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Water-Absorbent Floor Mats

Water-absorbent floor mats catch rain, slush, and mud at the door and hold it there instead of letting it spread across the floor. This page holds the mats built for that job: the plush olefin wipers like Wonder-Pro and Rely-On, the ribbed and crosshatch mats that wipe and scrape at once, the Waterhog family with its raised water dam border, the berber and inlay mats that carry a logo, and the coir mats that scrape mud before it ever reaches the carpet.

    1. Needle Rib Matting indoor entrance mat with a charcoal linear-ribbed surface at a small storefront entrance
      Needle Rib Matting

      Starting at $55.00

      Needle Rib Matting is a low-profile, linear-ribbed entrance mat built for lighter-traffic doors — side entrances, small storefronts, boutiques, and interior thresholds that see foot traffic but not a flood of it. The close ribbed surface wipes moisture off shoes and holds it on the mat, so a smaller entrance

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      Needle Rib Matting is a low-profile, linear-ribbed entrance mat built for lighter-traffic doors — side entrances, small storefronts, boutiques, and

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    2. Berber logo mat with a custom company logo digitally printed on a looped hobnail-texture surface at a commercial lobby entrance
      Berber Logo Mats

      Starting at $194.00

      Berber Logo Mats put your logo at the door on a looped berber surface — a tight, low-profile weave with a subtle hobnail texture that reads as upscale rather than promotional. The logo is digitally printed in high definition, so the artwork stays crisp, and the same tight weave that

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      Berber Logo Mats put your logo at the door on a looped berber surface — a tight, low-profile weave with

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    3. cut-pile olefin wiper mat at a small retail entrance
      Rely-On Olefin Matting

      Starting at $25.00

      Rely-On Olefin Matting is the plain interior wiper for a door that sees a steady trickle of people rather than a crowd: a 3/8" cut-pile olefin mat on a vinyl moisture barrier, in six solid colors, low enough to slide under most doors. It pulls water and fine dust off

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      Rely-On Olefin Matting is the plain interior wiper for a door that sees a steady trickle of people rather than

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    4. Wonder Pro Matting plush cut-pile olefin indoor entrance mat in Marlin Blue at a commercial lobby door
      Wonder-Pro Olefin Matting

      Starting at $55.00

      Wonder Pro Matting is a plush, cut-pile olefin entrance mat made to soak up water and fine dust at the door, in a deep range of colors. Where some entrance mats scrape coarse grit, this one is built to wipe shoes clean and hold moisture and fine dirt — pulling

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      Wonder Pro Matting is a plush, cut-pile olefin entrance mat made to soak up water and fine dust at the

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    5. Cross-Over Matting loop-pile indoor entrance mat in two-tone gray at a commercial entrance
      Cross-Over Matting

      Starting at $46.00

      Cross-Over Matting is a loop-pile entrance mat that scrapes debris and moisture off shoes at the door while starting to dry them — the middle step in a layered entrance setup, between the coarse mat outside and the absorbent mat inside. The looped olefin surface is abrasive enough to clean

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      Cross-Over Matting is a loop-pile entrance mat that scrapes debris and moisture off shoes at the door while starting to

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    6. Waterhog Inlay logo mat with a custom company logo at a commercial entrance
      Waterhog Inlay Logo Mats
      $227.00
      Waterhog Inlay Logo Mats put your logo into the proven Waterhog bi-level mat rather than on top of it. The inlay is the difference: the area that will carry the logo is cut out of the mat and the colors are hand-laid into the cut-out like a jigsaw, so

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      Waterhog Inlay Logo Mats put your logo into the proven Waterhog bi-level mat rather than on top of it.

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    7. Berber carpet is a sustainable matting in the toughest environment
      Super Berber Matting

      Starting at $60.00

      Super Berber Matting is a dense berber entrance mat that does the two hardest jobs at a busy door at once: it scrapes grit off shoes and soaks up the moisture they carry. The needle-punch berber surface is solution-dyed in up to 40 colors, and a custom logo can

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      Super Berber Matting is a dense berber entrance mat that does the two hardest jobs at a busy door

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    8. this coco matting is easy to clean with by shaking, vacuum, or rinsing
      Coir Matting

