and the matting should be level with the floor surface.

Orthomat Premium, Solid Fatigue Step, Fatigue Step, MK3 and Cobawash would be considered some of the most durable matting in their respective categories.

The material your mats are manufactured from will influence the recommended method of cleaning. For entrance mats, please refer to our comprehensive cleaning guide. For rubber or PVC matting, we generally recommend brushing, mopping and pressure washing with a detergent. Please refer to the Technical Specification details for each product, published on this website and in our catalogue. This contains recommended cleaning methods for each individual product.

It depends on the construction of the product, and whether it has a backing. Those products that have multiple layers ‘sandwiched’ together are not ideal for cutting because the inner materials need to be sealed. Some PVC products can be successfully cut.  Please seek advice from our Customer Service team to see if the matting you have chosen can be cut on size on site.  In many cases, we can supply products already cut to size or you may want to consider a custom-sized option.

The best size for an individual anti-fatigue mat depends on whether your job requires standing in a static position, or whether you need to walk alongside machinery or equipment. If you are standing in a static position, then a smaller mat can suffice.  However, if you need to take steps (walk) within your workspace, then always make sure the matting is as long or as wide as the area you move about in, so you are not stepping on and off the mat.

Forklift trucks will damage most mats. This normally occurs when the wheels are turned on the product. Solid Fatigue-Step and Comfort-Lok can be used in conjunction with forklifts, but we suggest bonding the tiles to the floor for the best performance. Please seek expert advice from our Customer Service team to help you pick the correct matting for your environment.

Generally rubber matting that has some nitrile content. In our range, we would recommend the following products: Bubblemat, K-Mat, Fatigue-Step, Diamond Grid and Orthomat Premium. Please refer to the Workplace Product Selector in our catalogue for further guidance, or contact our Customer Service team for assistance.

PVC matting, because PVC does not support the growth of bacteria and is therefore more hygienic.  It is also comfortable to walk on barefoot and provides a safer anti-slip surface. Our recommended products include Leisure Mat, Flexi-Deck PVC Floor Tiles, and Diamond Grid PVC matting. Further details on these products can be found in our Leisure Matting range.

A dust control mat is a door mat that has been designed to remove and capture dust particles carried in on footwear.  Dust particles are trapped within the mat to help prevent them polluting the atmosphere.  Our best performing dust control mats include Microfibre Doormat, COBAwash, Cotton Mat, Wash & Clean, Cushion Fall and Enviro-Mat.

This all depends on the environment the entrance matting has been installed in, and whether it has been correctly specified for its purpose. A good cleaning and maintenance routine will also help to prolong its life.

What are loose lay entrance mats?

When is it best to use loose lay entrance matting?

Modular matting refers to any mat that is made of interlocking components. This could be interlocking floor tiles or sections of matting. Examples include Comfort-Lock, Fatigue-Step, Flexi-Deck and Q-Beez.

They are useful because they can be linked together to cover different floor sizes, and as they are in sections, they are easy to handle and move around if need. If required, individual sections or tiles can be removed and replaced.

If it sits too ‘proud’ from the ground and doesn’t have bevelled (ramped) edges, then yes, matting can sometimes cause a trip hazard.  The thicker (deeper) the mat, the more essential it is to have bevelled edges to reduce the risks of tripping. Many of our workplace mats have tapered edges as standard, or we offer bevelled edging as an option. With some mats it is possible to install them in recessed wells which means they are flush to the ground.  This too is an option to overcome any trip risks.  Some of our edging is available in bright yellow, for maximum safety awareness.

Where there is swarf present, it is always advisable to opt for open hole mats rather than those with solid surfaces. Open hole designs, such as COBAmat® allow swarf to fall ‘through’ the mat. Loose swarf on a solid surface mat can become a slip hazard, and sharp debris can pierce or stick into the mat’s surface.

Choosing matting with holes or solid tops depends on the environment, primarily whether it is wet or dry. If it is wet or oily, then we recommend a mat with open holes to provide drainage for liquid spillage to help prevent slip hazards. Open holes also allow dry debris to fall ‘through’ the mat, rather than rest on the mat’s surface.  In this instance the matting would need to be lifted to be cleaned.  Solid surface mats are more suited to dry environments and debris can be easily swept away.

Very often for safety reasons, to reduces the slipping hazards. Holes provide ‘drainage’ for liquid spillage, and capture debris in swarf-prone areas. Dry dust and debris can also be a slip hazard as they act like marbles on the floor surface.  If debris falls ‘through’ the mat, then this risk is minimised. Matting with holes should be cleaned regularly to ensure the holes do not clog up, giving the mat optimum slip-resistance performance.

