How to Keep Floor Mats from Sliding? [Step by Step Guide]

If you are a fitness freak and super health-conscious individual who diligently exercises every day, then you may have well invested in a floor mat for those stretches, core workouts & other exercises. But there is just one problem. Your floor mats keep sliding around and just won’t stay put. Ughh, nothing can be more annoying, right?

This is even more annoying when you have just started to get into the groove, only to have your routine interrupted by a sliding mat! Getting back in that zone can be difficult, and worse, you may sustain a serious injury if you slip and fall in the middle of your routine.

But it’s not just workout mats that may cause problems. You may also want to keep other mats in your house from sliding.

Here are some tips you can follow to keep those floor mats in place.

How to keep floor mats from sliding on the vinyl floor?

Vinyl floor is an affordable and durable flooring solution that is rather popular. But despite their durability, affordability, and comfort, they can be quite slippery too. Put a floor mat atop them, and they tend to slide during use.

To keep floor mats from sliding off vinyl floors:

1. Use Floor Anchor Tabs

Floor anchor tabs are easy to use. They peel easily, and you can effortlessly stick them on the mat. Should you want to remove them for whatever purpose, you can do so easily.

Floor anchor tabs are placed above and under the mat, and they will prevent the mat from moving even ever so slightly by gripping the floor firmly.

There are 3 common types of floor anchor tabs:

• Sticky tabs – use them if you use your mat frequently.
• Velcro tabs – use these if you tend to pick your mats every now and then
• Velcro combo tabs – these are perfect if you only use your mat occasionally.

The one downfall of these is that they may cause damage to your vinyl floor.

2. Use Carpet Tape underneath the Floor Mat

Carpet tapes are of sturdy construction. They permanently attach to the surfaces, no matter if they are smooth or rough. You can use either double or single-sided carpet tape, depending on your preference.

When you put up carpet tape underneath your mat, you will be able to prevent the rug from sliding. This is because the carpet tape grips the mat on the floor, making it virtually impossible for you to slide.

This is one of the best long-term options! Plus, it will not leave behind a sticky residue on the mat, which is always a great advantage.

3. Buy an Anti-slip Underlay

These carpet underlays grip onto the vinyl floor and prevent you from slipping and falling. They come in various sizes, shapes, and patterns and are made with eco-friendly PVC materials. The disadvantage of using these is that they are not long-term solutions, and moreover, they come at an expense.

4. Create a Frame Surrounding the mat

Just because your mat is sliding does not call for redoing the entire floor or changing it. You can simply build a frame around your carpet to prevent sliding on that slippery vinyl floor.

This is not only easy to do, but it will serve you for an extended time as well.

5. Get a Mat with Anti-slip Backing

These mats have an anti-slip grip underneath. You can use vinyl anti-slip mats in any part of your house. They feature anti-slip materials beneath them, and so you don’t have to purchase an anti-slip underlay separately. The icing on the cake is that these are easy to wash and maintain.

5 Important Tips to Prevent the Mat from Sliding on Vunyl Floor

1. Use Carpet Tape Underneath the floormat: They get permanently attached to the surface, no matter if the surface is smooth or rough.
2. Use Floor anchor tabs: You can use any of popular anchor tabs – Sticky tabs, Velcro tabs or Velcro combo tabs
3. Use an Anti-Slip Underlay: These carpet underlays grip onto the vinyl floor and prevent you from slipping.
4. Use an Anti-Slip Mat: The anti-slip mats are very popular and available in different sizes, you can use them anywhere in the house.
5. Create a frame around the Mat: Build a tiny frame around the carpet to prevent the sliding on slippery vinyl floor.

How to keep Gym Mats from Sliding?

As we already saw, if your gym mat slides around, it could not just disrupt your workout session, but it could also cause you a serious injury.

To protect gym mats from sliding:

1. Add non-slip backing
2. Invest in a high-quality mat specially designed to keep those gym mats in place. We recommend you go with strips of hook-and-eye-type material. These will stick to the carpet and square of vinyl-type material and well as wood and tile floors. You can find them at most recreation and sports stores.
3. Keep the mat clean. Yes, even if you are super tired after your workout, spare a few minutes to wipe your mat with a wet cloth. Gym mats will easily gather sweat from all that intense workout. This, added with the dust and dirt, will contribute to your mat sliding around. So, make it a habit to clean your mat post a workout session, and don’t forget to dry it!
4. Buy wisely! Look out for mats with slip-resistant or no-skid backing along with other features that prevent the issue altogether.

How to keep car floor mats from moving?

If you find it difficult to keep your car’s floor mats put, then you are in the right place. This is a common problem faced by those who drive cars. While this may not cause you any harm, a slippy sliding mat may get stuck under your gas or brake pedal.

This will inhibit you from pressing down on it. So, you need to secure your car’s floor mats and prevent them from moving around for a safe and comfortable driving experience.

To keep car floor mats in place:

1. Choose Thick, Heavy-duty Floor Mats

Your car may come with a floor mat, but we still recommend you swap them for heavy-duty floor mats. If your car mat is thin and lightweight, it is more likely to slide across the bottom of your car cabin. If you have such a mat, replace them with a thick, heavy-duty floor mat.

2. Apply Carpet Tape Underneath

Applying carpet tape underneath is an effective way to prevent your car mats from sliding around. These tapes are on two sides, and both sides are equipped with adhesive.

All you have to do is pull up your floor mats, apply a few strips of carpet tape to the bottom of the car cabin, and then put the floor mats back where they were. Your mats will not slide about as long as the adhesive holds.

3. Drive a Screw into your Car Mat

Driving a screw into your car mat does not mean you will have to drill all the way through the bottom of your car’s frame.

Drilling till the screw latches onto the carpet and secures the floor mats in place will do. Position a screw in the center of your mat and drill to secure the car mat in place.

4. Use Clips to keep Car Mats in place

Did you know there are clips designed especially for securing car mats in place? These are called floor mat clips, and they do a wonderful job by clipping to the carpet and floor mat.

Predominantly, these come in plastic material, so you will not encounter any problems with rust. However, you will have to ensure that you buy a floor mat clip that is compatible with your car model and makes.

How to keep Stall Mats from moving?

Stall mats, just like every other mat, should be secured in place. Otherwise, you will run the risk of injury to the animal and create ideal grounds for the growth of mildew, mold, debris, and muck.

Fortunately, it is not all that difficult to keep stall mats in place. Firstly, have a compacted, level subfloor to obliterate any space between mats.

This will prevent shavings and waste from getting between and beneath the mats. Additionally, you can choose heavy-duty mats with an interlocking, secure fit to prevent stall mats from slipping and sliding.

• Ensures that the stall mat is assembled all the way under the frame of the stall door. Since horses tend to stand right by the door and paw till you give them food, if the mat is not installed all the way to the frame, they will lift/shift the mat around. This will cause dust, dirt, debris, and shavings to clump beneath the mat.
• There are mats particularly designed for equine functions. Choose a reputable brand that produces top-quality stall mats.
• Use mats that are a minimum of ¾ inch in thickness.
• Add tapes like Gorilla tape, for instance, to the corners and other areas where the horse stall mats connect. This will keep your horse stall mats in place.

Final Thoughts

There is no denying that a slipping, sliding mat is a falling and injury-causing hazard. And not just that, it can be super frustrating too.

Whether it is a mat in your doorway, bathroom, or kitchen, a mat that is out of place does not serve its purpose and makes the room look unkempt.

A mat that stays put is a delight, aesthetically and considering the functional aspects. Use the methods we have outlined in this guide and say goodbye to slipping, sliding mats!