Oil Absorbing Mats with Tray

Ensure a clean and safe workspace with our oil absorbing mat. These are specifically designed to soak up coolants, solvents, oils, and water, making them an essential tool for maintaining cleanliness in any industrial setting.

• Superior Absorption: Made from 100% recycled post-consumer fibers, these pads efficiently soak up oils, coolants, solvents, and water.
• Versatile Use: Ideal for garages, workshops, and industrial environments where spills are common.
• Quick Response: Rapid absorption capacity reduces cleanup time and increases efficiency.
• Eco-Friendly Option: Constructed from environmentally friendly materials, these mats are both effective and sustainable.
• Durability: Features mid-range abrasion resistance, making it suitable for moderate foot traffic areas.
• Practical Design: Excellent for use in pathways leading into offices and other clean spaces, helping to maintain cleanliness and safety.
• Complete Set: Our oil absorbing mat set includes a reusable nitrile rubber tray and 12 disposable pads, providing convenience and long-term usability.

What Vynagrip does before someone slips on a wet deck

Around a pool, in a locker room, or behind a wet bar, the floor is the part of the room you stop noticing — right up until a foot goes out from under someone. It's easy to assume a textured tile or a quick wipe-down has it covered. The trouble is that water has nowhere to go on a flat surface, so it sits in a thin film exactly where people walk barefoot or in wet shoes.

Vynagrip is built to break that film. Its open-grid surface lets water drain straight through to the floor below, so the top of the mat stays in contact with feet instead of with a puddle. The raised diamond tread gives shoes and bare skin something to bite into. That combination is what separates a real non-slip pool mat from one that only looks grippy while it's dry.

A slick pool deck or wet-area floor isn't a small problem. The National Floor Safety Institute points to wet, hard floors as one of the most common settings for slip-and-fall injuries, and a busy deck or beverage station sees a steady stream of wet feet all day. Matting that keeps traction underfoot while the water disappears below is doing safety work, not decoration.

Why an open-grid PVC build, and why this one

Vynagrip is made from flexible, non-porous PVC in a two-layer, open-grid construction. Non-porous matters more than it sounds. Because water and spills can't soak into the material, the mat doesn't hold moisture the way a fabric or foam surface would — so it won't turn into a home for bacteria or mildew in a damp pool area or shower room.

The two-layer grid is what makes the drainage work. Water passes through the open pattern on top and clears out underneath, so the walking surface stays usable even when the deck around it is soaked. On traction, the surface is rated R11 under DIN 51130 and scores 72–88 wet on the ASTM E303 pendulum test — strong numbers for a barefoot, wet-area mat.

It's also tougher than a pool mat strictly needs to be, which is the point: it holds up. The PVC resists most acids, alkalines, and oils, and it stays workable across a wide temperature range, from well below freezing up to 140°F. The two-layer build adds a little give underfoot too, so standing on it for a while is easier on your legs than standing on bare concrete.

Where it belongs — and what it isn't

Vynagrip earns its place anywhere water and foot traffic meet. Think pool decks and the walkway from the pool to the locker room, shower and changing areas, the floor behind a poolside bar or beverage station, and wet work zones in kitchens, food service, and refrigerated spaces. In each of these, the same job repeats: drain the water, keep the grip.

It helps to be clear about what this mat is not. It's a walk-on surface mat, not a flotation device, and it's not the liner-protector cloth that goes underneath an above-ground pool. If you're looking for a mat to put under a pool or a float for in the water, this isn't that product. Vynagrip works on top of the deck, under your feet — whether that deck is concrete, tile, or paver.

One honest note for outdoor use: the PVC itself resists sun degradation, but the red color isn't colorfast in constant direct sunlight, so a red mat in full sun will fade over time. For exposed outdoor decks, the darker colors are the safer pick. In shaded or indoor wet areas, color holds up fine.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

Vynagrip is straightforward to order, but three things decide whether you get the right setup the first time.

First, decide between rolls and modules. Rolls come in 33-foot lengths and standard widths, and they're easy to cut to fit on site — the right call for covering a long deck or an open wet-area floor. Modules arrive pre-cut with finished ramped edging on three sides, so they sit cleanly against a wall or workstation without a trip lip.

Second, match the format to your edges. An open run of matting in the middle of a floor is one thing; a mat people step onto from a dry surface is another. Where a clean transition matters — a doorway, the edge of a bar, the lip of a shower — ramped edging keeps the change in height gentle, so the mat itself doesn't become the thing someone trips on.

Third, plan for sun and heat. Outdoors, choose a darker color and keep the red for shaded or indoor spots. Also know that PVC can shrink slightly — up to about 2% — and heat speeds that up, so on a hot, exposed deck, leave a little room at fixed edges rather than butting the mat tight wall to wall.

Why Mats Inc.

We've been matching mats to real floors since 1964, and wet areas are where the wrong choice shows up fastest. We'll help you size Vynagrip to your actual deck or work zone, talk through rolls versus modules for your layout, and flag the details — edging, color, sun exposure — that catch people out after a mat ships. It's part of our wider lineup of pool and wet-area matting, and every order is backed by our 1-year limited warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Vynagrip actually made of, and why does that matter near water?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

It's a flexible, non-porous PVC mat built in two layers, with an open-grid top and a diamond tread. The non-porous part is the key for wet areas — water and spills can't soak in, so the mat doesn't stay damp or trap the bacteria and mildew that build up on surfaces holding moisture. The open grid lets water drain straight through instead of pooling on top, which is what keeps the walking surface grippy when everything around it is wet.

How slip-resistant is it when the deck is soaking wet?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Wet traction is exactly what it's built for. The surface is rated R11 on the DIN 51130 ramp test and scores 72–88 wet on the ASTM E303 pendulum test, both of which point to strong grip with water present. It also drains at the V10 level, so water keeps moving off the top rather than sitting under your feet. On top of that, the PVC shrugs off most acids, alkalines, and oils and works from below freezing up to 140°F, so a hot deck or a chemical splash won't break it down.

Does it come in rolls or tiles, and can I get a custom size?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Both. You can order it as a roll in 33-foot lengths and 2-, 3-, or 4-foot widths, which you cut to fit on site — good for long decks and open floors. Or you can order modules at 4' x 2'5" or 5' x 3' that arrive with finished ramped edging on three sides, ready to drop against a wall or bar. If your space is an odd shape, custom sizes are available on request.

