If you are looking for an entrance mat, you may have come across a coir mat and a coconut mat, but what is the difference? Well, they are actually the same thing! You will tend to find that the preferred given name to the mat is coir, as it is more technical and well known but, whichever you buy, you will receive the same product with the exact same benefits.

 

Why is it called a coconut mat?

Coir mats are commonly referred to as coconut mats because that is precisely what they are made out of. The husk of a coconut consists of textile, water-resistant fibre, that protects the outer coating of the coconut and the shell inside. The fibres are thick and robust in texture due to the high amount of lignin in the coconut. Lignin is an organic polymer found in plants to increase strength and lifespan. When the husk fibres are extracted they can be used for numerous purposes including door mats. The fibres have a straw-like consistency that offers excellent scraping qualities, and its natural form makes coir matting an excellent eco-friendly solution.

When the fibres are removed from the coconut husk, they are processed into coir, which is then utilised in the production of mats. Ripe coconuts generally produce brown-coloured coir that is coarse in texture, whereas unripe coconuts produce a finer and lighter coloured coir. Depending on the amount of foot traffic in your entranceway, you can choose from light or heavy-duty coir matting.

 

The process of making a coir mat

  1. Firstly, the coconut needs to be de-husked, which is the process of removing the husk from the edible contents inside.
  2. After the coconut husk is obtained, it is soaked in water for a period of time to encourage bacteria growth. This bacteria is promoted to eat away the coconut husk until the raw coir remains. Raw coir is made out of two components, coconut fibres and coir pith, which can be later separated and used for different purposes. Coir pith is a type of coconut dust, that cannot be used in the manufacturing of coir products but can instead be used as fertiliser.
  3. Once the coir has undergone a soaking process, it is then beaten up, to soften the cellulose fibres. To efficiently do this step, the coir is placed into a rotating drum, that loosens up the fibres by repeatedly beating the material with sharp steel bars.
  4. After the coir has loosened up, the fibres need to be separated by length. To do this, the coir is transferred into a slower rotating drum, which divides the fibres into short, medium, and long lengths.
  5. When creating a coir mat, only medium-sized fibres are used, as they offer the most beneficial qualities for an entrance mat. These are accumulated and gathered together before heading into the design process.
  6. The fibres can then be assembled into a variety of coir mats, of different shapes and sizes. They are woven together to produce a durable, water-resistant, and floor-protecting mat, that can be utilised in a range of indoor settings.
  7. As an extra step for safety and durability, we back our coir mats in PVC to prevent surplus water from seeping onto the floor, and we also offer coir mats with a rubber edge to minimise trip incidents.

Here at Commercial Matting, we are experts in the matting industry, manufacturing and supplying the best of the best. On our website, you will find a wide range of coir mat variations, available in an assortment of colours, sizes, and thicknesses to suit different environments and applications. Additionally, we offer a coir mat cut to size service for our original and heavy-duty mats, where you can rely on us to deliver you a perfectly fitting entrance mat. Please feel free to browse our extensive range of coir mats on our site today. If you require more information about our coir mat/coconut mat selection, call us today on 01772 330051 or email sales@commercial-matting.net, and our team will be more than happy to help!