Design Links is a modular walk-off matting system for high-traffic commercial entrances — the kind of doorway where one mat will not cover the span and the entrance is part of how the building presents itself. Its open-weave grid scrapes shoes on every step while alternating carpet strips dry them, and the panels are engineered to fit an entry of almost any size or shape.
What Design Links Does Before the Entrance Wears the Floor Inside
Most of a building's dirt and moisture arrives on shoes at the front door — ISSA research shows the entrance is where the bulk of it enters. Left unchecked, that grit grinds down interior flooring and wet shoes turn a lobby floor slick. Design Links stops both at the threshold: the grid scrapes the dirt off, the open weave drops it below the walking surface, and the carpet strips wick the water, so shoes leave the mat cleaner and drier than they arrived.
Why an Open-Weave Grid with Carpet Strips, and Why This One
The system is built from flexible, injection-molded PVC panels in an open-weave, grid-rib design. The raised ribs scrape shoe bottoms from every direction, and the gaps between them let dirt and water fall through to the well below, out of the traffic path. Set between the ribs are dense polypropylene carpet strips that pull moisture off shoes — the drying half of a scrape-and-dry surface.
It comes with permanent carpet strips or easily replaceable ones, plus a heavy-duty build for pallet-jack and heavy wheel traffic. The surface is genuinely slip-resistant, not just textured: under ASTM D2047 it measures a static coefficient of friction — a standard grip rating — of 0.79 dry and 1.04 wet, where anything above 0.5 counts as slip-resistant. So it grips harder wet than many floors do dry.
Where It Belongs, and Where It Doesn't
Design Links fits busy commercial entrances where appearance and performance both matter — medical buildings, schools, offices, banks, retail floors with shopping carts, and apartment lobbies. It is built for high foot, cart, and pallet-jack traffic, and it reads as a designed part of the entrance rather than a mat dropped on the floor. It sits in our range of exterior entrance matting for entries that need a full walk-off system.
What it is not is a quick single-door doormat. It is a configured system, engineered to a floor plan, so it is more than a low-traffic side entrance needs. It is also an entryway system at heart — the optional aluminum trim is all-weather, but plan it for the entrance threshold and vestibule, where a scrape-and-dry grid earns its place, rather than as an open-air mat out in the elements.
Three Things to Check Before You Spec It
First, decide how it sits in the floor. Recessed into a half-inch well, the mat finishes flush with the surrounding floor — no lip to trip on, which is what makes it ADA-friendly and the cleanest-looking option. Surface-mounted, it sits on top inside a ramped aluminum frame. Either way, the floor underneath needs to be hard and smooth.
Second, match the version to the traffic. Permanent carpet strips suit steady foot traffic and a fixed look; replaceable strips let you swap worn or restyled inserts without redoing the mat; and the heavy-duty build is the one for pallet jacks and heavy rolling loads. Be honest about what crosses the door, because that choice drives how long the surface lasts.
Third, measure the opening and pick the finishes. The panels are custom-engineered to your width, length, and door swing, so wide, long, or irregular entries are all workable. Then choose the base color, the carpet-strip tone, and — if you are recessing it — the anodized trim finish, so the entrance reads the way you want it to.
Why Mats Inc.
We have specified entrance systems since 1964, and a walk-off system lives or dies on the layout. We take your opening, your door swing, and your traffic, then engineer the panel configuration and help you choose the version and finishes — so the grid covers the path without awkward gaps and the entrance protects the floor behind it. Send the measurements and we will lay it out.
Design Links — Specifications
| Construction | Injection-molded PVC open-weave grid with alternating carpet strips |
| Mat profile | 1/2" (fits a 1/2"-deep recessed well) |
| Action | Grid ribs scrape; open weave drops debris below; carpet strips dry |
| Carpet strips | Permanent or replaceable (Velcro); heavy-duty build for pallet-jack / heavy wheel traffic |
| Carpet fiber | 100% polypropylene, dense cut pile, 26 oz/sq yd |
| Slip resistance | ASTM D2047 static coefficient of friction — 0.79 dry, 1.04 wet (≥ 0.5 = slip-resistant) |
| Base (vinyl) colors | Black, gray, brown, green; custom available |
| Carpet-strip colors | Charcoal, gingerbread, emerald |
| Aluminum trim | Anodized; clear, black, bronze, or gold (all-weather) |
| Installation | Surface-mounted (ramped frame) or recessed flush (1/2" well); hard, smooth subfloor |
| Sizing | Custom-engineered to any width and length; cut and fit on-site |
| Compliance | ADA compliant; recyclable PVC and aluminum (may contribute toward LEED credits — confirm in writing) |
| Origin | Made in USA |
| Warranty | 1-year limited (Mats Inc.) |
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Design Links install — can it go flush into the floor?
Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO
Two main ways. Recessed, it drops into a half-inch-deep well and finishes flush with the surrounding floor, so there is no raised edge — that is the ADA-friendly option and the one that looks built-in. Surface-mounted, it sits on top of the floor inside a ramped aluminum frame that eases the edges. In both cases the floor underneath should be hard and smooth, and the panels are custom-engineered and fit to the opening on-site.
Can Design Links handle carts and heavy traffic, and how slip-resistant is it?
Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO
Yes — it is built for heavy foot, cart, and pallet-jack traffic, with a heavy-duty version for the busiest rolling loads, so it holds up at retail, healthcare, and institutional entrances where lighter mats break down. On slip resistance it tests well above the bar: under ASTM D2047 it measures a static coefficient of friction of 0.79 dry and 1.04 wet, where anything over 0.5 is considered slip-resistant. As with any walk-off system, lifting the panels periodically to vacuum out the debris collected beneath them is what keeps it performing and extends its life. It carries our standard one-year warranty.
How does it scrape and dry at the same time?
Answered by Dustin Thompson, Owner & CEO
The surface does two jobs. The raised PVC grid ribs scrape grit off shoe bottoms with every step, and because the grid is open, that loosened dirt and water fall through to the well below instead of riding back up onto the next shoe. Running between the ribs are dense polypropylene carpet strips that wick moisture off shoes. So one pass scrapes the solids loose and dries the wet, which is what keeps both off the floor inside.
What are the color and finish options?
Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing
More than most entrance systems. The PVC base comes in black, gray, brown, and green, with custom base colors available for a specific palette. The carpet strips come in charcoal, gingerbread, and emerald. And if you are recessing the mat, the anodized aluminum trim is offered in clear, black, bronze, and gold. That range is the point — it lets the entrance read as a designed part of the space, which is usually why a building chooses this over a plain walk-off mat.
Can Design Links be made to fit an odd-shaped or oversized entry?
Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing
That is exactly what the modular design is for. The panels are custom-engineered and cut to your width and length, and laid out around doors and floor-plan features, so wide double-door entries, long approaches, and irregular footprints are all workable. There is no standard size to force the space into. Send the area's measurements and shape, along with the door swing, and we will lay out a configuration that covers it cleanly, without partial pieces stranded at the edges.
Will it look upscale, or like a utility mat?
Answered by Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing
It is designed for upscale entrances, and it shows. The grid-and-carpet surface looks deliberate and finished, especially recessed flush with anodized trim framing it, so it presents as part of the architecture rather than a mat thrown down at the door. With the base color, carpet tone, and trim finish chosen to match the space, it carries the entrance instead of cluttering it — which is the reason buildings specify a system like this where appearance counts.
By Jinna Hopson, Vice President of Marketing, Mats Inc.