Can I use this outside around the pool, or is it really an indoor mat?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, VP of Marketing

It works in both, and the pool deck is one of its best homes. Outdoors it handles weather and a wide temperature swing without getting brittle, so it's at ease on an open deck, a poolside path, or a shower and changing area. The one thing to plan for outside is sun: pick a darker color for spots in constant direct sunlight, since the red can fade out there over time. Indoors and in shade, any color holds up.

What does it look like, and what colors can I get?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, VP of Marketing

It has a clean, open diamond-grid look that reads as purposeful rather than busy — like it belongs in a working wet area, not like an afterthought. It comes in black and red as standard. Black is the easy choice for hiding the bits of grit and debris a pool deck collects, while red can mark off a zone or add a little contrast. Just remember the red is best kept out of full, constant sun.

My deck has an awkward layout — will this actually fit it?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, VP of Marketing

Most likely, yes, and that's one of its strengths. Because the rolls cut easily on site, you can shape a run around steps, drains, ladders, and corners instead of forcing your space to match a fixed mat size. For built-in spots like a bar floor or a recessed changing area, the modules with ramped edges give you a finished look. And if nothing standard works, you can have it made to a custom size to fit the exact footprint you've got.

Written by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

Corrugated Rubber Matting is a nitrile rubber runner sold by the roll: 1/8 inch thick, 75 feet long, in 24-, 36-, and 48-inch widths. The top is an angular-tooth ribbed pattern, the back is textured to grip the floor, and the rubber is formulated for indoor and outdoor use in low or high temperatures. It is a ribbed rubber runner for long floors that need traction, protection, and less noise, and it is meant to be cut to length on site.

What a Corrugated Rubber Runner Does Before the Floor Wears Through

A long hard floor fails in a stripe. The aisle between racks, the hallway from the shop door to the bench, the run behind a counter: that is where every boot, cart, and dropped part lands, and it is where concrete pits, coatings wear off, and tile cracks first. A rolled rubber mat over that stripe takes the abuse instead of the floor.

The ribs do the second job. The angular-tooth pattern gives a boot sole edges to bite against, and it channels water and grit into the grooves instead of leaving a film on top. On a floor that gets tracked-in rain, coolant mist, or wash-down water, that is the difference between a walkway and a slide.

The third job is quieter, literally. Rubber between a hard sole and a hard floor cuts the impact noise of footsteps and carts. In a shop or plant that runs all day, a runner down the main aisle takes a measurable edge off the background noise, which is one of the reasons buyers who came for floor protection keep it.

Why Nitrile Rubber, and Why This One

This runner is solid nitrile rubber, one material through the full 1/8-inch thickness. There is no cushion layer, no fabric, and no bonded backing to separate. What you get is a thin, dense, flexible sheet that lies flat, rolls back up when it needs to move, and does not depend on a glue line to stay in one piece.

The formulation is rated for indoor and outdoor use and for low or high temperatures. That is the practical distinction from a general-purpose runner: it can run from a loading dock through a roll-up door and down a plant aisle without stiffening in the cold section or softening in the hot one. It also meets FMVSS 302 flammability requirements.

The two surfaces are built for different jobs. The top pattern is an angular tooth, sharper-edged than a rounded rib, so it holds a shoe rather than letting it skate along the groove. The back is textured rather than smooth, which gives the runner friction against the floor and helps a loose-laid length stay where it was put.

The 1/8-inch gauge is a choice, not a compromise. A thin runner sits low enough that carts, hand trucks, and rolling tool chests cross it without a bump, and it does not fight door clearances or floor transitions. It is also light enough per foot to cut and reposition without a crew.

Where It Belongs, and What It Is Not

Run it down any long hard floor that takes foot and wheel traffic: warehouse and stockroom aisles, shop and garage floors, service corridors, the strip behind a bar or counter, a covered walkway or ramp, an equipment room. Because it handles cold and heat, the same roll works from an unheated dock into a conditioned plant. It is one of the roll options among the heavy-duty rubber runner mats we stock, and the one to pick when the run is long and the floor is hard.

The vendor also lists it for OEM uses, which in practice means it is cut and fitted as a liner or protective layer inside equipment, vehicles, and cabinetry as well as laid on floors. The same roll that covers an aisle can be trimmed for a truck bed, a tool crib shelf, or a machine base.

What it is not is a comfort mat. There is no cushion in a solid 1/8-inch sheet, so a person standing in one spot for a shift will feel the floor through it. Where someone holds a station, pair it with a cushioned anti-fatigue mat at that station and let the runner handle the walking between them.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

First, measure the run and pick the width to the traffic, not the space. Twenty-four inches covers a single-file path where people walk one at a time. Thirty-six inches is the standard aisle width where two people pass or a cart shares the lane with a walker. Forty-eight inches covers a wide bay, a two-way corridor, or a floor you want protected wall to wall. Each roll is 75 feet, and runs are cut to length on site.

Second, decide loose-lay or fixed. The textured back holds a straight run on a clean, dry floor without adhesive, and loose-lay lets you pull the runner up to clean under it. Where the runner crosses a doorway, turns a corner, or lives under constant cart traffic, tape or glue the edges and the end cuts so they cannot lift and become the trip hazard the runner was bought to prevent.

Third, plan the seam and the cut. A 75-foot roll covers most aisles in one piece; where a run is longer, butt the two ends square rather than overlapping them, since an overlap in a cart lane catches wheels. Cut with a sharp utility knife along a straightedge, and let the roll relax flat at room temperature before trimming so the cut stays true.

Why Mats Inc.

We stock this runner because a long hard aisle is the most common floor problem a facility brings us, and the fix is not complicated: a dense rubber sheet with ribs on top and grip on the back, in a width that matches the lane, cut to the run. Mats Inc. has been fitting runners to real traffic since 1964, and this is the roll we reach for when the answer is a straight length of ribbed rubber rather than a stack of cut mats.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this runner made of, and how is it built?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Solid nitrile rubber, 1/8 inch thick, with no cushion layer or bonded backing. The top carries an angular-tooth corrugated pattern, which is a sharper-edged rib than a rounded corrugation and holds a shoe instead of letting it slide along the groove. The back is textured so the runner has friction against the floor.

The formulation is rated for indoor and outdoor use and for low or high temperatures, and it meets FMVSS 302 flammability requirements. Single-material construction is why it rolls, unrolls, and gets cut repeatedly without anything coming apart.

