Leisure Matting

What is Leisure Matting?

Leisure Mats are any type of matting and flooring that have been designed for use in leisure centres and recreational environments such as gyms, playgrounds, swimming pools and spas. They offer additional safety for users by improving grip, especially in wet areas, or by creating a cushioned surface in play areas or gyms.

Our detailed guide below offers more information regarding the use of leisure matting and the different types that are available from First Mats.

Leisure Matting for wet areas

When used in wet areas, leisure matting should be slip-resistant, plastic-based matting, which has been designed to limit and prevent health and safety dangers in wet rooms like showers or changing rooms.

There are various important features that make wet area leisure mats work effectively in their environments:

Drainage holes – Our AquaDeck leisure matting tiles are made up of thousands of small drainage holes that prevent any water from building up on the surface and allow any liquid underneath to drain away easily. Additionally, the studs on the underside of the mat encourage greater drainage to reduce further the risk of slipping on wet floor surfaces.

Bacterial and fungal prevention – Our high-quality wet area leisure matting is coated with a thin micro-plastic substance that actively resists fungal and bacterial growth and reduces foot odours – an important feature in public and privately-owned pools.

Modularity (Tiles) – Our AquaDeck Shower Tiles, for example, are semi-modular wet area tiles available in packs of 9, measuring 30cm x 30cm per tile. They easily clip together, making them suitable for floors of most sizes and shapes. Bevelled edges can be purchased separately, including female and male edges (each tile features two female and two male adjoining edges) and corner pieces to complete the mats.

Comfortable surface – Wet area leisure matting needs to perform well in wet, low-traction environments and must provide comfort to the users. All our wet room matting is designed to be as comfortable as possible for barefoot users.

Cross-Ribbed Design (SlipProtect) – The cross-ribbed design of our SlipProtect wet room mat offers high levels of grip and safety, ensuring maximum barefoot comfort.

Made from PVC – Wet area leisure mats are made from a unique blend of heavy-duty PVC. The main benefits of using PVC for our AquaDeck and SlipProtect wet room mats include:

• Durability - PVC is a widely-used substance for matting in the leisure industries due to the core strength and wear resistance over time without sacrificing portability
• Versatility - PVC is an extremely versatile material used in many commercial, domestic and industrial applications.
• Lightweight - The low weight density of PVC allows ease of installation and movability in any given environment.

Easy cleaning and maintenance – Wet area leisure mats can attain high volumes of foot traffic depending on the environment and application, so it is important for the mats to be easy to keep clean and hygienic. One of the easiest methods involves using a high-pressured water washer to remove any excess liquids and debris from the mat.

Leisure Matting for Gyms and Playgrounds

First Mats also offers a range of leisure matting made from Rubber for use in gyms or outdoor play areas. These help to absorb impact shocks, protecting both the users and their equipment and offer a grippy, level surface in all conditions.

Gym Mats

At First Mats, you can find a choice of individual and interlocking mats designed for commercial and home gyms. These Rubber Gym Mats are constructed from dense high-grade rubbers that offer incredible shock absorption and durability.

Our range includes the Pro-Gym Interlocking Floor Mat, which allows you to effortlessly create a safe and sturdy floor covering, through to the Heavy Duty Large Gym Mat, which is ideal for heavy free-weight lifting areas or machines.

Leisure Mats for Playgrounds

For any children’s outdoor playgrounds in schools, parks and leisure centres, one of the top priorities parents express is the safety of their child on the premises. Rubber playground mats are engineered to exponentially increase the safety of visitors within the grass and concrete-based play areas.

Most commonly, playground mats will be placed on slippery ramps, grassy patches and either next to or underneath playground apparatus. Suitable for indoor and outdoor environments, these mats normally feature a smooth or honeycomb design that grips various surfaces, providing great traction and slip resistance. Other key features of playground matting include:

• Fall protection– Our playground leisure mats are tested for “Critical Fall Height” (CFH) protection with ranges from 0.6m to 1.8m. CFH refers to the maximum height of falls from play equipment to the ground.

• Lay loose installation – Playground mats are extremely easy to install with no tools or experience needed. Simply placing the mat down on any existing surface will do the job, instantly upgrading the area's safety.

• Slip resistance – Most of our rubber mats for playgrounds conform to the Slip Resistance Test EN 13552 Category R10 confirming guaranteed safety for your visitors and children. The rubber is weighted and weather-resistant.
  
  
• High levels of erosion control – When placed in grassy or earthy areas, our mats will not collapse easily. They offer high levels of erosion and wear resistance in all weathers.

Playground Mats Buying Guide

We currently supply two types of playground matting – the PlayProtect and the PlaySafe.

The PlayProtect is a multi-purpose heavy-duty rubber playground mat that benefits from the iconic honeycomb design and easy lay loose installation.

The PlaySafe is an interlocking tile system with built-in 22mm drainage holes and corresponding male and female edges, making it ideal for irregular areas.

Please view the table below for a summary of the mats: