Natural Coco Mat Install Instructions

CS National Accounts 4005 Royal Drive, Suite 100 | Kennesaw, GA 30144 888-424-6287 | www.c-sgroup.com

Characteristics Coir (coconut fiber) yarns are utilized in the manufacture of coco entrance mats and entrance floor coverings because of their excellent characteristic as pile material. It is a reasonably stiff fiber which makes it a good “scrub brush” for shoes, yet it is tough and resilient enough to resist wear or permanent “matting down” from heavy use.

The deep pile construction traps and holds scrubbed off dirt particles in considerable volume under the walking surface. The trapped dirt cannot be picked up again by foot traffic as is the case of thin piled carpet type mats where the dirt is still on top, available for pickup by shoes.

Coir is a highly absorbent natural fiber. It has extremely high rot resistance and will not rot when used as entrance mat material. It is one of the few materials used in entrance floor mats which have the advantageous characteristics of picking up and holding large volumes of moisture from shoes and not being damaged by these high moisture conditions. The main reason we recommend placing coco mats in a weather-protected area is to best utilize these important features.

With all of these excellent characteristics there are some properties of coco mats, which should be taken into consideration when planning for certain installations.

Moisture As stated in our advertising literature, coco mats do have an expansion factor under certain moisture conditions. In some cases significant moisture may cause minor bubbling of the surface. Under ordinary conditions this would not be to an extent to cause a tripping hazard and this minor bubbling would disappear shortly upon drying out of the material.

The material should be laid loosely on a smooth subfloor or base with adequate clearance around its perimeter. This allows it to expand under high moisture conditions without excess stress that would cause excessive buckling or bubbling of the surface. If this perimeter clearance factor is not taken into consideration some rising of the surface may occur.

Under extreme moisture conditions (when the material is 100% saturated) the expansion factor is about 1/16” of expansion per 12” of mat length or width. Therefore a mat 12 feet long could conceivably have approximately 1” of expansion under totally saturated conditions. This situation could occur from being in an open area (not recommended) where the material is exposed to direct rains. Or it may occur from cleaning by using water combined with the cleaning agent and saturating the material. This expansion does not occur immediately upon saturation of the material but it may take several hours to reach ultimate expanded dimensions.

When the coco mat dries thoroughly after having been expanded by thorough saturation of water it will return to nearly its original size. This shrinking would be approximately 90% return from the total amount it had expanded. If the mat is resaturated it will then again expand to the maximum dimensions to which it had originally expanded when soaked. This expansion and contraction factor should therefore be taken into consideration when doing custom installations; particularly in large areas where the possibility of heavy moisture conditions exist.

All of the preceding, of course, is information based on extreme conditions which could cause material expansion as suggested, but in the majority of installations these conditions are rare or non-existent and there the installations are very much satisfactory.

Natural Coco Mat Install Instructions

Temperature Thermal expansion is minimal and it is normally not necessary to take this into consideration when fitting mats in recesses, etc. Extremely cold temperatures will reduce flexibility of the coco mat. If handling is necessary during sub-freezing temperatures it should be done with caution as extreme bending of the backing could cause cracking.

Installation There are other factors regarding the installation procedures for the coco mats that should be taken into consideration. These factors are handled by the installers and are beyond the manufacturer control. These factors are:

1. Preparation During manufacture, the coco mat is rolled up under tension so as to eliminate roll telescope and resultant handling problems. This results in some stretching of the backing from its original manufactured “unstretched” size. Upon unrolling of the material some initial shrinkage may occur (similar to return of a stretched rubber band). This return or stabilization process, however, is not immediate but happens slowly and is somewhat dependent on the material temperature. The material should be unrolled, laid flat with face yarn down and allowed to stabilize at room temperature (approx. 70 degrees F or greater) for a period of 12 to 24 hours before cutting to size. 2. Seaming In large installations, where seaming is desired, it is often necessary that the seaming be done on the job site because of shipping and handling problems with the heavy material. We recommend using our own seaming method; utilizing thin vinyl tape and the “solvent system” for its application. However, many installers prefer their own methods that they are familiar with, such as used in carpet installations. These may include heat welding with special equipment, or the use of various other methods used to join carpeting. Some of these installations may prove satisfactory but again we have no control over these installation procedures and the results may vary with different installations. Improper seaming could conceivably cause bubbling problems. Also, scorching of the pile yarns is possible when heat welding causing the base of yarns to break out where extreme heat is applied to the backing. 3. Glue Down In regards to using an adhesive to “glue” the material down solid, we do not recommend or suggest that this be done because of problems with permanent adhesive bonds with vinyl. The nature of all flexible vinyl is to excrete oil like plasticizers from itself. This will, over a period of time, break the bonds between most adhesives and the vinyl. Additional pressures on the backing due to expansion by high moisture conditions and contraction when drying also tend to break these adhesive bonds and although many adhesive bonded installations may appear to be satisfactory when first installed, the long term results are in some cases not satisfactory. Many installations done with adhesives have proven to be satisfactory however, so we leave it up to the installers, with their experience and knowledge of various installation conditions and adhesives, to determine a suitable means of installations.