How long does a corrugated rubber runner last, and what wears it out?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The maker does not publish a service-life figure, and on a solid rubber runner the traffic decides it. A dense 1/8-inch nitrile sheet under normal foot and cart traffic wears at the rib tops slowly and evenly, and the runner stays serviceable until the ribs flatten enough to stop channeling water. It carries a 1-year limited (Mats Inc.) warranty, and a look at the rib height and the edges once a year tells you where it stands.

Two things end it early. A loose edge or end in a cart lane gets kicked, folded, and torn, so fix edges where wheels cross. And an overlap seam takes the full impact of every caster; butt joints do not. Keep the edges down and the seams square and the runner outlasts the floor coating under it.

Do I need to glue it down, and how do I cut it?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Not for a straight run on a clean, dry floor. The textured back and the runner's own weight, 113 to 215 pounds per roll depending on width, hold it in place, and loose-lay lets you pull it up to clean underneath. Where it crosses a doorway, turns a corner, or sits under constant wheeled traffic, tape or glue the edges and end cuts so nothing can lift.

Cutting is a sharp utility knife along a straightedge. Unroll the runner and let it relax flat at room temperature first; rubber that has been rolled tight or stored cold holds a curve and cuts crooked. Cut to the run, butt the ends square where two lengths meet, and do not overlap.

Which width should I order?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Match the width to how people and carts actually use the lane. Twenty-four inches covers a single-file walkway, a narrow service corridor, or the strip behind a counter where staff walk one at a time. Thirty-six inches is the standard for an aisle where two people pass or a cart and a walker share the lane. Forty-eight inches covers a wide bay, a two-way corridor, or a floor you want protected edge to edge.

Every width comes on a 75-foot roll, so length is decided on site with a knife rather than at order time. Measure the run first; for a lane longer than 75 feet, plan the butt seam somewhere carts do not stop or turn.

What does it look like once it is down?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

A clean black band of fine, evenly spaced ribs running the length of the lane. The angular-tooth profile reads as crisp lines rather than a rounded wave, and because the rubber is black and the ribs are shallow, tracked-in grit and scuffs settle into the grooves instead of showing on the surface. At 1/8 inch it sits nearly flush with the floor.

It looks right in a shop, a plant, a stockroom, or a back-of-house corridor, where a straight black runner reads as intentional and tidy. For a front-of-house floor that customers judge by eye, a carpeted or fabric-topped runner is the better-looking choice; this one is built for the floors that do the work.

Can it be used outdoors or in unheated spaces, and where should it not go?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Yes. The rubber is rated for indoor and outdoor use and for low or high temperatures, so it works on a covered dock, a ramp, an unheated warehouse, or a run that passes through a roll-up door from outside to in. That flexibility is the main reason to choose it over a general indoor runner when the lane is not fully climate-controlled.

Where it should not go is anywhere someone stands still for hours; there is no cushion in it, and a standing station needs an anti-fatigue mat. It is also a floor runner rather than a drainage mat, so a pit that holds standing water wants an open-pattern mat that lets liquid fall through.

By Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

The original, continuous, crimp, flexible mat, made from galvanized steel 3/8" deep with 1" x 1" mesh openings.

• Great for those areas where mud and dirt are a real problem.
• Rolls up like carpet for easy cleaning.
• Presents a smooth level surface for truly rough and tough scraping jobs.
• Great for those areas where mud and dirt are a real problem.
• Red spacers are put across the entire edge of both sides of the mat.
• Drag attachment also available for conversion to drag mat. Call or Email us!
• Custom sizes available upon special request.

What Comfort Flow Does Before a Wet Floor Becomes a Slip Report

Comfort Flow is a flow-through anti-fatigue mat built for the places where water, grease, and long standing shifts all land on the same floor. Drainage holes carry liquid straight through instead of letting it pool underfoot, while a high-density nitrile rubber cushion softens every hour spent standing over that floor.

Wet floors punish twice. Standing water and grease take footing first — one hurried step at a busy station is all a slip needs — and the hard, damp floor underneath grinds away at feet, knees, and backs through the rest of the shift. A wet-area mat has to solve both problems at once, or it isn't solving either.

Why Flow-Through Nitrile, and Why This One

The cushion is a high-density, closed-cell nitrile rubber foam — grease and oil proof, chemical resistant, and welding safe. Closed-cell matters in a wet zone: the material resists soaking up what lands on it, so the mat keeps working in conditions that break down ordinary foam.

Safety is certified, not assumed. The mat is certified high-traction by the National Floor Safety Institute, and beveled edges give feet and carts a safe transition from floor to mat instead of a trip point. A lifetime anti-microbial treatment works between cleanings to prevent odors and degradation of the mat itself.

Then there's the part your closing crew will notice: the design is lightweight and flexible. When the shift ends, the mat picks up easily, hoses down, and goes back into service — no wrestling a waterlogged slab of rubber across a wet kitchen floor at eleven at night.

Where It Belongs, and What It Is Not

Comfort Flow belongs in wet areas where grease, oil, or chemicals show up on the floor: dish stations and prep lines, wet industrial work cells, wash bays, and stations where hoses run daily. Anywhere staff stand over a floor that never quite dries, the drainage holes and cushion earn their place together.

What it is not: a solid-surface comfort mat for dry stations. If the floor stays dry, drainage holes solve a problem you don't have, and the solid dry-area constructions in our anti-fatigue mats and runners lineup are the better match. This one is purpose-built for the wet zone.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

First, confirm it's a true wet zone. Walk the station during a real shift: if water, grease, or rinse-down runoff reaches the floor daily, flow-through drainage earns its place. If the mess is occasional, a solid-top mat is easier to live with and keeps crumbs and small parts from falling through.

Second, plan the cleaning routine before the mat arrives. The whole point of a lightweight, flexible design is that it actually gets lifted — hosed down, drained, and returned — instead of being cleaned around. Decide who lifts it and when, and the anti-microbial treatment handles the hours in between.

Third, look at the traffic crossing it. Beveled edges keep the floor-to-mat transition safe, but placement still matters: set the mat so hurried foot traffic lands on the certified high-traction surface, not on a wet strip of bare floor between two mats.

Why Mats Inc.

We've been putting the right mat under wet, hard-working floors since 1964, and this one covers a need the heavy-duty drainage class doesn't: crews who need real wet-area protection they can lift with one hand at closing. We confirm what's behind every product we sell, and this mat carries a 1-year limited Mats Inc. warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does one mat fight slips and fatigue at the same time?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The two jobs share one design. Drainage holes carry water and grease through the mat instead of letting them sit where shoes land, and the surface itself is certified high-traction by the National Floor Safety Institute — so footing holds even mid-rush. Meanwhile the high-density, closed-cell nitrile rubber foam underneath cushions every standing hour. Solid mats in wet zones trap liquid on top; flow-through construction is what lets one mat do both jobs honestly.