Our wear ratings are for guidelines only and are illustrated with the foot symbol.

• 5 ‘yellow dots’ signal the highest wear rating, meaning these products are suitable for heavy-duty use.
• ‘3’ is for moderate
• 1 ‘yellow dot’ is for lightweight use only.

Each environment is different and some locations may be more punishing than others. Our wear ratings are there to give you some guidance on each product’s durability. If you need further assistance, please get in touch with our Customer Service team.

Plan.a with the Woven Brush or the Plan.a with the Scraper Brush inserts. The Trio Scraper and Trio Brush range also provides exceptional scraping abilities and trap scraped dirt in the grooves of the mat for easy cleaning.

This all depends on the environment the entrance matting has been installed in, and whether it has been correctly specified for its purpose. A good cleaning and maintenance routine will also help to prolong its life.

A mat well is not always required. Entrance matting such as Trio Brush, Trio Scraper and Dm Aluminium can be laid directly on the floor surface, with the addition of quality edging. Contact our service team for expert advice on the most suitable matting for your environment.

Our knowledgeable sales teams are based in offices throughout Europe and South Africa, they are here to help you make the right decision. We can provide free product samples and conduct site surveys. We also have a helpful after-sales Customer Service team. If you have a query, we confidently answer it, usually in your own language.

Aluminium entrance matting is good at wiping shoes and can enable debris or moisture to fall through the mat (open construction) – keeping the surface debris free.

We can’t stress the importance of length enough when it comes to entrance matting, and the optimum length for moisture wiping. A long enough ‘walk off’ area is needed because people don’t stop to wipe their feet. Our team at COBA Flooring recommends allowing a minimum of six footsteps to wipe footwear.

Also bear in mind, disabled accessed. It takes a minimum of 2.5m length of matting to clean a full revolution of a wheelchair.

Entrance matting, production time depends on which product you select, as some products are on the shelf items and some are bespoke. Please contact our sales team who will be able to advise accordingly

Aluminium systems can be more luxurious products, which are more hard wearing and have a longer warranty. We’ve also investigated in detail if aluminium entrance matting is worth the investment.

We recommend when choosing an entrance matting system that zoning is considered. In order to determine the correct product. We’ve also put together these tips for first time buyers.

There are a number of entrance matting options available if you don’t have a mat well. Entrance matting such as Trio Brush, Trio Scraper and Dm Aluminium can be laid directly on the floor surface, with the addition of quality edging. There are also carpet options suitable for use without a mat well, Alba is a premium nylon entrance matting carpet that can be glued to the floor surface. Our loose lay Entrance Mats are versatile and many feature a robust nitrile ‘gripper’ backing. Contact our service team for expert advice on the most suitable matting for your environment.

How you clean and maintain your entrance matting system depends on the type of system that you have. We’ve put together a comprehensive cleaning and maintenance guide for all COBA entrance matting systems.

The first place to start is with a free site survey, our sales team will come to your premises and make matting recommendations to suit your  environment and budget, helping you get the very best from your investment. Whether it is down to product choice, or measuring the area in which the matting is to be installed, our sales representatives can help.  Mistakes can be costly; we help you get it right first time.

Entrance Matting is crucial for underfoot safety to prevent slips and trips. The matting can stop dirt and moisture being walked into buildings, and can reduce cleaning and maintenance costs. Effective entrance matting can prolong the life of your interior floor coverings.

We have a wide range of entrance matting systems available in a number of materials such as; Aluminium, and PVC tile options. There are systems suitable for mat wells or systems that can be laid directly to the floor. The entrance matting comes in three different formats; interlinking entrance tiles, carpet on rolls and custom aluminium entrance matting systems.

Yes, we can incorporate your company logo or text, onto a logo mat. Choose from more than 20 colours and matting styles to suit your brand. We will even create a mockup of your mat for you to sign off before go-ahead. You can also design your own logo mat with our Logo Mat Designer. 

Yes, we can make bespoke entrance matting, made-to-measure entrance matting. Simply contact us.

Some of our matting products are available in custom made sizes.  You can reference the size guide in the specification details relating to individual products.  Products that are available in custom sizes are usually described as ‘special sizes available on request’.  Please note that delivery times are normally longer when matting is made to order.

It is not just size either. Some of our entrance mats can incorporate bespoke logos, such as our Logo Mats.