Gigantic Door mat

[PuraVida]

our front door opens directly into a reception room. As if that wasn't bad enough the approach is across a lawn with no path only stepping stones

The floor is polished floor boards (luckily ad there is an inch of mud left on them each day from buggy wheels and the dog

I need a wide door mat

I had thought coir would be best. In our old house the first part of the hallway was a big, thick coir mat set into the floor

However having done dome research perhaps microfibre or something would be better?

I've seen this Lakeland one but it's a bit fugly

The door is like a double door so it needs to be wide

The door had got rather beautiful gold silk curtains that I really don't want to spoil by adding some rubbery monstrosity

Can anyone help find something practical but alluring ?

Wow that's long, considering the boring subject matter. Sorry

I have been thinking of these hug rug.

They come in different sizes and patterns, I saw them in lakeland but I couldn't find them on the website.

They are meant to be very absorbant and well recomended.

We have a small one of these in our hallway. It helps trap some of the buggy dirt and copes well with a vacuuming.

What about those turtle thingy rugs, can get big ones and they can go in the washing machine.
Alternatively, a carpet shop will be able to make one out of an old piece of carpet

Thanks for these suggestions

Has anyone got a turtle / hug rug? Are they very ugly? I think I've Been scarred by DMIL who's got mats all over the place. They're think and have a rubber backing that extends about a cm each side so you can see it iyswim. I really don't want one like that. Even if it's practical and exactly what I need

We have a Turtle mat in beige by our kitchen door which leads into the garden. It really does trap the dirt and can be washed in the machine.
We also have two cats so needed something decent.

Another option, which we did in our last house, is to have a large mat well put in, which is basically tough coir matting cut to size and edged with a finishing strip. You can have it as big as you need really. We had it in the hall and it went from one wall to the other (only just over a metre wide). Cant be washed of course but easy to hoover and traps dirt.

Would this work in your home?

I got a huge doormat in a carpet shop that was cut off a roll, they could definitely have cut one wide enough for a double door.

that's a good idea. Do the edges need to be bound or something to prevent fraying? or is it rubber-backed?

It's rubber backed so doesn't fray.

I have a dirt-trapper mat. You can get then made to size - see here: www.dirttrappermats.co.uk/dt_freesize.html

Money off code: freefun

Thanks everybody. I've bought a hug rug like this

If someone had told me yesterday that I'd be spending £65 on a mat id gave laughed. I was thinking more like £15

It'd better be good!

Ooh I like that!!

That was the one I had in mind when you said you had gold curtains!

I think I'd put a path in!

Don't mention The Path soupdragon it's a point of conflict and a subject oft discussed but not yet resolved

Perhaps me spending £70 on a door matt might inspire DP to get his feckin spade out

Especially if you tell him it was more expensive. Or, that if you had a path, you won't have to buy a more expensive one in the future.

Hi PuraVida, Just looked on here on the off-chance, as we also need a big mat as our front door leads straight into a reception room. How are you getting on with the rug you bought? Our front door is a metre wide, so I need something absorbent and big enough to be able to walk in with boots on, take off boots, etc and then not get mud, wet etc all over slate floor I have scrubbed up! Am resigning myself to spending some cash here (can hear DH 'how much? for a mat?' already...)

Hello berkotopsy

It's not come yet but I'll let you know how it is when it does

It'd better be amazing for that price and mean I never need clean the floor again. I'm still having cold sweats at spending £70 on a door mat. I'm Still of the mind that £70 is loadsamoney that could be spent on something exiting and glamorous

I know. It's a depressing day when you become obsessed with the colour, size and absorbency of doormats, but sadly that day has come. Still, once this is sorted I'm moving onto draught excluders - whoo hoo!

Berko - We seem to be living parrallell (sp?) lives. Even down to draught excluders next stop.

Will watch here with interest.

Just to let anyone still needing a door mat know, Achica have the very same mat I bought for £65 on sale for £45 today grrrr

You have to join, which is just registering and o think there's a mumsnet £ off code too

We got a turtle mat in the end, with rounded edges and it blends in with the slate floor well and is reasonably big. Was £30 on eBay. As for the draught excluder Sesquipedality, I made one out of an old pair of charity shop trousers and loads of old odd socks! Cost = £5 and was very easy. Couldn't find one to buy as our door is a metre wide.