Will daily grease and chemicals break the mat down?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

This construction is built for exactly that exposure: the nitrile rubber is grease and oil proof, chemical resistant, and welding safe, and the closed-cell foam resists soaking up what the shift throws at it. A lifetime anti-microbial treatment guards the mat against odors and material degradation between cleanings. Ordinary foam mats in a greasy wet zone swell, stink, and crumble — this one is specified so the environment that justifies the mat doesn't destroy it.

Is it safe where staff move fast across it?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

That's the setting it's certified for. NFSI high-traction certification means the surface has been independently tested for slip resistance, and the beveled edges slope down to the floor so a hurried step onto or off the mat doesn't catch a raised edge. Placement finishes the job: run the mat along the full standing-and-stepping path so quick feet stay on the traction surface rather than crossing wet bare floor between coverage.

We run a busy commercial kitchen — is this the right kind of mat for the line?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

If your line gets wet — dish spray, prep runoff, grease that finds the floor no matter how careful the crew is — then yes, this is the class of mat that belongs there. It's a different tool than the cushioned kitchen comfort mats made for dry home use: those are built for softness alone, while this one pairs the cushion with drainage and certified traction because a working line demands both. Match the mat to how your kitchen actually runs.

How hard is it to live with day to day?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Easier than most wet-area mats, and that's by design. The lightweight, flexible build means one person can lift it at close, hose it down, let it drain, and set it back — a routine a tired crew will actually keep. That matters more than it sounds: heavy mats tend to get mopped around instead of cleaned under, and the floor beneath them quietly becomes the dirtiest spot in the building. A mat the team will lift stays part of the cleaning routine.

How much of the floor should it cover?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Cover where the feet and the water actually are. Walk the station during a working shift and watch two things: where people stand longest, and where liquid lands or travels. The mat should span both — a strip that stops short leaves a wet gap right where someone steps off. For stations, size to the work zone with a little margin on each side; for longer runs along a line or sink row, plan coverage as one continuous path. Our team can help match available sizes to your layout.

By Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

What Versa Runner does before water and grime turn a floor slick

In a wet area, the floor problem usually isn't the water you can see — it's the thin, greasy film that builds up where water mixes with whatever else is on the ground. You might figure a solid rubber mat handles it. The catch is that a solid mat traps that film on top, right where feet land, so the surface that's supposed to help can end up just as slick.

Versa Runner takes a different route. Its surface is cut with slotted perforations, so water and grime drain straight through instead of pooling on top. Side-to-side scraper ribs and a knobbed top give shoes something to grab, and the ribbed underside channels liquid out from beneath the mat. The result is a non-slip surface that keeps working while the floor around it stays wet.

A slick wet-area floor is one of the most common places people get hurt. The National Floor Safety Institute ties wet, hard floors to a large share of slip-and-fall injuries, and a pool deck, locker room, or wet work zone feeds that risk all day. A mat that drains the water away and holds traction underfoot is doing real safety work.

Why nitrile rubber, and why this one

Versa Runner is made from 100% nitrile rubber, and that choice does a lot of quiet work. Nitrile shrugs off grease, oils, and animal fats that would soften or break down lesser rubber, so the mat keeps its shape and grip in tough conditions. For a wet area that also sees cleaning chemicals or kitchen runoff, that chemical resistance is what keeps it from going gummy or brittle.

It's also built with a MicroStop anti-microbial compound, which inhibits the bacteria and fungi that love to settle into damp, warm spots like pool surrounds and shower floors. Pair that with the through-draining slotted surface and you get a mat that doesn't sit in its own moisture. At 3/8" thick, it stays low enough that carts and wheeled traffic roll on and off without catching an edge.

The same build that drains also cushions. The ribbed underside adds a measure of give, so standing on it for a stretch is easier on the legs than standing on bare concrete or tile. And because nitrile is genuinely durable, the mat takes foot traffic, rolling loads, and repeated wash-downs without falling apart — it's made to stay in service, not to be replaced every season.

Where it belongs — and what it isn't

Versa Runner belongs wherever a floor stays wet and people keep moving. Around a pool that means the service and back-of-house zones as much as the deck itself: the bar or concession floor, the path into the locker room, shower and changing areas, and equipment or pump rooms. It's just as at home in kitchens, food-prep areas, and other wet work zones where grease and water share the floor.

It's worth being clear about what this mat is not. It's a walk-on drainage runner, not a flotation mat and not the liner-protector sheet that goes under an above-ground pool. If you came looking for a mat to put under a pool or a float for the water, this isn't it. Versa Runner works on top of the floor, under your feet, on concrete, tile, or a finished deck.

One honest note: this is a rubber mat built for service and work areas, so it's happiest indoors or in covered, shaded wet zones. The source doesn't rate it for constant sun or direct pool-chemical contact, so for a fully exposed, barefoot sunbathing deck, ask us first — we'll tell you straight whether it's the right fit or point you to a mat that's purpose-built for that spot.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

Versa Runner is easy to order well if you sort out three things up front.

First, choose between a cut mat and a roll. Cut mats in set sizes drop in fast at a single station — a bar, a shower entry, a pump-room doorway. Rolls come in 2-, 3-, and 4-foot widths and run up to 60 feet, which you cut to length on site to cover a long deck run or a whole wet aisle in one continuous piece.

Second, map the width to your walkway. Measure the wettest path — pool edge to locker room, or the lane behind a bar — and pick the roll width that covers it without leaving a dry-foot gap where people step off the mat onto slick floor. A runner only protects the path it actually covers, so size it to the traffic, not just the doorway.

Third, think about edges and transitions. A cut mat sits with straight edges, which is fine in the middle of a run but can be a lip where people step on from a dry surface. Where that transition matters, plan the layout so the mat butts against a wall or threshold, or ask us about edge options, so the mat itself never becomes the thing someone trips over.

Why Mats Inc.

We've been matching mats to real floors since 1964, and wet areas punish the wrong pick fastest. We'll help you decide between cut mats and rolls, size the width to your actual traffic path, and flag the things that bite people later — sun exposure, transitions, chemical contact. It's part of our wider lineup of pool and wet-area matting, and every order is backed by our 1-year limited warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Versa Runner made of, and how does it drain?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

It's made from 100% nitrile rubber, with a surface cut full of slotted perforations and a knobbed, scraper-ribbed top. Water and grime fall through the slots to the floor below instead of pooling where you step, while the ribs give shoes and bare feet traction. Underneath, a ribbed pattern channels liquid out from beneath the mat and adds a little cushioning. It's also built with a MicroStop anti-microbial compound that helps hold back bacteria and fungi in damp spots.

