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How to make a fitted door mat well

The hall mat takes a pounding in most homes. Shoes, muddy paws, the wheels of grandpa’s roller and for city dwellers the bike all traipse through the front door, complete with muck and water. The new Premier Matwell profiles are ideal for creating a fitted door mat well, custom-made to suit your hall. Here we take a look at how to construct a recessed door mat frame for laminate flooring and the like and offer some practical, smart options and where to buy.

Recessed mats versus loose-fit

Whilst there is a wide choice of loose mats, including coir, ribbed and rubber, there are also a few issues. The main one is that they do tend to move and skid across the hall, even if designed to be non-slip; the edges can also be a potential trip hazard.

Matwell edging in satin nickel with coir mat inset
By installing a door matwell surround, you can ensure your rug is fixed in position and flush with the floorcovering.

Fitted door mat wells – attractive options

1. The brass door mat surround for porcelain floors and other non-floating types

The Premier Matwell – Non Floating is metal and comes in ten different finishes, including polished brass, antique brass and fashionable chrome, pewter and satin nickel. Available in three different lengths, they are ideal for creating a custom-sized mat frame. Use with non-floating styles of flooring including porcelain, some laminates and LVT. There are two options: one for 17mm thick coir matting and the other for 12mm ribbed matting. It is best to install this at the time of laying a new floor and it depends on the type of flooring you have as to how it is constructed, so probably one for a professional fitter to do. If you want to fit a mat frame retrospectively, then the Single 9 naplock and Single 13 curved edge door threshold strips are a handy option.

metal mat well frame in brushed chrome installed on tiled hall floor
Adding a mat surround provides a permanent solution to trapping dirt and water

2. Installing a mat surround for a floating floor

Some floorcoverings are “floating” and require an expansion allowance around them. Basically, the flooring reacts to atmospheric conditions and will expand and contract a small amount. Some laminates, engineered wood, WPC, SPC and LVT fall into this category – simply check with the manufacturer.  If you want a fitted door mat well with this type of flooring, it is best to do it at the time you install your floor. You’ll need to know the expansion allowance for your floor to choose the correct doormat profile size.

We like the Premier Matwell – Floating, which is sold in an attractive choice of metal finishes. This means you can match your mat frame to your front door handle or letterbox and match up to any door thresholds and carpet bars in the vicinity.

There are two options: one for a 17mm thick coir mat and the other for a 12mm thick ribbed mat design. The matwell is sunken and recessed into the floor and then framed with the metal profile. The mat then neatly fits into the framed matwell.

Take a look at the following video, which shows what is involved. You’ll need to be competent at DIY to tackle this yourself. Alternatively, ask your fitter.

3. Door mat frames for carpeted floors

If you have a carpeted hall then you can construct a mat surround using the Premier Square (SQ) door bars, which feature a vertical metal edge in a choice of finishes.  

We sell the full ranges of Premier Matwell – Floating, the Premier Matwell- Non Floating, the Premier Square (SQ), the Premier 9 and Premier 13 door thresholds. All ten metal finishes available in all products and all sizes.


Useful phrases: fitted door mat frame, mat surround, door mat indoor, recessed door mat for a for laminate flooring, brass door mat surround

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