One of the most important pieces of home decor just so happens to be the one right beneath your feet.
A good front door mat is much like proper plumbing or wiring. If it’s good, you’ll hardly notice the fruits of your labor and investment. If something goes wrong, you’ll be quick to notice the consequences.
A solid, functional front door mat that stays in place and keeps the outside elements away from your hardwood and carpet is essential. Here are just five things you need to consider when picking a front door mat.
Foot Traffic
Entrances and exits in the home are seldom equally used. Some homes have attached garages, and most people will be entering and exiting the home in here. Other homes have more entrances than the front door, but for some, the front door is the only way in and out.
You’ll need to consider your level of foot traffic when purchasing a front door mat. In apartment homes and condominiums, the traffic may be relatively light. For homes with lots of children, pets, guests, and friends, your front door mat needs to be ready for action.
Foot traffic isn’t all about volume, either. Your location and environment deserve just as much of your focus as the amount of foot traffic coming in and out. Homes in the woods and temperate environments will need mats designed to pick up mud and handle heavy rain.
At the same time, an apartment mat will need to be better at dirt and debris and probably won’t need to worry about handling the elements.
Door Height
This tip is almost always forgotten—until it’s too late.
The hight of your door in comparison to the surface of your front porch, outdoor hallway, or deck needs to be taken into consideration. While the clearance will range only between a few inches, that’ll make a large difference when it comes to your floor mat.
A door that’s too low to the ground—combined with a thick floor mat—will simply pull the mat away and leave guests free to track mud into your home. While an effective rug cleaning service will solve the problem, why not buy a thin floor mat and avoid the problem in the first place?
Door Size
Not all front doors are created equally—so purchasing a front door mat that’s as big (or as small) as your entryway is going to make or break your curb appeal.
For instance—french doors can be a beautiful centerpiece to your home but will require a bit of thought behind whether or not you need to place down two mats, one in front of a single door, or one larger mat in the center.
There are specialty mats you can buy that are designed for french doors as well, so if you have a double door setup, it may be better to go this route than two distinct mats.
Other Mats
While that may seem confusing at first, thinking about the other mats in your home will give you a better sense for the kind of front door mat you need.
Many homes will require two mats for the front door—one outside, one inside. This is to use the heavy outdoor mat to pick up the majority of the debris and leave the indoor mat to pick up any smaller debris left behind by the first.
Matching your indoor and outdoor mats is more than an aesthetic choice, but one that will help you keep your floors clean. Use only one mat, and you may need someone to remove carpet stains from your home.
Grip
Finally, your front door mat needs to stay at your front door. It sounds like a simple proposition, but just because it’s laying on the ground doesn’t mean it’ll stay there.
Just like how low clearance doors will push mats out of the way, mats with a weak grip on their backings will be similarly pushed. Outdoor mats are generally designed to hold well on concrete, and indoor mats hold better on hardwood and carpet.
Think about your flooring situation to prevent falls – both inside and outside the home – and either purchase the right mat for the job or consider picking up some non-slip pads to use to keep your mat right where it needs to be.
Taking stock of all of our above considerations before purchasing a mat can save you time, money, and headache in the future. To learn more about our range of doors, click here.