How to Measure for Elevator Mats: There are basically three ways to place mats in elevators. 1. Put down a mat that covers most of the floor. 2. Put down a mat that covers all of the floor but over the existing flooring. and 3. Replace the existing flooring with a mat designed to serve in a recessed setting.

Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. We realize that each elevator has its own specifications. There may be doors located at different orientations, or multiple doors, or gates rather than doors, and the types of user applications may also range from normal pedestrian traffic to light wheeled traffic to heavy duty wheeled traffic such as experienced in freight elevators. There are also mixed-use elevators, which may see pedestrian traffic most of the time and have some exposure to freight related traffic at appointed times. Mats that are unable to withstand heavy wheeled traffic might become involved with the wheels and bunch up or buckle under the strain, which could become a tripping hazard and otherwise cause problems to the users. Deployment of mats in such ways is ill-advised.

That said, here are three ways that mats are or could be deployed in pedestrian or convenience elevators with our comments and suggestions in each instance:

Option 1. Cover the "center section of the main part of the elevator floor". Select a mat size that will fit comfortably within the confines of the main area of the elevator floor making sure that the mat has safety edging on all four sides to prevent users from tripping on the edges of the mat when transversing them.

Drawing 1. Typical elevator measurements. Please Note the area at the doorway, which juts out from the main part of the floor. This is caused by the retractable or sliding door and the space needed to conceal it when open. Mats can be made to either cover this area or this are can be ignored from a matting point of view.

Drawing 2. The red dotted line, in Drawing 2 below, indicates how a stand-alone mat might be deployed in an elevator. It would normally be made to be located a few inches away from each of the walls allowing users to stand on the mat and thereby have the rain dripping off their raincoats, umbrellas and other belongings to drip on and be contained by the mat, thus reducing any slip-and-fall situations for themselves and other users. General Note: Where mats are being installed over carpeting, we have the following observation to make: In such instances, the protection of the permanently installed carpet ends up being more important, apparently, than the protection of the elevator users, who will almost inevitably be subjected to various tripping hazards as mats deployed over carpeting migrates, bunches up and buckles up virtually by itself no matter how often it is straightened out during the day. The best thing to do in this situation would be to reconsider the use of permanently installed carpet in elevators and replace it with appropriate and removable matting designed and intended for use for such applications.

Option 2. Cover the "the entirety of the elevator floor" with a mat laid on top of the existing floor covering. In this case, the mat should be ordered larger in all directions than the overall flooring area to be covered. See Drawing 1 for an example of the "overall" measurements of an elevator floor. The objective would be to then tailor the mat to fit the existing floor exactly by placing one side or edge of the mat so as to cover the expanse of the doorway and then trim the mat so it conforms exactly to the walls of the elevator. If there is another door, allow for the area of the floor protruding beyond the main area of the floor into that doorway's space so it will be matted as well. Please Note: Depending on the matting product being ordered, the mat for this type of deployment, i.e. requiring some on-site trimming, might be ordered with edging already installed or with loose edging to be installed as needed on site. The solid green line at the doorway in Drawing 2 indicates where the edging of the mat would be located in Option 2. This edging is important to make it easier to negotiate the change of terrain from hallway flooring on to the mat, which is slightly higher than the elevator flooring.

Please Note: We believe that because of the very nature of entering and leaving an elevator with the improvised adjustments as to who is to stand where and in what attitude and as to how crowded the elevator may be at different times, that the avoidance of having to use such edging by having matting mounted flush in an elevator instead of on top of existing floor covering is preferable.

Option 3. Remove the existing flooring and have the matting material supplied large enough to cover the entire elevator floor. See Drawing 1 for an example of the "overall" measurements of an elevator floor. In this Option, there would be no need for edging to be included in the deployment. The matting would be installed so that it would be flush with the doorsill of the elevator. This is by far the safest of the options mentioned since users do not have to negotiate a difference in terrain when entering or moving about in the elevator. In installations of this nature, it is well to have two mats made for each car or cab, which would allow the mats to be removed from the elevators for cleaning and to have the spare mat in service during the cleaning process. It is also advisable to use a quick-release bonder or cement, such as 3M Blue Glue, which allows the mats to be secured to the deck of the elevator, but which also, allows the mats to be removed with no difficulty for off-site cleaning.

Custom Quote Invitation: If you would like to consider any or all of these various options for your building elevator or elevators, please provide us with the following information and we will respond with a detailed quotation: contact name, company name, phone, fax, e-mail address, destination city, state and Zip Code for the shipping part of the quotation, number of elevators and the overall dimensions of each with an indication of the width and location of the doorway or doorways for each. We will generally respond with material such as 3M 8850 or Chicago Chic Elevator Mats. If a logo is desired, please provide a camera ready copy of your company logo or emblem in JPG or PDF format along with any personalization text desired. Also, provide a sketch of the elevator or elevators in which the logo or emblem is to be included as the dimensions of the elevator; i.e. in which way the floor is oriented is is important when such customization is included.

Please Note: The Mat King can provide on site installation in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area and, by special arrangement, can supply such services elsewhere or help locate skilled crafts persons in this field.

               

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THE MAT KING
740 West End Avenue; Suite 1
New York, NY 10025 USA

Phone: (646)998-4208
Fax: (646)998-4073
Phone: 800-442-6544
Fax: 800-Mats-Fax (628-7329)
Phone: 800-442-6544
Fax: 800-Mats-Fax (628-7329)