How well does it hold up to heavy use and chemicals?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Nitrile rubber is the reason it lasts. It resists grease, oils, and animal fats that would break down ordinary rubber, so it keeps its grip and shape through wash-downs and daily traffic. At 3/8" thick it's low enough for carts and wheeled loads to roll on and off without snagging, yet substantial enough to take real foot traffic. For a wet area that also sees cleaning chemicals, that chemical resistance is what keeps the mat from turning gummy or brittle over time.

Can I get it in a custom size or just standard mats?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Both. You can order set-size cut mats for a single spot like a doorway or a station, or buy it by the roll in 2-, 3-, or 4-foot widths up to 60 feet long. The roll is the flexible option — it cuts cleanly on site, so you can run one continuous piece down a long deck or wet aisle and trim it to the exact length your space needs.

Where around a pool does this actually make sense?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, VP of Marketing

Its sweet spot is the working, wet parts of a pool area rather than the open sunbathing deck. Think the floor behind the bar or concession stand, the walk into the locker room, shower and changing areas, and pump or equipment rooms — anywhere water and foot traffic mix indoors or under cover. It's a rubber mat built for service zones, so for a fully sun-exposed deck it's worth checking with us before you commit.

What does it look like underfoot?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, VP of Marketing

It has a practical, no-nonsense look — a black surface broken up by drainage slots and a ribbed, knobbed top that reads as purposeful, like equipment that's there to do a job. Black is the standard color, and it's a smart one for wet work areas because it hides the grit, scuffs, and bits of debris these floors collect between cleanings. It's not trying to be decorative; it's trying to keep people upright.

My space is an odd shape — will it fit?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, VP of Marketing

Almost certainly. Because the roll cuts easily on site, you can shape a run around drains, ladders, corners, and equipment instead of forcing your floor to match a fixed mat. That makes it a strong pick when an off-the-shelf size just won't sit right. If you'd like help planning the layout or choosing widths for a tricky footprint, send us the dimensions and we'll map it out with you.

Written by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

What Tire Link Mats Do Before Heavy Traffic Grinds a Walkway Down

Tire link mats are the brute-force answer to the hardest-working floors: recycled tire rubber links woven on galvanized steel wire into an open mesh that water and debris fall straight through. The walking surface stays clear while the mess collects below shoe level — and the links themselves are built to take the heaviest traffic for years.

High-traffic wet zones defeat ordinary matting quickly. Grit grinds surfaces down, water sits where boots land, and the mat that looked sturdy in month one is curling and bald by winter's end. This is a different class of tool — rubber that already survived life as a tire, doing a second tour on your busiest walkway.

Why Recycled Tire Links on Steel Wire, and Why This One

The construction is nearly a century old for a reason: the design was first patented in 1923, and it endures because nothing about it is delicate. Links cut from bias-ply tire rubber are woven on galvanized steel wires, producing a 5/8-inch-thick mat with no coating to wear off and no foam to crush flat.

The open mesh is the working feature. Rain, slush, mud, and grit pass through the weave instead of pooling on top, so traction lives on a clear surface even in weather that soaks everything else. When it's time to clean, the mat simply rolls up — sweep or hose what gathered beneath, roll it back out, done.

There's also a genuine sustainability story built in: the mat consists of approximately 90 percent recycled content, and every 12 square feet puts one whole recycled tire back to work. Two weave patterns are available — herringbone and straight — and edges can be finished with beveled or squared nosing.

Where It Belongs, and What It Is Not

Tire link mats belong where traffic is relentless and conditions are wet: building entrances and service doors, outdoor walkways and steps, dock and yard transitions, and the muddy, slushy approaches that see boots by the hundreds. The harder the duty, the more this construction makes sense.

What it is not: a cushioned standing mat. Its job is surviving traffic and shedding water, not easing a fixed shift at a workstation — that comfort work belongs to the options in our anti-fatigue mats and runners lineup. Give the tire links the doorway and the walkway, and let a purpose-built cushion handle the standing post.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

First, pick the weave for the setting. The herringbone pattern lays the links in an angled, woven look that reads a touch more finished; the straight weave keeps rows aligned for a plainer, utilitarian face. Both share identical construction and thickness — the choice is visual and traffic will never know the difference.

Second, plan sizes and edges together. Standard mats run from compact doorway sizes up to 3 feet by 12 feet, with custom sizing available. Dimensions are approximate unless nosing is specified, so order beveled or squared nosing where exact fit or a finished transition edge matters. Runs over 12 feet should be sectionalized for easier handling, and oversized mats carry special handling.

Third, build the simple cleaning habit. Everything the mesh swallows is waiting underneath, so the routine is: roll the mat up, clear what collected, roll it back. It's a two-minute job that keeps the drainage path open — and it's the only maintenance this construction really asks for.

Why Mats Inc.

Some products earn their place with technology; this one earned it with a hundred years of doorways. We've been sending tire link matting into the wettest, busiest entries our customers own since 1964, because it simply refuses to quit there. We verify what's behind every product we carry, and this mat is backed by a 1-year limited Mats Inc. warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes tire links tougher than a regular rubber mat?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The rubber's first job was being a tire. Links cut from bias-ply tire rubber carry the toughness that material was engineered for — abrasion, weather, load — and the galvanized steel wire weave holds them together without glue, stitching, or a backing that can delaminate. The design was patented back in 1923 and has outlived generations of newer matting for a simple reason: there's no weak layer to fail first.

How long does it really last under constant traffic?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

This construction is rated to withstand the heaviest traffic for several years — and that's the punishing kind of duty, not office hallways. Thick rubber links wear the way a tire tread does, gradually and evenly, rather than the way coated mats fail, all at once when the surface gives. On a doorway that eats ordinary mats every season, the arithmetic of a mat measured in years changes the whole maintenance picture.

How does the open weave keep the surface safer when it's wet?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Water can't make a surface slick if it isn't on the surface. The mesh openings let rain, slush, and grit drop through immediately, so boots meet rubber links instead of a film of water sitting on top of a solid mat. Debris works the same way — tracked-in gravel and mud fall below shoe level rather than rolling underfoot. The surface is non-directional too, so there's no wrong way to lay it for traction.

