Slipping floor mats

[comfortably numb]

The boat we bought in January is carpeted throughout and in order to help protect it a little we have some rubber bottomed mats in the corridor just inside the stern cabin door. The problem is that they keep getting 'walked' either forwards or backwards or worse still they slide to one side and then curl partway up the side.

 

I'd hoped that the wife would have come up with a solution as the women are usually good at this sort of thing but she's failed miserably. I'm reluctant to stick anything permanently to the carpet such as Velcro unless I can get away with just attaching it to the base of the mats which might work. Or I was thinking that perhaps that rubberised webbing you put under mats on laminated floors might work?

 

Have any of you others come across this problem and if so how have you got around it? I would think there is an easy solution but can't for the life of me think of one. It's not as if it's a shiny type flooring like wood or vinyl which would I think be even more of a problem.

 

Oh' and before anyone says it - yes we do lift our feet up properly as we walk over it, LOL.

[Lady Muck]

Ikea sell a netting plastic mesh that you can cut to size and place under your rugs, works for us.

[Leo No2]

You can buy anti-slip 'mats' - very thin which can be cut to size and go between the mat and the underlying carpet. Homebase and the like do them.

[pete.i]

LOL I have the same problem. this wont be much help I'm afraid but the problem is not the mats that slide as such it is the pile of the carpet beneath. When you tread on the mat this compresses the pile of the carpet beneath the mat and when the pile springs back it moves the mat ever so slightly after a short period, because in a narrowboat it doesn't have to move far, the mat soon finds itself curling up the edge.

 

As I said not a lot of help so if you find a solution I would be interested. I have tried the rubber mesh stuff and that didn't work. I have replaced the original mats, which were those "mats that eat all the muck" things, with heavier, feet wiping type, mats and they still move. At the moment the only solution that I can see is either to nail the damn things down, I did seriously think of that one time but decided against that, or velcro but as you have pointed out that means sticking velcro to the carpet. I think the only solution is to wait until the carpet is old and the pile is not so springy.

 

Pete

 

As I said I tried the home base webby stuff. It didn't work for me because it isn't the mat that moves as such it is the pile of the carpet that moves the mat and whatever is under the mat. In my case it is because the carpet is new and the pile is still springy.

Edited October 30, 2013 by pete.i

[Lady Muck]

The ikea one is a bit different, Im using it under rugs ontop of rugs, but granted, they dont have a pile, so I can understand how they 'walk' it's the same reason I don't like wearing velvet, it has a tendency to 'creep', because of the pile.

[nb Innisfree]

I don't like wearing velvet, it has a tendency to 'creep', because of the pile.

The mind boggles...

[Phil Ambrose]

We had this problem on our last boat, we solved it by fitting (dbl sided sicky tape) some plastic pads to the bottom of the dirt eater mat which is rubber. The pads are about 3" X 1" and have short spikes which dig into the carpet.

Not sure where we got them from, might have been from "Temps L" or some such catalogue that you get in newspapers sometime.

Phil

[deckhand]

We have just double sided our rugs as we were fed up of them trying to get themselves through the bathroom door. Not moved since. works a treat.

[AndrewIC]

Live with it "Straightening the mat" quickly becomes a reflex action when passing through the galley

[carpet wallah]

What you want for mats on carpet is the thin fleece type material, which is impregnated with a "peelable" adhesive (rather like a post-it note). The best known one is called "Foxi" but other brands are available. All the rubber or PVC mesh ones I've seen are made for smooth floors only.

[JClarkes]

Would these be off any use??

 

Carpet fasteners

http://www.jclarkemarine.com/collections/snap-fasteners

 

[Bunny]

Robert Dyas . Matting a bit like the stuff you used to put between your tablecloth and the table to stop hot bowls ect marking the table. Its double thickness , sticky both sides with a not so sticky layer in the middle, cut the double thickness to size, attach to your and stick both to carpet, because there is a middle layer you can pick the mat up and clean around the edges ,then sandwich the carpet and mat back together . My mats have been sandwiched for six weeks and no 'wandering' mats. Think it was about £16 and enough for 4/5 reasonable size mats. Bunny

[Biggles]

eBay Linky A bit pricey, but they look long enough to cut down for small foot wipe mats.

[comfortably numb]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I've opted for Biggles' suggestion as I think these will suit the type of mats and carpet that I have.

[BlueStringPudding]

The mind boggles

 

She speaks the truth! Not sure how much velvet you've got in your wardrobe but if you try wearing coat over a velvet top, the coat can gradually ride up because of the one-way pile of the velvet

[homer2911]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I've opted for Biggles' suggestion as I think these will suit the type of mats and carpet that I have.

 

What a relief though to find no mention of wood or wood laminate flooring! Every write-up of new boats in the magazines seems to feature wooden floors! Given that at least 50% of boaters have a dog, wooden floors are totally impractical -(skidding dog syndrome). If the crew, ie the wife has to race from one end of the boat to the other, isn't this much easier and safer with a carpeted floor? Incidentally, we have carpet tiles, easily cleaned and equally easily shifted around.

[comfortably numb]

 

What a relief though to find no mention of wood or wood laminate flooring! Every write-up of new boats in the magazines seems to feature wooden floors! Given that at least 50% of boaters have a dog, wooden floors are totally impractical -(skidding dog syndrome). If the crew, ie the wife has to race from one end of the boat to the other, isn't this much easier and safer with a carpeted floor? Incidentally, we have carpet tiles, easily cleaned and equally easily shifted around.

 

I'd considered changing from carpet to a wooden floor because our light coloured constantly moulting dog's hairs show up so much on the dark carpet and are a right pain to remove, but decided against it for the reasons you say (and the cost as well). I will probably eventually change to carpet tiles and lighter coloured ones at that.

[Bugsworth Tippler]

I've tried most of the ideas mentioned above. Double sided sticky stuff left a mess, things between the mat and the carpet didn't really work.

 

I now have a number of identical mats none of which move a fraction of an inch on the carpet. They were bought from Aldi and look as though the bottom is made out of recycled tyres - black pressed rubber crumbs. Of course they are not available at the moment but no doubt, like other Aldi items, they will reappear at some point.