Menu

Rubber vs. Vinyl Matting

Commercial Mats and Rubber offers hundreds of products such as Entrance Mats, Safety Industrial Runners, Kitchen Matting and Anti-Fatigue mats to name a few, all of which are made from either Rubber or PVC Vinyl.

So, what is the difference between rubber and vinyl matting, and which material is right for your application?

Below you will find the essential benefits and disadvantages of Rubber and Vinyl to help with your decision making process...

Rubber:

What is Rubber? Rubber is mainly made from Latex extracted from rubber trees like Para Rubber Tree similarly to how maple syrup is extracted from a maple tree. The Latex is then combined with other organic polymers and water to form a rubber compound that is used in everyday products.

The Benefits of Rubber: Rubber has many benefits but the main benefit is its durability. Rubber products can withstand extreme hot and cold temperatures that Vinyl Products cannot without cracking, chipping or flaking. Many rubber backed mats can be made with a dam beveled border or a cleated backing to help minimzie movement on floors and carpets. Another benefit to rubber matting products is that they are launderable and can be cleaned with many different cleaning agents. 

Disadvantages of Rubber: There are very few disadvantages to using rubber products but the main disadvantage would the higher cost but depending on your application, sometimes it is worth the exctra cost!

Summary: Use rubber backed entrance mats for outdoor applications and heavier traffic indoor applications. Rubber backed mats like our Waterhog Mats tend to last longer than comparable Vinyl Backed Mats. Choose Nitrile Rubber matting products for areas exposed to oils and grease such as commercial kitchens or machine shops.

 

Vinyl:

What is Vinyl? Vinyl or PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is made using inexpensice polymers, water and other additives combined using the process of polymerization. Rigid PVC or RPVC is the harder plastic material using to make cPVC Piping among other things. Flexible PVC is used to make other products such as faux leater products, flooring products and other everyday products.

The Benefits of Vinyl or PVC? The main benefit of vinyl matting products is the lower cost when comparing top rubber matting products. More than 80% of our commercial matting products are made from vinyl, including most of the backing on our indoor entrance mats. Color additives can be mixed with vinyl to create colorful flooring options such as our Drain Tiles or the color coordinated backing on the Polynib Entrance Mat. 

Another major benefit to Vinyl Flooring Products is the high resistance to many chemicals commonly found in industrial work areas. For more information on which products resist certain chemicals, ask for a chemical resistance sheet available for our Andersen and No Trax products.

Summary: Vinyl Flooring Products offer a larger variety of product than Rubber Products so depending on the product, it may only come in vinyl which makes your decision easy. Use Vinyl Backed Entrance Mats for low to medium traffic indoor entryways. Choose Vinyl Matting for industrial applications exposed to chemical use.

For more info, feel free to call 1-800-810-7847 or Email Us! 

Some of our satisfied customers include:

Top