If you are designing a custom truck, then you should add floor mats to your design. These mats protect the truck carpet underneath from stains, make beverage spills much easier to clean up, and prevent carpet wear and tear. While floor mats can be made from other materials, such as carpet, rubber and thermoplastic mats are stain-resistant, easy to clean, and resistant to mold and mildew.
Read on to learn about your rubber and thermoplastic truck floor mat design options and the advantages of each.
Floor Mat Material
Truck floor mats can be produced from several types of rubber polymers and thermoplastic compounds.
Thermoplastic Elastomer Mats
Many automotive floor mats are made from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). This material is a lightweight rubber polymer that combines the beneficial characteristics of rubber with several of the positive attributes of plastic. TPE is an extremely durable material that is resistant to scratches and abrasions; not slippery when wet; easy to mold; and relatively affordable.
This material also does not warp over time or become misshapen when exposed to fluctuating temperatures inside of a vehicle and mechanical wear-and-tear.
Thermoplastic Olefin
Thermoplastic olefin (TPO) is another popular automotive floor mat material. This rubber polymer is similar to TPE, yet slightly less elastic and more rigid. In addition, TPO is slightly more difficult to add special finishes to. However, this polymer can be more economical than TPE, so keep this fact in mind when comparing these two popular automotive floor mat materials.
Polyethylene and Polypropylene
Unlike TPE and TPO, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are thermoplastic compounds that are slightly more rigid than their rubber polymer counterparts. These materials are often used to create truck floor liners, which are floor mats designed to protect an entire truck floor instead of just part of it. Both PE and PP are heat-resistant, chemical-resistant, and impact-resistant, which makes floor mats made from these materials difficult to damage.
Thermoplastic floor mats can become slippery when wet, so extra anti-slip features should be added to floor mats made of these materials.
Floor Mat Features
When you equip your floor mats with the right features, you can increase slip-resistance, help keep spills and debris from seeping off the mat and onto vehicle carpets, and prevent mats from slipping and sliding around your vehicles.
Spill-Containing Edges and Ridges
A high edge or ridge around the perimeter of your floor mats can keep spilled beverages, melted snow, and other liquids on the mat surface from seeping onto the carpet beside the mat and potentially damaging it. In addition, special ridges that direct water away from the automobile foot pedals and into recessed mat areas located away from the driver's feet can aid in safe driving.
Non-Slip Tread
All vehicle floor mats should be covered in a non-slip tread that helps keep feet from sliding on the mat when entering and exiting the automobile, especially when the mat is wet. Be sure to add extra non-slip mat treatments when creating your mats from thermoplastics that tend to have more slippery surfaces when wet.
Anti-Slip Fasteners
Anti-slip fasteners, such as special hooks or nibs that connect the floor mats to the carpet below them, are important features for all truck floor mats. Mats that slide around in the vehicle can lead to slips and falls when getting into and out of the truck interior.
Extra Depth
Deeper, or thicker, floor mats offer benefits that cannot be obtained with thin mats. Thicker mats naturally slide around less in a vehicle due to their extra weight. In addition, thicker layers of rubber polymers and thermoplastic compounds tend to warp, crack, and dry out much less than thinner layers of these materials. Finally, deeper ridges and tread can be installed on thicker mats to contain spills better and increase mat traction.
Be sure to equip your new truck with rubber or thermoplastic floor mats and liners to protect your truck carpets from stains, wear and tear, and other damage types. Contact the truck design and manufacturing experts at Diamond Truck Body Manufacturing to
order a custom truck body today.
