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 letting it spread onto the floor. The herringbone face gives it an upscale look right at the door.
What the Waterhog Elite Herringbone Does Before Water Reaches Your Floor
Most of a building's dirt and water walks in on shoes at the entrance — ISSA research puts the bulk of it right at the door. This mat's bi-level surface scrapes that grit and moisture off and drops it below the level your shoe touches, so it stays in the mat instead of riding onto the floor. A raised water-dam border around the edge keeps the trapped water from running off, which is what stops a slick spot from forming at the threshold.
Why Recycled PET and a Bi-Level Face, and Why This One
The face is solution-dyed PET — a polyester made from recycled plastic drink bottles, at least 90% recycled content — woven into a dense herringbone at about 30 ounces per square yard. Solution-dyed means the color is locked into the fiber, so it resists staining and will not fade or rot. The raised nubs that do the scraping are reinforced with rubber, so the pile does not crush flat under steady traffic.
Underneath, the SBR rubber backing — a synthetic rubber — contains about 20% recycled rubber from car tires, and comes in a smooth or a cleated version. The mat is certified high-traction by the National Floor Safety Institute, and beveled edges ease the step up onto it. The water-dam border holds up to 1.5 gallons of water per square yard before it overflows.
Where It Belongs, and What It Is Not
This is an entrance mat for the front of the building — lobbies, office and retail entries, hotels, and restaurants, indoors or out — where you want both performance and a finished look. The herringbone face and recycled build earn it a place in our range of water-capture entrance matting, where the job is holding tracked-in water on the mat and off the floor.
What it is not is a mat for a kitchen or a fuel or service bay — the PET fiber should not sit in areas exposed to animal fats or petroleum, which break it down. It is also a single stage: it traps a lot, but in a downpour or very heavy traffic, pairing it with a second mat just inside keeps the floor beyond it dry.
Three Things to Check Before You Spec It
First, choose the border. The classic border is rubber — rugged, and the better pick for an exposed outdoor or high-abuse entrance. The fashion border is fabric, wrapped in the same recycled material as the face, for a more finished look in a lobby or retail space. Both come in a range of seven colors, so you can match the mat to the floor or the décor.
Second, match the backing to the floor. The cleated backing grips a carpeted surface and resists shifting, while the smooth backing sits flat on hard floors like tile or stone. Picking the wrong one is the usual reason a mat creeps or wrinkles underfoot.
Third, size it to the entrance. It comes in a range of standard sizes and can be made to order in whole-foot lengths up to sixty feet, for a long approach or a wide doorway. Aim for enough length that a person takes several steps across the mat — that is what gives the nubs the chance to clean the whole sole.
Why Mats Inc.
We have specified entrance matting since 1964, and a performance mat like this only pays off when it is matched to the entrance. We will help you weigh the classic border against the fashion border, pick the backing for your floor, choose from the seven colors, and size it to the doorway so it traps what it should. Tell us the entrance and we will spec it to fit.
Waterhog Elite Herringbone Mats — Specifications
| Surface | Solution-dyed PET (recycled polyester), needle-punched, herringbone pattern |
| Face weight | 30 oz/sq yd |
| Recycled content | Face: at least 90% post-consumer recycled PET (plastic bottles); backing: 20% recycled rubber (car tires) |
| Surface design | Bi-level raised nubs, reinforced with rubber to resist crushing |
| Water-dam border | Holds up to 1.5 gal water per sq yd |
| Overall thickness | 3/8" |
| Backing | SBR rubber — smooth or cleated; body 78-mil, border 143-mil |
| Traction | NFSI-certified high-traction; beveled edges |
| Flammability | Passes DOC-FF1-70 (confirm — see notes) |
| Fade / stain | Solution-dyed; stain-resistant; will not fade or rot; unaffected by salt or ice melt |
| Borders & colors | Classic (rubber) or fashion (fabric) border; 7 colors |
| Not recommended for | Areas exposed to animal fats (kitchens) or petroleum products |
| Sizes | Range of standard sizes; custom to 60' (whole-foot increments) |
| Care | Vacuum or hose off; hang to dry before returning to service |
| Warranty | 1-year limited (Mats Inc.) |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Waterhog Elite Herringbone made of?
Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO
The face is solution-dyed PET — a polyester woven from recycled plastic drink bottles, at least 90 percent recycled content — set in a herringbone pattern at about 30 ounces per square yard. The raised nubs that do the scraping are reinforced with rubber so the pile will not crush flat under traffic. Underneath is an SBR rubber backing, a synthetic rubber, made with about 20 percent recycled rubber from car tires. That recycled content may also count toward LEED credits, depending on the rating version and the project.
How much water does it hold, and how slip-safe is it?
Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO
The raised water-dam border around the edge holds up to 1.5 gallons of water per square yard before it overflows, which keeps tracked-in rain and snowmelt on the mat instead of pooling on your floor. The surface is certified high-traction by the National Floor Safety Institute, and the beveled edges give a safe transition from the floor up onto the mat. Because the PET is solution-dyed, it resists staining and will not fade or rot, and it stands up to salt and ice melt without breaking down — useful through a hard winter.
Should I get smooth or cleated backing, and where can I use it?
Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO
The cleated backing grips a carpeted floor and resists shifting; the smooth backing lays flat on hard surfaces like tile or stone — match it to whatever the mat will sit on. The mat works indoors or out at an entrance. The one place to avoid is anywhere exposed to animal fats, like a commercial kitchen, or to petroleum products, since those break down the PET fiber over time.
What sizes does it come in?
Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing
It comes in a range of standard sizes for typical doorways, and it can be made to order in whole-foot lengths up to sixty feet — handy for a long entry approach or a wide double-door opening. The thing to aim for is enough length that someone takes several steps across the mat, because that is what lets the nubs clean the whole sole rather than just clipping it. Send the opening dimensions and the walking path, and we will point you to the right size.
What colors and border styles are available?
Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing
There are seven colors to choose from, and two border styles. The classic border is rubber — clean and rugged, the usual pick for an outdoor or heavy-duty entrance. The fashion border is fabric, wrapped in the same recycled material as the face, for a softer, more finished edge that suits a lobby or retail floor. The herringbone face pattern gives either version an upscale look, rather than the plain appearance of a basic utility mat.
Will it look right at a customer-facing entrance?
Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing
Yes — the herringbone pattern and the fabric fashion border are what set this mat apart from a plain entrance mat, so it reads as intentional in an office lobby, a hotel, a restaurant, or a retail entry. If the entrance is more exposed or takes rougher use, the rubber classic border holds up better outdoors while still looking finished. Either way, you get a mat that performs like a workhorse but does not look like one.
By Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing, Mats Inc.
