How to choose the best protection mats for retail wet areas and shelving
From condensation to accidental spillages, retail wet areas pose plenty of potential hazards. Here’s our team’s expert tips to keep your staff and stock safe in cold rooms and wet areas.
Head here for part one of this series: How to choose the best anti-fatigue and slip-resistant shop floor mats for retail
How to choose: Refrigerator floor mats and protection mats for wet areas
If your premises has a cold room, a refrigerated product display, or an inherently slippery retail area, you’ll need a suitable protection mat that keeps people safe from slips and falls, and stock free from damage.
When looking for retail flooring and protection matting for refrigerated areas and slippery retail areas, here’s what you need to consider:
1. Location
Think about the wet areas in question. Are refrigerator doors frequently opened, leading to condensation on the ground? Do you use the cold room to store products that drip water or spill, such as bags of ice or bottles of milk? Are you looking for matting for an area that’s going to be hosed or wet regularly, such as in a garden centre, florist or outdoor retail environment where slippery walkways are inevitable?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it’s imperative that your flooring delivers superior drainage and slip resistance, can withstand low temperatures, is impermeable to fluids, and resistant to mould and algae.
This was central to the Royal Horticultural Society’s decision to install our heavy-duty Vynagrip matting to provide safety underfoot for pedestrians, and slip resistance on wet surfaces. After testing different mats, they chose Vynagrip, which is impermeable to mould, algae, oils and other chemicals. The two-layer construction provides comfortable cushioning, and the addition of a gently angled ramp welded to the edges of the mat facilitates the passage of carts and wheeled equipment.
2. Durability & fit-for-purpose
When choosing refrigerator floor mats or chiller room floor mats, look for matting that’s purpose-designed to withstand cold temperatures, delivers slip resistance, promotes air circulation around boxes, is wheel proof, and helps prevent wheeled traffic from skidding.
3. Customisation & installation requirements
Retail zones and cold rooms can vary in size and shape, so it’s key to choose retail floor matting that can be cut to size and shape on site to meet the specific needs of the area.
For slippery areas, consider: Vynagrip
For slippery areas, consider: Vynagrip
Made from non-porous vinyl with a two layer construction and open grid for superior drainage
Diamond-tread pattern provides unparalleled traction underfoot, which helps prevent people from slipping and vehicles from skidding
Designed to function at temperatures from -23°C without cracking or curling
Cushioning and anti-fatigue properties
A breeze to clean with a high pressure hose
Easy to cut on site and contours to uneven surfaces
Available in black, red, blue or with yellow bands around the edge for extra visibility
How to choose: Protection matting for shelving
In many retail environments – such as butcher shops, fishmongers and store rooms areas where cleaning supplies, tools and equipment are stored – it’s imperative that your shelving delivers superior drainage, and lets air circulate your products or boxes.
When looking for shelf protection mats, here’s what you need to consider:
1. Location
Where are the shelves located, and how high are they? Are they in an employee workspace or product display areas? Do you need high-drainage matting to help protect stock, or cushioning matting to help protect fragile equipment? Or both?
2. Durability & fit-for-purpose
If the shelving holds food products – like in a supermarket, butchers or fishmongers – look for matting that delivers excellent drainage, is hygienic, and is easy to lift out or roll in order to clean. A good shelf mat should help keep stock fresh for longer. For example, if the shelf holds milk bottles and one is leaking, a protection mat will help stop the leaking bottle from contaminating the other bottles that are raised up on the mat.
If the shelves hold fragile equipment, or heavy tools that could damage the shelves, you’ll need cushioning matting with an open grid to ensure good drainage, air flow and fall through.
3. Customisation and installation requirements
Look for shelf protection matting that contours to uneven surfaces and is quick to install. If you think about how many shelves and display areas may need a protection mat, you don’t want to waste time navigating a complicated installation process.
For shelf protection matting, consider: Pillomat
Pillomat
Resistant to most acids, alkalines and oils, including cleaning products
Air-filled hollow sections deliver superior cushioning
Open grid design ensures good drainage and fallthrough
Light to handle, making installation a breeze, even for higher shelves
Simply lift or roll to clean with no special tools needed
Contours to uneven surfaces easily
Available in a wide range of colours
The shop floor mats for refrigerated zones and shelf protection mats we’ve recommended are the ones most often chosen by our distributors and customers – but we love a challenge, so if you have a niche retail flooring or other matting need, get in touch with us here.