Will it look right at our entrance, or too industrial?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

It wears its toughness openly, and in the right setting that's exactly the message. At a plant door, a service entrance, a campus building that sees weather, or a farm and yard transition, the woven rubber reads as purposeful — especially in the herringbone pattern, which gives the surface an orderly, almost textile look. For a polished lobby where softness and color set the tone, pair it outside the door and let interior matting take over past the threshold.

How do I get the size and edges right?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Start with the traffic path, then decide the edges. Standard sizes run from compact doorway mats up to 3 by 12 feet, with custom sizing available for wider or longer runs. Two details matter at order time: dimensions are approximate unless you specify nosing, so choose beveled or squared nosing where the fit is exact or the edge meets open floor — and plan runs over 12 feet as sections, which makes lifting and cleaning a one-person job instead of a project.

What does the recycled content actually amount to?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Something you can count. The mat is roughly 90 percent recycled content, and every 12 square feet contains one full recycled tire — so a 3 by 8 foot doorway mat is two tires that stayed out of a landfill and went back to work. For organizations tracking sustainability commitments, it's a rare line item where the greener choice is also the most durable one on the list, and the math is simple enough to put in the report.

By Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

The Spark Safe anti-fatigue rubber matting is designed for welding and other industrial applications.

• Durable anti-fatigue mat that is spark resistant repels sparks and hot metal shards.
• Soft foam base is bonded to rubber surface for worker's safety and comfort.
• Textured surface improves traction in dry environments.
• Beveled edges for additional safety.
• 1/2" thick
• Black color
• Custom lengths available in 2', 3', and 4' widths. Call or Email us!

A one-piece rubber tread and riser covers the step and the face below it as a single molded part. The tread portion runs 20-7/16 inches deep, folds down over the nose, and continues as the riser without a joint anywhere in between. A raised disc field carries across the walking surface.

The reason to specify it that way is the back of the step. On a two-piece installation, the tread stops and the riser begins, and that seam sits at the exact point where everything swept off a stair collects and stays. Removing the joint removes the problem rather than managing it.

What a One-Piece Cover Does Before the Back of Every Step Turns Into a Trap

Look at the back corner of any stair covered in separate treads and risers a few years in. There is a line of grit packed into the joint. Cleaning gets it wet but rarely gets it out, and each pass drives a little more of it deeper into the seam.

That grit is doing damage while it sits there. It holds moisture against the substrate, works its way under the tread edge, and eventually starts lifting the covering from the back forward. By the time an edge is visibly loose, the adhesive along that whole rear band has usually already let go.

The seam is also where the two pieces stop agreeing with each other. Treads and risers ordered separately can arrive from different production runs, and a slight color difference that nobody noticed at installation becomes an obvious horizontal line once the stairs are lit from above.

A single molded part removes both problems by removing the joint. There is no groove for debris to pack into, no rear edge for a mop to catch, and no possibility of a color mismatch between the step and its face. Cleaning becomes one continuous pass from the nose down to the tread below. The full range of stair treads, risers and landing tiles covers both approaches, but this is the one that eliminates the seam rather than managing it.

Why One-Piece Construction and a Raised Disc, and Why This One

The tread portion is 1/4 inch nominal, which is a heavy commercial gauge rather than a light retrofit thickness. From there the riser section tapers down to 5/64 inch at its bottom edge, so the part gets thinner exactly where it meets the tread below and thickest where feet actually land.

The nose is the part worth understanding before you order. It measures 1-9/16 inches long at 3/16 inch thick, and it is both tapered and adjustable. That matters on retrofit work, where existing step noses are rarely as consistent as the drawings say and a fixed square nose either bridges a gap or sits proud of the edge.

The disc field stands 3/64 inch above the surface at 1-5/64 inches across. That is a genuine raised profile rather than a decorative texture, and on a stair it earns the height: a shoe sole compresses against a disc and gets something to push off, which is a different proposition from a shallow pattern that stops working the moment the surface is wet.

Round discs are also what makes that height tolerable underfoot. A raised rib or a directional pattern presents an edge, and edges on a stair catch toes. A disc presents the same gentle curve from every approach angle, so the profile grips without becoming something to trip over.

Abrasive inserts are available in 3/4 inch or 2 inch widths for projects that need a defined slip-resistant strip at the leading edge. That is the configuration to specify where a code review, an accessibility requirement, or a facility standard calls for visible edge marking rather than a uniformly textured surface.

Lengths run from 36 inches to 108 inches, which covers most stairwells without a butt joint mid-step. Weight works out to 2.5 pounds per linear foot, so a 72 inch piece is around 15 pounds and a single installer can handle it on a stair.

Where It Belongs, and Where It Is Not the Right Cover

Specify it on interior stairs that get real traffic and real cleaning: schools, office buildings, healthcare corridors, apartment and hotel stairwells, transit and municipal buildings. Anywhere a custodial crew is running a wet mop down a flight on a schedule, the absence of a rear seam changes the daily work.

It suits retrofit better than most stair coverings. The adjustable nose absorbs the variation you find in existing steps, the 1/4 inch tread gauge covers minor surface damage underneath, and the one-piece format means a single part per step rather than coordinating two orders in matching colors and batches.

Where it is not the right choice is a stair with a rounded or heavily worn bullnose that has lost its shape entirely. The nose adjusts within a range; it does not rebuild a step edge. Badly deformed noses want repair before any covering goes over them, or the finished stair telegraphs every flaw underneath.

It is also not the answer for an open-riser stair, where there is no face to cover and a separate tread is the only sensible part. And on a stair with an unusual depth, check the geometry before ordering, because a one-piece part is dimensionally fixed in a way that two separate pieces are not.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

First, measure the actual step, not the drawing. You need the tread depth from the inside of the nose, the riser height, and the existing nose projection. The part covers 20-7/16 inches from inside the nose across tread and riser combined, and that total has to reconcile with what is on site before anything is ordered.

Second, decide on abrasive inserts up front. Adding a grit strip later is not a modification you make to an installed tread, and the 3/4 inch and 2 inch widths read very differently on a finished stair. If a safety review is coming, get the requirement confirmed before the order rather than after.

Third, order the whole stairwell in one batch and add a spare. Color runs vary between production batches, and rubber that arrives six months later to replace one damaged step will sit visibly against its neighbors. One extra piece per stairwell costs a fraction of the disruption of a mismatched replacement.

Why Mats Inc.

