The Complete Handbook of Office Mats

Chapter 1: Understanding Office Mats

An office mat is a layer of material placed on the floor to protect the surface beneath it and to improve the comfort and safety of the people working above it. This is the simple definition. But the reality is that the word "mat" covers a wide range of products, from a thin, clear vinyl sheet that stops a chair from denting a wood floor, to a thick, cushioned rubber pad that helps a worker stand for hours at a packing bench. The correct choice depends entirely on the specific floor, the specific activity, and the specific user. This book is about making that choice correctly.

The most common type, and the one that likely comes to mind first, is the chair mat. Its primary job is to bridge the gap in hardness between a hard, smooth floor and the small, hard wheels on a task chair. A standard desk chair with hard or soft casters concentrates the full weight of a person, often over 80 kilograms, onto a wheel contact patch the size of a coin. On a hardwood floor or vinyl tile, this concentrated pressure creates unsightly dents, scratches, and scuffs over time. Even on low-pile commercial carpet, the constant movement of casters crushes the fibers and pulls at the backing, leading to premature wear in a highly visible area. A chair mat solves this by spreading the load over a larger area. It protects the floor, and it also protects the chair's