Summer is approaching, and football practice begins for many high schools and colleges. Football practice means clicks on your feet — hundreds of feet a day — the intersection of an oval running track that often surrounds school football fields. Running tracks can cost a small fortune, and they look great. How long they look great depends on the measures taken to protect the surface of the track. Consider how to use rubber floor mats to protect the walkway.
Floor mats can be used to prevent damage to traces that may arise from football spikes, turf care vehicles and other types of equipment that are necessary for tipping along the track to reach the inner field. Protecting the walkway is often an afterthought or not at all thought until damage occurs and repair costs are required. Applied methods of protection may include applying some plywood to the track, carpet residues, or some other product that is not intended to protect the substrate from the bottom.
Plywood is heavy, tends to warp over time and is not very attractive. Coaches or athletic directors must “remember” to put plywood down, remove it, and find someone to perform this ongoing task. Plywood, which has distortions, is a danger of tripping, which can lead to injury. Finally, if your school has invested large dollars in the track, stadium, drawing fields, and decorations for a big game, perverted plywood tends to detract from the experience.
The use of carpet residues can work several times, but not for long. Carpet exposed to the elements will become heavy, swampy and begin to collapse. A gust of wind can also damage carpet and plywood. It is difficult to control the nature of the mother. The answer to this problem is to use floor mats or rubber mats that have certain features:
Low profile - Rubber mats should be thin to prevent shutdown and not allow the wind to grab and take the product by the whirlwind.
portability - If the mats are too heavy, the weight is another obstacle to use. It would be preferable if floor mats could be folded for ease of use and grip.
durability - Mats must withstand laying, lawn equipment and tractors. Rubber mats offer this strength.
Safe COF - COF friction coefficient means that floor mats should provide a safe walking surface that is not smooth, even when it is wet. Plywood can become as smooth as a carpet, especially in wet or icy conditions.
Using floor mats can provide some protection for field tracks. Most floor mats are low profile, portable and provide an acceptable friction coefficient (COF). Unfortunately, there are hundreds of rugs from which to choose. What type or types of floor mats offers the best solution?
My proposal was to consider only rubber mats. Many floor mats have a lining that looks like rubber, but is actually vinyl. Vinyl deteriorates over time, becomes brittle and falls apart. Vinyl floor mats will lose their memory and will not lie flat if they unfold and unfold many times (especially when it is cold). If you have seen floor mats with twisted edges or cutting edges, there is a possibility that it is vinyl and not a rubber mat.
On floor mats there is usually a carpet or some type of fabric on their surface. This feature is great for adding colors, but does nothing for product functionality. My recommendation would be to use a rubber mat without a carpet or fabric on the surface.
Rubber mats have excellent friction coefficient, are easy to coagulate (portability), are very durable and, if used in a 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch gauge, have a very low profile. Rubber mats are heavy enough to stay in place, but not so heavy that they cannot be easily moved. Some rubber floor mats have a ribbed or pyramidal surface for "safety." This is not necessary because the rubber already offers a safe walking surface. These nooks and crannies can actually hold water and freeze, creating the danger of slipping in icy conditions, especially with ribbed matting.
When choosing a product to protect your walkway, you can consider a Track Shield rubber mat or some other type of thin-rolled rubber floor mats. Such products are durable and provide portability, allowing the use of floor mats for various applications when protection of the floor or substrate is required.