Stair coverings get replaced when somebody trips or when an inspector writes it up, which is the worst moment to be making decisions. We have been supplying commercial stair surfaces since 1964, and the questions that actually determine whether a job goes well are boring ones: what shape are the existing noses in, how is the stairwell cleaned, and does anything about the building require a marked leading edge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an adjustable nose actually adjust?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The nose section is molded to flex and taper rather than arriving as a rigid fixed profile. On a retrofit that is the difference between a covering that sits tight against the step edge and one that bridges a gap you can see from the bottom of the flight.

Existing step noses are almost never uniform. Decades of traffic round them off unevenly, previous coverings leave adhesive ridges, and concrete stairs poured on site vary flight to flight. A nose with some adjustment in it absorbs that variation. What it cannot do is rebuild a nose that has lost its shape entirely, so badly damaged edges still need patching first.

How much grip does the raised disc give, and do I need the abrasive inserts?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The discs stand 3/64 inch proud at 1-5/64 inches across, which is a real profile rather than a surface texture. A shoe compresses against it and gets purchase, and because the discs are round they present the same shape from every direction rather than an edge that catches a toe.

Whether that is enough depends on what the building requires. If a facility standard, an accessibility review, or an insurer calls for a defined slip-resistant leading edge, specify the abrasive inserts in 3/4 inch or 2 inch and get it in writing before the order. Inserts are molded in, not added later, so this is a decision made once at specification and not revisited.

How does it install, and what does the step underneath need to look like?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Strip the old covering completely and get the adhesive residue off. A one-piece part follows the step it sits on, so a ridge of old mastic or a lifted patch of the previous tread will telegraph straight through the finished surface. Fill chips and low spots, and let any patching material cure fully.

Pieces are cut to length on site and set in adhesive across the full tread and riser face, worked from the nose backward so air moves out rather than getting trapped at the seam-free rear edge. Let the cartons acclimate to room temperature first. Keep traffic off until the adhesive has set, which usually means doing a stairwell in halves so the building still has a route.

What do the colors look like, and how do I choose for a stairwell?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Twenty-five colors, eleven solid and fourteen marbleized. The solids cover neutrals like dust, mid gray and putty gray through to charcoal, onyx and deeper tones including wine and pine. They give a clean, even surface where the disc pattern is the only visual texture.

For a working stairwell the marbleized range is usually the better answer. Swirled tones such as charcoal, chestnut and mid grey break up the surface so scuffs, tracked grit and the polish that develops in the main walking path fold into the pattern instead of standing out. A flat solid in a busy stairwell shows every mark until the next deep clean.

Does it have to match the landing at the bottom?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

It does not have to, but a stairwell reads as finished when the steps and the landing agree. A raised disc landing tile shares the same profile and the same color range, so the pattern carries straight off the bottom step onto the floor without a visual break.

If you would rather mark the change in level, contrast deliberately. A darker landing under lighter steps, or the reverse, tells anyone glancing down where the flight ends, which is genuinely useful in a dim stairwell. What looks wrong is the near-match, where the landing almost agrees with the treads but not quite. Commit to one or the other.

What lengths does it come in, and how do I work out an order?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

Lengths run from 36 to 108 inches, and pieces ship six to a carton at 2.5 pounds per linear foot. Measure the widest step in the flight rather than assuming they are identical, order to that, and trim down on site. Most commercial stairs fall comfortably inside the range without needing a joint mid-step.

Count the steps, add one spare piece, and order the whole stairwell together. Colors run in batches, so a replacement bought later may not sit invisibly next to its neighbors, and a single damaged step is a routine event over a stairwell's life. The spare turns that into a swap instead of a conversation about redoing the flight.

By Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

What ladder rung covers do before a wet rung costs someone their footing

A ladder rung gives a boot less contact area than almost anything else a person stands on. It is narrow, usually round, and often the only thing between a worker and a fall. Add rain, oil, mud, or ice and that small round surface stops being a foothold. The foot rolls off the side before the hand can catch up.

Anti-slip ladder rung covers fit over the rung that is already there. Each cover carries a gritted surface that gives the sole something to bite into, turning a slick round bar into a textured foothold. The rung underneath does not change; what changes is what the boot lands on.

The point of failure is usually the descent. Climbing, a person is pulling into the ladder and can feel a foot slip before committing weight to it. Coming down, weight goes onto the foot before the eye confirms placement, and a rung slick with condensation gives no warning at all.

One thing to be clear about from the start: these covers are not load-bearing. They are installed over an existing rung and rely on it for strength. They add traction to a sound ladder. They do not repair or replace a rung that has corroded or bent.

Why a bonded alumina surface, and why this construction

The gripping surface is an engineered mix of epoxy, resin, and fused alumina aggregate, bonded to a formed base. That matters because of what fused alumina is: it measures 9.4 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamond is 10. Ordinary silica sand and quartz, the grit that gets tracked onto a ladder from a job site, sit around 6 to 7.

In practice that means the abrasive on the cover is harder than the material trying to wear it down. A wear test run to 30,000 cycles at 400 pounds measured roughly 0.013 of an inch difference between the worn and unworn sections. That is the difference between a surface that polishes smooth and one that keeps its texture.

This is also the argument against anti-slip tape on rungs. Tape is a consumable — it lifts at the edges, fills with grime, and comes back onto the maintenance schedule. A formed cover is fastened or bonded in place as a permanent part of the ladder, and nobody has to scrape a rung clean to reapply it.

Three base materials are available: 1/8-inch pultruded fiberglass at 0.125 inch thick, G90 galvanized steel at 18 gauge, and #316 stainless steel at 18 gauge. Fiberglass is light and impact-resistant and takes no interest in corrosion. Galvanized steel handles rough industrial duty. Stainless is the choice for washdown, marine, and chemically aggressive settings.

Grit comes in five grades, from extra coarse at #10 mesh through coarse #20, fine #24, extra fine #36, and super fine at #54 mesh. The grade is a real decision, not a preference — coarse grit bites through mud and heavy soil, while finer grit suits cleaner environments and lighter footwear.

Two profiles cover most rungs: channel-shaped and half-round. Round covers fit rungs from 3/4 inch to 2 inches in diameter in fiberglass, and 3/4, 7/8, or 1 inch in steel. Channel covers span 3/4 inch to 2 inches. Maximum length is 48 inches, and covers are made to order rather than pulled from stock.

The independent test results are worth reading before you spec into a hard environment. Tested on the 1/8-inch fiberglass base, the covers came through 20 thermal shock cycles from minus 40°F to 150°F with no cracking or melting, and an impact of roughly 138 joules detached the coating only at the point of strike, with no shattering. Flame spread measured 20 under ASTM E84.

