Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Give Guests A Welcome With Your Personalized Door Mat

By Raquel Walker


A personalized door mat allows homeowners to greet visiting relatives and strangers before they even ring the doorbell or knock. They indicate a love of design or simplicity; funny ideas or seriousness. Materials allow consumers to be consistent about values around recycled sources and cleanliness.

Say what you want to say with your mat. Go for a simple set of initials, signifying who lives there, or promote your company. Indicate your values and pleasures with crosses, children at play or beer mugs. Even have a poem or statement printed out thanks to high quality digital printing. Go for some funny quote, giving guests a laugh from the start. English offers only one option: have the message printed in whatever language you like.

Select a material that will resist fading and shedding. Options include wood, nylon, even mats created from partially recycled content. Certain designs come with embedded aluminum or made entirely from this material. Your selection will depend on the location where your mat will be placed: indoor or outdoor. Consumers can find all-weather varieties, or pick out colors for both the mat and embroidery.

In fact, on-line gives customers great selection. Look for shipping costs and location. Also, find out how long it will take for your personalized door mat to be made if this is a gift for someone and think ahead. If you are not sure what your kids would like for their new home, give them a gift certificate to design their own.

Your choice of material will say a lot about you. Buy a cedar mat the right height for your door featuring slats at even but narrow intervals to prevent catching a toe. They hide dirt and can bear a name plus color image. Choose a coir mat including aluminum plate depicting a seasonal theme or the household name. Replacement plates are available when life leads you to take a new name or revert to an old one. Recycled options include a mat made from post-consumer plastic bottles and recycled car tires. Opt for the mat easiest to clean, one that does not build up a moldy smell or decay and provides the reassurance of a non-slip backing. Rubber should not crack or curl. Customers need not forego style for practical considerations: find the two joined in one product.

French bronze, pewter silver and aluminum are among marketed metal mats. These have the advantage of handling all kinds of weather and rough treatment, often without showing any sign. Decorate your mat in patterns of leaves, filigree or even tropical fruit.

Your personalized door mat looks stylish with borders of straight or curly lines. Measure what space you want to cover, or purchase the size which will take your message and design. Shapes include semi-circles, circles, rectangles and squares. Provide guests and even yourself with a welcome that shows this is not just a house, but a home.




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