welcome mats

[shcisamax]

I was out to buy a front welcome mat. As I was about to buy one, a passerby mentioned that if the mat is rubberbacked, it will get moldy and you will have to throw it out in a year. Comments? Who would think a welcome mat would be controversial :)

[zcaveman]

I had a rubber backed mat down here for 10 years and it never got moldy. I only changed because my wife wanted something different.

[Phanatic Luvr]

First, if your entrance mat is under cover, the rain really doesn't get to it. When I hose down my entrance, I hose off the mat and let it dry, upside down in the sun for a few hours. Have never had a problem with a moldy mat and have lived in FL for 8 years.
With that said, we use our front door a lot as we have two dogs that we constantly take in and out. My mats usually only last a year or so before they start looking a little beat or worn. I like my front entrance to look nice as this is where your guest come first.
Just what I have observed.

[shcisamax]

Thanks. Good info.

[asianthree]

Had mats by sliders, in the lanai and the garage. mat that was out side looks perfect, however stained the concrete, we put river rock in the lanai, and had to take that one out do to should not be on the river rock. The garage looked like it went thru a war, I am guessing do to extended use of that door, were not cheap about 35 each

[pooh]

One thing to consider is if your walkway is painted or not. When we had our driveway and walkway to the front door painted, it was suggested that we NOT get mats with a rubber backing.....they can stick to the paint in the heat and pull it up when you pick up or move the mat. A sisall type mat is what we used for a few years. Now I'm using a mat I bought from the Stanley Steemer company years ago. The backing isn't totally rubberized, just a bit, here and there....and it seems to be working fine.

If your mat gets moldy, flip it over, let the sun work on the underside for a bit....should help clear the mold.

[Barefoot]

[QUOTE=pooh;592610]
One thing to consider is if your walkway is painted or not. When we had our driveway and walkway to the front door painted, it was suggested that we NOT get mats with a rubber backing.....they can stick to the paint in the heat and pull it up when you pick up or move the mat. [QUOTE]

Pooh makes a good point. That is exactly what happened with us. The floor of our birdcage is painted. We had a mat outside the sliders. It started looking tatty so we threw it out. Now the floor has white spots where the rug pulled up the paint. But I guess we can cover it up with another rug.