      Starting at $70.00

      Coir Matting is natural coconut-coir fiber tufted onto a solid vinyl base — the original boot-scraping fiber, set on a backing that keeps what it catches off your floor. The stiff coir brushes grit and moisture off shoes at the door, while the vinyl base seals the underside so

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      Coir Matting is natural coconut-coir fiber tufted onto a solid vinyl base — the original boot-scraping fiber, set on

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    9. Woven Backed Cocoa Mats
      Woven Backed Cocoa Mats

      Starting at $26.00

      Woven Backed Cocoa Mats are the coir doormat most people picture when they hear the word: a thick, hand-woven slab of coconut fiber with braided edges and a woven base, in natural tan, with nothing printed on it. It is one of the oldest coco matting constructions still made,

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      Woven Backed Cocoa Mats are the coir doormat most people picture when they hear the word: a thick, hand-woven

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    10. 
Waterhog Classic entrance mat with a bi-level square surface trapping dirt and water at a commercial doorway
      Waterhog Classic Entrance Mats
      $54.00
      The Classic Waterhog is the mat most people picture when they think "Waterhog" — the original bi-level scraper built to handle a busy door and keep what's outside from ending up on your floor. It's the workhorse of the line: dependable dirt and moisture control, indoors or out, in a

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      The Classic Waterhog is the mat most people picture when they think "Waterhog" — the original bi-level scraper built to

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    11. Waterhog Diamond entrance mat with a bi-level diamond surface pattern at a commercial doorway
      Waterhog Diamond Mats
      $50.00
      The Waterhog Diamond is the version of the mat you reach for when the entrance is on display. It does the same dirt-and-water work as the rest of the Waterhog entrance mat line, but with a diamond surface pattern and a heavier face that give it a more finished look

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      The Waterhog Diamond is the version of the mat you reach for when the entrance is on display. It does

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    12. Waterhog Elite herringbone has an attractive unique bi-level design
      Waterhog Elite Herringbone Mats
      $75.00
      The Waterhog Elite Herringbone is a bi-level entrance mat built to pull dirt and water off shoes and keep them off your floor. Raised nubs scrape debris and moisture down below foot level, while a raised water-dam border around the edge holds the runoff on the mat instead of

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      The Waterhog Elite Herringbone is a bi-level entrance mat built to pull dirt and water off shoes and keep

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    per page

    What a Water-Absorbent Mat Does Before the Floor Gets Slick

    A wet shoe carries more than water. ISSA field data shows a building takes on up to 12 times more dirt in wet weather than in dry, because moisture turns dust into a paste that sticks to soles and comes off on the first hard floor it meets. A mat that soaks up water at the door is really a mat that stops mud, and that is why an absorbent mat is a floor-care tool and not just a courtesy.

    Absorbent mats do this two ways. A plush or berber pile pulls moisture off the sole by contact and holds it in the fiber, which is wiping. A bi-level mat with raised nubs or ribs scrapes the shoe first and lets the water drop into channels below foot level, which is trapping. Most of the mats on this page do one of the two well; the Waterhog family does both, which is why it is the standard for the wettest doors.

    What the mat does with the water after it has it matters just as much. A mat with a vinyl or rubber backing keeps the water off the floor beneath it. A mat with a raised border holds standing water on the mat until it evaporates or gets vacuumed out. A mat with neither wicks the water through to the floor, and the tile under it is now wet and hidden.

    The Mistake That Burns Buyers: The Mat That Fills Up and Hands It Back

    Every absorbent mat has a capacity, and the failure that catches most buyers is a mat that reaches it by mid-morning on a rainy day. The maker of the Waterhog line publishes the figure for its mats: up to 1.5 gallons of water per square yard held inside the water dam border. A 3' by 5' mat holds roughly two and a half gallons before it is full. Past that point, every shoe that lands on it leaves wetter than it arrived, and the mat is now spreading water instead of catching it.

    The second version of the failure is a mat that soaks up water with nothing underneath to stop it. A plush wiper with no moisture barrier passes water through to the floor, and the tile under a saturated mat stays wet all day, lifts adhesive, and grows the mildew smell that gets blamed on the mat. Every mat on this page either has a backing that stops water or is a coir scraper meant to sit where the water can drain.

    The fix is the same in both cases: match the mat's capacity to the door's wet-weather load, put a scraper ahead of the wiper so the wiper is not also doing the mud, and give the mat a chance to dry. A mat that is vacuumed wet and left to drain is back at full capacity by the next rain. A mat that is never emptied is a wet sponge someone walks on.

    How the Options Compare

    Rely-On Olefin Matting is the plain interior wiper: a flat olefin pile on a vinyl moisture barrier, in a range of colors, made for light traffic. It pulls water and fine dust off a sole and keeps it off the floor, and it takes a flocked logo. Right pick for boutiques, small offices, side entrances, and any interior door that sees a modest stream of people rather than a crowd.

    Wonder-Pro Olefin Matting is the same idea built for more water and more people: a plush cut-pile olefin face, thicker than Rely-On, that the maker rates to retain 60 percent more liquid and fine dirt, on the same vinyl backing, for medium traffic. Right pick for office lobbies, banks, churches, and retail floors that see a few hundred to a thousand people a day through the door.

    Needle Rib Matting adds a ribbed surface to a needle-punched fiber face, so the ribs scrape while the fiber wipes and the channels between them give water somewhere to go below the shoe. It is a step toward a scraper without leaving the wiper class. Right pick for interior doors that take both grit and rain, back-of-house entries, and corridors off a loading area.

    Cross-Over Matting uses a crosshatch surface that scrapes in two directions at once and holds moisture in the pattern, on a backing made to sit indoors or under cover outdoors. It is the mat for the door that cannot decide whether it is inside or out. Right pick for vestibules, covered entries, and the transition from an exterior scraper to an interior wiper.

    Super Berber Matting is a berber loop pile, dense and low, that holds water in the loops and reads as a finished carpet rather than a utility mat. It wipes well and hides soil between cleanings. Right pick for hotel lobbies, professional offices, and any interior where the mat has to look like part of the floor while it dries shoes.

    Berber Logo Mats carry the same berber loop with a logo worked into the face, so the mat that dries the shoe is also the first thing a visitor reads. Right pick for reception areas, branch offices, restaurants, and schools that want the entrance to say who they are while it does the wet-weather work.

    Waterhog Inlay Logo Mats put a logo into the Waterhog construction: the bi-level surface, the rubber backing, and the water dam border are all there, with the design inlaid rather than printed so it wears with the mat. Right pick for the branded main entrance of a building that takes real weather, where a printed logo mat would give out first.

    Waterhog Classic Entrance Mats are the original bi-level waffle pattern: raised nubs scrape and trap dirt and water below foot level, a rubber backing keeps it off the floor, and the water dam border holds up to 1.5 gallons per square yard. The maker's fabric is solution-dyed and certified high-traction by the National Floor Safety Institute. Right pick for any main entrance that sees rain and snow, indoors or out, from a warehouse door to a hospital lobby.

    Waterhog Diamond Mats are the same construction and the same 1.5-gallon water dam with a diamond surface pattern in place of the waffle. The performance is the maker's Waterhog performance; the difference is the look. Right pick for entrances where the mat is part of the design and a geometric pattern suits the floor better than squares.

    Waterhog Elite Herringbone Mats carry the Waterhog bi-level surface in a herringbone pattern, which reads as tailored rather than industrial while keeping the rubber backing and the water dam border. Right pick for hotels, corporate lobbies, and retail flagships that want the wettest-door mat in the range without it looking like one.

    Vinyl Backed Cocoa Matting is natural coir fiber on a vinyl backing. Coir does not absorb water the way pile does; it scrapes mud off the sole and holds it in the bristles, and the vinyl back keeps the mess off the floor. Right pick for the scraper position at the outside of a door, a recessed well, or a mudroom, ahead of the mat that does the drying.

    Woven Backed Cocoa Mats are thick coir on a woven backing, the traditional doormat, deep enough to take a serious mud load and let water drain through. They belong where the water can go somewhere. Right pick for covered exterior steps, porches, and recessed entry wells where a mat that drains beats a mat that holds.

    Three Things to Check Before You Pick

    First, how much water the door actually sees. A side entrance in a dry climate is a Rely-On door; a main entrance in a wet one is a Waterhog door, sized so the 1.5-gallon-per-square-yard capacity covers a rainy morning. If you are unsure, count the people through the door on a rainy day and ask whether the mat you are considering would still be dry at noon.

