Find the Perfect Floor Mat for Your Home

Mats are made from a variety of materials, including polyester, coir, recycled rubber and more.

Polyester mats are available in a variety of textures and color options that won’t easily fade over time. They’re easy to clean and slip-resistant.

Coir mats are best for outdoor use. Coir lends a natural look to an entryway. The strong, coarse fibers make it the perfect choice for scraping dirt and debris from shoes or boots.

Nylon mats are resilient and versatile. They’re available in a variety of patterns and designs and work well in high-traffic areas.

There’s also a variety of backing materials used to produce floor mats. The most popular ones are vinyl, rubber and carpet fibers. An open-back outdoor mat has open spaces, or holes, that allow for snow and water to drain easily. This type of mat collects more debris than other types, so you’ll need to clean it more often. It may be more appropriate for outdoor use. A solid-back door mat protects surfaces like wooden floors from damage caused by shoes and debris.

When buying an outdoor door mat, look for one that’s made with weather-resistant and durable materials to better withstand the elements. While rubber mats are durable, they tend to crack during winter and in extremely cold temperatures. They may also pose a slipping hazard when wet. For indoors, choose a mat that’s nonslip for use on uncarpeted floors. Consider one that has soft fibers so it’ll feel comfortable against bare feet.

Floor mats are available in a range of shapes, including round, semicircle, oval, square and the most popular shape, rectangular. When purchasing a door mat, take into consideration the size and thickness of the mat. A door mat with thicker pile isn’t always better. Sometimes a shorter-pile mat is firmer than a thicker-pile mat and removes dirt and debris more effectively. Also, if the mat is too thick, it won’t clear the swing of the door, and you won’t be able to open it.

A standard door mat size is typically 18 inches by 30 inches or 1-1/2 feet by 2-1/2 feet. This size works well for standard front and back doors. However, door mats come in enough sizes to please every homeowner. A mat that’s 2 feet by 3 feet is a good size for a door with sidelites. The wider the door, the larger the area of the floor you’ll need to cover with a protective mat. Mats with dimensions of 3 feet by 5 feet, 2 feet by 5 feet, 3 feet by 6 feet or 4 feet by 6 feet are good choices for a set of double doors.

For indoor mats, select a size that doesn’t overpower the room. If you have a smaller room, select a mat that acts as an accent rather than taking center stage. Narrow spaces look best with runners. In the kitchen, select a mat size that doesn’t interfere with the functionality of the space. For example, choose a thickness that won’t interfere with the swing of the cabinet doors.

A non slip mat has a rubber backing that prevents the mat from sliding. The non slip surface helps to prevent safety hazards that can lead to trips and falls. In the absence of non slip backing, a rug pad holds the mat in place, which makes trips and falls less likely to occur. It also protects floors from staining and provides a comfortable surface.

Non slip mats are best for use outside front doors, outside back doors or on patios.

To help keep dirt and mud outdoors and protect floors and carpeting indoors, boot scraper mats are an ideal choice. Boot scraper mats have coarse, bristly fibers that do a good job of cleaning the bottoms of boots and shoes. Coir boot scraper mats, made with a natural dense fiber from the outer husk of coconuts, are especially effective.

A boot tray is also a convenient accessory to consider. It provides a storage spot for boots and shoes and keeps the porch or floor free of dirt, mud, water and debris.

Boot scraper mats are good for use outside and in mud rooms or garages.

Utility mats are the one of the most useful options. Most utility mats are made of polyester, rubber or vinyl. They’re true utilitarian mats that are usually no-frills. They’re sturdy and durable, and many are suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

Utility mats are great for use inside or outside a front door or back door as well as in a garage or basement.

Chair mats are a must-have for your home office, whether you have tiled, wood or carpeted floors. Chair mats make it much easier to move a chair across a carpeted floor, and they help protect your floors against dings, scuffs and indentations. They’re made from a variety of materials, including polycarbonate plastic, which is best on carpeted floors, rubber, tempered glass and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Chair mats are good for use in a home office or basement.

Standing for hours can take a toll on your body, leading to back pain, stress and fatigue. Anti-fatigue mats are designed for comfort when you need to be on your feet for long periods of time in the kitchen, garage, home office or other work area in your home. They provide better resistance and shock absorption than other types of mats, reduce compression of the spinal cord, and help to ease foot fatigue and stress on the body. Anti-fatigue mats are especially helpful when standing on hard surfaces like concrete, terrazzo or ceramic tile. 

When shopping for an anti-fatigue mat, look for one that’s at least 3/8 of an inch thick. If you’ll be using a mat in the kitchen, consider a wide mat that covers a large area to provide comfort while you’re moving around.

The most common type of anti-fatigue mat is made of foam. While foam mats help with comfort and relieve fatigue, they aren’t the greatest for long periods of standing, and they compress quickly. Foam anti-fatigue mats work best in light-traffic areas of the home. Foam rubber mats have higher foam density and a rubber outer shell, making them a sturdier option. Gel anti-fatigue mats are extremely comfortable and popular for home use. 

Anti-fatigue mats are best for use in a kitchen, garage or home office.

Runner mats are long and rectangular. People usually use them in high-traffic areas, such as hallways. Runner mats aren’t meant to cover the entire floor. They work well on noncarpeted floors. However, you can still use them on carpeted floors with a carpet pad to keep the runner from sliding around. A runner mat is ideal in a galley kitchen.

Runner mats are great to use in hallways and kitchens or to install on a staircase.

A play mat makes a great addition to a child’s room. It provides cushioning to protect a baby’s bones while they’re learning to crawl. A good play mat is well padded to absorb impacts, has vivid colors for stimulation, is water- and stain-resistant, and is nontoxic. Play mats are useful beyond a baby’s first years since they can also be a perfect mat for a playroom as a child grows.

Play mats are best for a nursery, child’s room or playroom.

A rest mat is a heavily padded surface for children to sleep on during nap time. You’ll find rest mats as staples in child-care facilities and kindergarten classrooms, but they’re also great for home use. Rest mats usually have four sections that fold up into a rectangle. The vinyl coverings wipe clean with a damp cloth.