Floor Protection Mats - Selection, Use & Care

Floor protection mats are a highly cost-effective solution for protecting flooring and carpets from loss of appearance, wear and damage.

Most of our floor protection mats are clear or translucent to subtly blend into all environments, whist ensuring the floor beneath remains visible. Many of our floor mats have a lightly embossed upper surface for controlled movement and to prevent castor based chairs skidding across the surface.

Floor Mat Selection

To achieve the best performance and durability, we recommend following the below guidance to select the correct floor mat.

Floor Mat Materials:

Phthalate Free PVC - Great value and performance
Polypropylene - Excellent value and environmentally friendly
APET - Excellent performance, clarity and value
Enhanced Polymer - High performance and environmentally friendly
Polycarbonate - The ultimate for durability, performance and ergonomics
Tempered Glass - Total clarity, elegance and durability

Floor Type

Hard Floors:

For hard floors you will need a floor protection mat with a smooth underside. Gripper backed floor mats cannot be used on hard flooring and are specifically designed for use on carpeted surfaces only.

Caution: Before choosing your floor protection mat, please check if the floor has a highly polished, glossy or lacquered surface on which the mat may slide. In such cases, we recommend a mat with an anti-slip backing.

Before laying down your floor protection mat, the flooring must be totally flat, dry and clean. Any dirt or moisture trapped under the mat may have a negative effect on your floor surface over time. We do recommend that you frequently clean underneath your floor mat to avoid the accumulation of dirt and moisture.

Carpeted Floors:

Before purchasing a floor mat for carpeted surfaces, it is essential to measure your carpet thickness. The measurement of the carpet thickness must include the underlay. Guidance for measuring your carpet can be found here. It is important you select the correct floor mat for your carpet thickness for optimum performance and durability. Damage caused by using the incorrect floor mat will invalidate your warranty.

On the product detail page for each carpet floor protection mat, it will state the thickness of the carpet that the mat is designed and tested for. If you are unsure which mat to select, please contact us.

Carpet Material Guidance

PVC and Polypropylene: 
For low pile carpets – Carpet pile thickness up to 6mm including underlay
APET and Enhanced Polymer: 
For standard pile carpets – Carpet pile thickness up to 9mm including underlay
Polycarbonate: 
For medium pile carpets – Carpet pile thickness up to 12mm including underlay
Glass and Polycarbonate (for deep pile): 
For deep pile carpets – Carpet pile thickness over 12mm including underlay

For carpet pile thicknesses over 18mm including underlay, we recommend Glass or the Megamat Polycarbonate.


Important Information

  • Gripper/studded back floor mats are for use on carpeted floors only. The grippers can damage hard floors and the mat will not stay in place.
  • For hard flooring you will need a floor mat with a smooth backing.
  • Ensure you select the correct floor mat for the application and surface type or carpet thickness. Damage caused by selecting the incorrect floor mat will invalidate the warranty.
  • Floor mats designed for low pile carpets are unsuitable for use on thicker carpets and may crack due to lack of support. This will invalidate the warranty.
  • Some highly polished or treated hard surfaces may be unsuitable for floor mats, even with an anti-slip backing.
  • Do not use smooth backed floor protection mats on ridged, pitted or uneven concrete, as over time the mats can become damaged by office chair loadings. This will invalidate the warranty.
  • Floors with a rough textured surface or deep or wide grooves between tiles can cause damage to mats used under chairs. This will invalidate the warranty.
  • Choose polycarbonate mats where the room or floor surface temperature is greater than 15°C.
  • For use on surfaces with underfloor heating, we would recommend polycarbonate floor mats.
  • Due to the manufacturing process, there can be a production variance of +/- 5%. All product dimensions are rounded to the nearest cm.

Use and Care

  • Correct use and care of your floor protection mat will ensure its serviceability and durability, as well as giving the best protection for your floor surface.
  • As with any household or office product, handle the mat with care at all times to maintain quality and durability.
  • Avoid contact with solvent based paints, inks, varnishes, alkali cleaners, bleaches and oils: these are particularly harmful to floor mat materials.
  • All our floor protection mats should only be cleaned with a non-abrasive cloth or sponge soaked in mild soapy water. Do not clean the mat with harsh cleaning products and chemicals.
  • Always ensure carpets and floors are free of dirt and completely dry before placing your mat down.
  • Regularly clean the surface underneath your floor mat to prevent the build up of dirt and moisture. Make sure that the flooring is clean and dry before placing the mat on the floor.
  • Do not use any of the floor protection mats in wet areas.
  • Clean any spillages up immediately to avoid slipping and prevent staining to the mat.
  • Chair mats can be used safely without footwear, but care should be taken to avoid catching bare feet along the mat edge. For added safety we recommend wearing footwear. 
  • Floor protection mats are precision cut to size: do not cut or in any way alter the mats. Modifications to the mat can impair performance and will invalidate your warranty. We will not be liable for any damage or injury sustained from cutting or altering the mats. 
  • Do not subject mats to excessive concentrated loads, e.g. do not place furniture or other stationary objects on top of your mat as this will invalidate your warranty.
  • Do not use the mat where there are extremes of temperature.
  • Use of metal castors and non-castor based chairs can cause damage to the mat and will invalidate your warranty.
  • Damage as a result of using your floor mat on the incorrect surface type or carpet thickness will invalidate your warranty.
  • It is not recommended to use floor protection mats outside and this will invalidate your warranty.
  • Accidental damage/misuse/improper handling of the floor mats will invalidate your warranty.


Risk Assessment – Chair Mats

All floor protection mats are tested for performance and durability on the flooring type that they are designed to be used on.

Every production batch of floor protection mats is durability tested to a method based on BS EN425: 2002 as part of our Quality Management System to ensure they meet or exceed our performance expectations. In addition, the material content of each mat is carefully monitored to ensure standards are consistent and that the formulations conform to REACH Regulations.

To minimise any potential for accidents users should ensure:

1. The floor protection mat selected is correctly matched to the floor surface it is to be used upon:
    - Smooth back for non-polished hard floors
    - Smooth back with anti-slip coating for polished, lacquered or high gloss hard floors
    - Gripper back for carpets. The carpet thickness must be measured and matched to the correct floor mat

2. Mats must be laid completely flat on the flooring surface and should not overlap.

3. It is not recommended to use a floor protection mat across two different surface types, as the mat can be unstable and incorrect for the surface types.

4. Mats should not be used in locations where they may get wet. Any liquid spilled on the mat surface should immediately be wiped up and dried to reduce the risk of slipping.

5. The purpose of a floor protection mat is to protect the floor surface from damage caused by traffic and usage of chairs. If you try to use the mat for a different purpose, we cannot guarantee its suitability and you do so at your own risk. We will not be liable for any damage or injury sustained. Any damage arising from incorrect use will invalidate the warranty. Placing furniture or other stationary objects on your mat will also invalidate the warranty.

6. You should not bend, fold or cut any of the floor protection mats. Any modification or improper handling will invalidate your warranty.

7. Care should be taken when unpacking rolled mats, as the mats are under pressure and may spring open. Guidance for safe unrolling is supplied with your floor protection mat and can also be found here. Please read this and carefully follow the instructions.

PVC floor mats that are shipped rolled should revert to their flat state with 72 hours of unrolling. The warmer the environment, the quicker rolled mats will revert to their flat form.

Enhanced polymer and APET floor mats that are shipped rolled should revert to their flat state within 24 hours.

Polycarbonate floor mats that are shipped rolled, should revert to their flat state almost immediately.

For all queries and guidance on selecting the correct floor protection mat, please feel free to contact us.