    Second, what is under the mat. Every mat here except the coir mats has a backing that stops water reaching the floor, and the Waterhog family adds a raised border that keeps standing water on the mat. A coir mat is a scraper that drains, so it belongs where draining is fine: outside, in a well, on a porch. Put a draining mat on a finished floor and the floor takes the water.

    Third, whether the mat has to look like something. A plush olefin wiper and a berber loop read as carpet; a Waterhog reads as an entrance mat unless you choose the Diamond or Elite Herringbone pattern; a coir mat reads as a doormat. Match the mat to the floor it sits on and the room it opens into, then confirm the one you like has the capacity the door needs.

    Why Mats Inc.

    Mats Inc. has been matching mats to Houston doors since 1964, and Houston doors see rain that arrives all at once. We ask about the weather side of an entrance before the color side: how many people, how much rain, is there a scraper ahead of it, and where does the water go. Call with the door and the traffic and we will size the run so the mat you buy is still working at the end of a wet day, not full by ten.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How much water can an absorbent floor mat actually hold?

    Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

    It depends on the construction, and only one maker on this page publishes a figure: the Waterhog line holds up to 1.5 gallons of water per square yard inside its water dam border, so a 3' by 5' mat holds roughly two and a half gallons and a 4' by 8' holds about five. The plush olefin wipers hold water in the pile rather than behind a border; the maker rates Wonder-Pro to retain 60 percent more than Rely-On but does not put a gallon figure on either.

    Whatever the number, the mat only holds that much once. A mat that is not vacuumed or allowed to dry starts a rainy day already part full.

    Do I need a scraper mat in front of an absorbent mat?

    Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

    At a door that sees mud, yes. An absorbent pile is built to pull water off a sole, and it clogs when it is also asked to take grit and clay. A coir mat or a Waterhog outside the door takes the heavy load, and the plush or berber mat inside finishes the drying. At a door that sees rain but little mud, a Waterhog alone does both jobs, because its raised nubs scrape while the channels hold the water.

    The tell is the mat's face after a wet week. If the pile is matted flat and gray, it is being used as a scraper and needs one ahead of it.

    Can these mats go outside?

    Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO

    Some can. The Waterhog mats are rated by the maker for indoor or outdoor use; the solution-dyed fabric does not fade or rot and the rubber backing does not curl. The coir mats are made for the outside of the door, covered, where they can drain. Cross-Over is built for the vestibule and covered entries.

    The plush olefin and berber mats are interior mats. They hold water well precisely because the pile is soft and dense, and that pile does not survive sun, freeze, and hose-down. Keep them inside the door and let a Waterhog or a coir mat take the weather.

    How long do water-absorbent mats last?

    Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

    The makers do not publish year figures, so we will not either. What we can tell you is what shortens a mat's life: being used past its traffic rating, being used as a scraper when it is a wiper, and being left wet. A light-traffic wiper at a thousand-person door is matted flat in a season. The same mat at the side door it was built for keeps its pile for years. The Waterhog family's reinforced rubber nubs are there specifically to keep the pile from crushing, which is why it outlasts a flat pile at a busy door.

    All products here carry a 1-year limited (Mats Inc.) warranty. Vacuum the mat when it is wet, let it dry flat, and it comes back; leave it wet and it does not.

    Which of these looks like carpet rather than a doormat?

    Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

    Super Berber, Berber Logo, Wonder-Pro, and Rely-On all read as a run of carpet at the door, in a range of solid colors, and the berber loop in particular hides soil between vacuumings. Among the wettest-door mats, Waterhog Elite Herringbone and Waterhog Diamond are the ones designed to look like part of an entrance rather than equipment in it.

    Coir mats look like coir mats, which in a residential or hospitality entry is the point. A Waterhog Classic is unmistakably a working mat, and at a warehouse or hospital door nobody minds.

    Can I put a logo on an absorbent mat?

    Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing

    Yes, at two levels. Berber Logo Mats and a flocked Rely-On carry a logo on an interior wiper, which is the right choice for a lobby or a reception door out of the weather. Waterhog Inlay Logo Mats put the logo into a Waterhog, with the design inlaid rather than printed on top, so it keeps its edge under the traffic and rain a main entrance takes.

    Send us the artwork and the door, and we will say which construction the logo should go on. A printed logo at a wet main entrance is the one combination we steer people away from.

    By Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO, Mats Inc.

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