One-End Waterhog Elite Entrance Mat

The One-End Waterhog Elite is the version of the mat you choose when the entrance is meant to make an impression. It's a rectangular Waterhog mat finished with a graceful half-oval at one end, where a sunburst fan pattern fans out from the curve and meets the diamond pattern that runs down the body — the same dirt-and-water performance as the rest of the Waterhog entrance mat line, shaped to give a lobby a polished, architectural look at the door.

What the One-End Waterhog Elite Does Before Dirt Reaches Your Floor

Underneath the shape, it's doing the real work of a Waterhog. The bi-level surface scrapes grit and moisture off shoes and drops it into the channels below shoe level, where it stays instead of tracking across the lobby floor. The raised water-dam border then holds that moisture on the mat — up to 1.5 gallons per square yard — so the floor past it stays dry and safer underfoot.

The half-oval end adds the part people notice. A sunburst fan radiates out across the curve, picking up where the diamond body ends, so a plain rectangular runner becomes a finished, directional entrance piece — the kind of mat that reads as part of the lobby design rather than something dropped at the door.

Why This Construction

The face is a 30 oz/yd² solution-dyed PET fiber — a heavy, dense surface that scrapes hard and wears well — needle-punched over an SBR rubber backing. The body carries the diamond pattern and the half-oval end carries a sunburst fan, so the two patterns meet in one continuous surface. Solution-dyed means the color runs through the fiber, so it resists staining and won't fade or rot, and the PET is made from at least 90% recycled plastic.

Reinforced rubber nubs keep that heavy pile from crushing flat, which protects both the look and the scrape over time. The backing comes smooth for hard floors or cleated for carpet, and the mat is certified high-traction by the National Floor Safety Institute. The result is a mat that earns its place on appearance without giving up the performance the Waterhog name is built on.

Where It Belongs — and What It Isn't

This is a front-of-house mat. It belongs at the entrances people see and judge — hotel and office lobbies, retail and restaurant entries, healthcare reception, and any doorway that's part of the first impression. The single oval end makes it the natural pick when the mat runs out from a main door and you want a finished face pointing into the room or out toward the entrance.

What it isn't is a back-door workhorse. The oval shape and heavier face are an upgrade you choose for presentation; if a service entrance just needs to grab grit and nobody's looking at it, a standard rectangular Waterhog does that with less fuss. And if you want a symmetrical look with a finished curve at both ends, that's the two-end version rather than this one.

Three Things to Check Before You Spec It

First, decide which way the oval faces. Because only one end is curved, the mat has a direction — the oval can point into the lobby as you enter or out toward the door. Picture the sightline before you order so the finished end lands where people actually see it.

Second, match the backing to the floor. Smooth backing is for hard floors like tile, stone, and sealed concrete; cleated backing is made to sit on carpet without shifting. The wrong one is how a mat creeps or ripples underfoot.

Third, size it to the walking path. It takes several steps to wipe shoes clean, so the rectangular run should cover the real path, with the oval as the finished end — not the whole mat. The Elite comes in 3-, 4-, and 6-foot widths in a range of lengths; mats up to 40 feet come with either backing, and longer runs come in smooth backing only.

Why Mats Inc.

A grand-entrance mat is a design decision as much as a performance one, and that's where we help. We'll talk through which way the oval should face, whether one finished end or two suits the space, and the width and length that fit the doorway and the traffic — then spec the backing to your floor. You get the upscale look without guessing on the details, backed by our one-year limited warranty.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does it clean shoes if it's shaped like a decorative mat?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

The shape sits on top of a real Waterhog surface — it isn't just for looks. The face is a bi-level pattern of raised nubs with channels between them: the nubs scrape grit and moisture off your shoes, and it drops into the channels below shoe level, so it stays in the mat instead of tracking onto the floor. A raised water-dam border holds the moisture on the mat, up to 1.5 gallons per square yard. The half-oval end changes how the mat looks, not how it works — you get the full scraping-and-holding performance plus a finished shape.

Will the heavier face and the oval end hold up to traffic?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

Yes. The face is a 30-ounce solution-dyed PET — a heavy, dense fiber with the color dyed all the way through, so it resists staining and won't fade or rot — and reinforced rubber nubs keep the pile from crushing flat, which is what usually makes a mat look worn. The SBR backing resists curling and cracking through temperature changes. The oval end is built from the same materials as the rectangular body, so it wears at the same rate rather than fraying first. Kept clean and sized right, it holds up for years, and Mats Inc. backs every order with a one-year limited warranty.

Can I use it outdoors, and which backing should I choose?

Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

It's an indoor/outdoor mat, so it works at covered exterior entries as well as indoor lobbies. The backing is the choice that matters: smooth backing for hard floors like tile, stone, or sealed concrete, and cleated backing for carpet, where the cleats keep it from sliding. One thing specific to this mat — because only one end is curved, it has a direction, so decide which way the oval faces before it's installed. Tell us the floor and the layout and we'll match the backing and orientation.

What does the half-oval end actually do for the look?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

It turns a standard rectangular mat into a finished entrance piece. A plain runner reads as functional; the curved end softens that, and the sunburst fan that radiates across the oval gives the mat a deliberate, architectural shape that suits a lobby or hotel entrance where the floor is part of the first impression. With the diamond body flowing into the fan at the curve, it works beautifully running out from a main doorway, drawing the eye in. It's the difference between a mat that's simply there and one that looks designed into the space.

What colors does it come in?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

It comes in a range of colors, so you can tune it to the lobby or brand palette. For an entrance that gets real traffic, a mid-tone or darker color is the practical choice — it keeps the mat looking intentional and hides the everyday soil that shows up between cleanings, where a very light color shows every footprint. Since this is a mat chosen partly for its look, it's worth picking a color that flatters the space while staying realistic about the traffic it'll see. We can confirm the current color options for the size you need.

Should I get the one-end version or the two-end version?

Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

It depends on the look you're after and where the mat sits. The one-end version — a rectangle with a single half-oval — is ideal when the mat runs out from a doorway and you want one finished, curved face pointing into or out of the space. The two-end version, with a curve at both ends, suits a mat that sits more centrally or symmetrically, where both ends are on view. If you're not sure, tell us where the mat goes and how people approach it, and we'll help you choose the configuration that frames the entrance best.

By Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing, Mats Inc.