Padded mats are an essential product that fit well into any home, office, or play area. In a society where over a million Americans are injured in slip, trip, and fall accidents a year (according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics), it is just as important as it has ever been to take necessary precautions in order to ensure that you, your family, employees, and guests are protected when it comes to slip-and-fall damage. A great way to work towards achieving this goal is by installing padded mats into your fall risk areas. The right soft mat (otherwise known as an anti-fatigue floor mat) will be capable of providing the cushioning barrier necessary for mitigating the damage caused by unintended slips and falls.

Another benefit of padded mats is that, in many cases, they reduce the incidences of falls in the first place. This is due to the natural, inherent traction qualities of the materials that most kinds of anti-fatigue floor mat are made from. Solid rubber (as opposed to cellular foam) is a very popular material that many types of soft mat are constructed from. Known for its high friction coefficient rubber excels as a cost-effective and reliable means of anti-fatigue floor mat surfacing. Solid rubber mats last a long time and are not prone to damage from foot-traffic, unlike their foam counterparts. Solid rubber mats are also heavier and tend to stay down under their own weight not requiring any adhesives. This keeps the mats in place without the worry one would have with a foam mat, which is lighter and easier to displace.

Foam is another material that many soft mat manufacturers implement when creating their padded mats. A naturally shock-absorbent and soft material, foam is used by consumers everywhere for all variety of padding needs, including day care rooms, home gyms, garage workshops, etc. Foam is a cost effective and light product that is easy to transport and install. These reasons are part of what makes foam padded mats such an attractive option for manufactures and consumers both. By the way, foam mats can be made out of rubber, polyurethane, EVA, vinyl of a variety of these materials combined. In each scenario the inherent benefits of the raw materials are displayed in the foam padded mats.

An additional advantage of solid rubber and foam are that they are both capable of being cut down to size, depending on the needs of the consumer. The shapeable nature of rubber or foam padded mats means that they can be implemented in almost any kind of environment. Versatile, resilient, and comfortable; a rubber or foam soft mat is truly something to marvel at. What’s more, an anti-fatigue floor mat made from these materials is easy to install without the need for “professional” help. Though they can function effectively as “standalone” products (meaning they can simply be lain down with any affixing to the ground), padded mats can also be combined with commercial tape or adhesive for a more permanent installation. This is a valuable quality for those who have a variety of flooring needs.

If all these reasons are not enough, another upside to using a rubber or foam soft mat is that it can easily be recycled or repurposed in most cases. By doing a little research beforehand on the specific brand and material type of soft mat you’re interested in, you’ll have a “heads up” in regards to the environmental impact of your product.

Soft padded mats are a prime example of a low-cost, high-performing product with a plethora of benefits. Get your hands on a set of rubber or foam mats and see firsthand how effective they can be!

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