Where it belongs, and what it is not

The core application is fixed access ladders in demanding settings: tank and silo ladders, offshore and marine structures, power generation plants, water treatment, refineries, mining, and transportation fleets. Anywhere a worker climbs in weather, in boots, carrying something, with a slick rung between them and the ground.

Food and beverage processing is a specific case worth knowing about. The stainless steel version carries NSF acceptance as a slip resistance treatment for walking surfaces in and around food processing areas, which is the kind of question that stops a specification cold if the answer is not documented.

Ladders are one line item in a facility's fall exposure, and stairs are usually the bigger one by traffic volume. The same reasoning that puts gritted covers on a tank ladder applies to a set of exterior stair treads at the same site, and it is worth surveying both at once rather than solving one and leaving the other.

What this is not: a structural component, a repair for a damaged rung, or a substitute for the ladder meeting whatever code applies to it. Covers add traction to a compliant, sound ladder. If the ladder itself has a problem, that gets fixed first.

It is also not an off-the-shelf item. Covers are manufactured to the rung being covered, so this is a specify-and-order product rather than something to grab from a shelf mid-shift.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

First, identify the rung profile and measure the diameter. Round and channel rungs take different covers, and the diameter determines what will seat properly. Round fiberglass covers span 3/4 inch to 2 inches; round steel covers come in 3/4, 7/8, and 1 inch only. Measure an actual rung rather than working from the ladder's drawings — field-fabricated ladders vary more than paperwork suggests.

Second, measure the rung length and look for obstructions. Maximum cover length is 48 inches, and covers generally run up to 2 inches shorter than the rung itself. If you want full rung coverage, check that nothing interferes with seating — a weld bead where the rung meets the side rail is the usual culprit, and it is easier to find now than with a crew on the ladder.

Third, pick the base material and the fastening method together. Most covers install with a polyurethane construction adhesive. Mechanical fasteners work on large-diameter hollow channel rungs, and steel covers on steel rungs can be tack-welded. Edges can be sealed after installation to keep moisture out of the joint, which matters on any ladder living outdoors. Pre-drilled or slotted holes and fasteners are available if you ask at the time of order.

Why Mats Inc.

This is a made-to-order product, which means the quote is only as good as the questions asked before it. We ask for the rung shape, the measured diameter, the rung length, what the environment throws at it, and what people are wearing on their feet — because grit grade and base material both follow from that, and a cover ordered on assumptions arrives as an expensive piece of the wrong shape. Sixty years of industrial and commercial supply is where that checklist came from.

Test results shown are for the 1/8" fiberglass base unless otherwise noted.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the gritted surface actually made of?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

It is an engineered combination of epoxy, resin, and fused alumina aggregate, bonded onto the base material. Fused alumina is the part that does the gripping, and it measures 9.4 on the Mohs hardness scale — diamond is 10, and the sand and quartz that get tracked onto a ladder are around 6 to 7. So the abrasive is harder than what is trying to wear it away.

The important distinction is bonded versus applied. Anti-slip tape is a film with adhesive behind it, and it has a service life measured in months on a ladder. This surface is part of a formed cover that gets fastened to the rung. Once it is on, nobody is scraping residue off a rung to reapply anything.

How long does it hold up, and is there test data?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

There is real data, which is more than most anti-slip products offer. A wear simulator ran 30,000 cycles at 400 pounds and measured about 0.013 of an inch of difference between the worn and unworn sections — essentially still there. Thermal shock testing cycled from minus 40°F to 150°F twenty times with no cracking or melting, which covers most North American outdoor service.

Impact testing is the one I point people to for industrial sites. At roughly 138 joules — a 17-pound pendulum — the coating detached only where it was struck, and the cover did not shatter. If a wrench comes off a platform and hits a rung, you lose a patch, not the whole cover. Those figures are for the fiberglass base. Our warranty is 1-year limited.

Will these work in washdown, marine, or chemical environments?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

That is what the base material choice is for. Fiberglass does not corrode at all and is the default for most wet and outdoor work. Galvanized steel handles general industrial duty. For saltwater, washdown, and chemically aggressive settings, #316 stainless is the one to specify, and the stainless version also carries NSF acceptance as a slip resistance treatment for walking surfaces in and around food processing areas.

One installation detail matters more in those environments than anywhere else: seal the cover edges after installation. Any joint between a cover and a rung will hold moisture if you let it, and on a marine or washdown ladder that is where corrosion starts. Say so when you order and the fasteners and sealing can be planned rather than improvised.

How do I measure my ladder to order the right covers?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing, Mats Inc.

Three measurements and one observation. Measure the rung diameter, measure the rung length, and note whether the rung is round or channel-shaped. Then look at where the rung meets the side rail — if there is a weld bead or bracket there, a full-length cover may not seat flat, and that is much easier to spot now than with someone on the ladder holding a part that will not fit.

On sizing: covers are supplied up to about 2 inches shorter than the rung, and the maximum length is 48 inches. Because everything is made to order, there is no standard size to compromise toward — but that also means the measurements need to be right the first time. Measure an actual rung rather than trusting the ladder drawings, especially on anything field-fabricated or older than a decade.

What colors are available, and do they stay visible?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing, Mats Inc.

Fourteen standard colors including safety yellow and three fluorescents, plus fourteen premium colors and custom matching. Weathering testing showed only small color shifts over exposure, so a safety yellow ladder is still reading as safety yellow after a season outdoors rather than fading to cream.

Two options are worth knowing about. A two-tone configuration puts a contrasting color around the perimeter of each cover, which marks the safe foot placement zone and makes the edge of the rung legible at a glance. And a photoluminescent version glows in the dark to help people find their way out during a power failure — the pigment is built into the anti-slip system rather than painted on, and testing showed full luminescence retention after 158 hours and 90 percent after 200.

Can these be customized, or built into new equipment?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing, Mats Inc.

Both. Because every cover is manufactured to the rung it goes on, custom sizes and shapes are part of the normal process rather than a special request. If you have an unusual rung profile, send the dimensions or a drawing and it can be made to match. Colors can be matched beyond the standard and premium ranges as well.

On the OEM side, these can be specified into equipment being built rather than retrofitted afterward, which is the better path if you are fabricating ladders or access structures. Send drawings and the covers are made as part of the build. For facilities standardizing across a site, picking one color and one grit grade up front makes reordering and future maintenance far simpler than handling each ladder as its own project.

Written by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.