Where can I get a fire-resistant doormat?

March 19, 2021 5:10 PM

I'm trying to remove/reduce sources of ignition right next to our house, and looking for a fire resistant doormat but having no luck. We need to wipe our feet on something, however. When I was a kid we had a flexible galvanized steel mat outside our back door. I've tried to find something like that but have only turned up a rusty antique. Any other suggestions would be helpful.

FWIW, our rural house is tiny, and there's no mudroom. You basically walk right into the living room (or kitchen), so indoor solutions are not feasible.

posted by oneirodynia to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Not sure if this is the best price or anything, but I found these via an (image) search for "coiled door mat": https://garrettwade.com/product/galvanized-coil-steel-mud-mats
posted by sagc at 5:28 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

And, not sure how many of the listed products are still available, but there's also this article on Gardenista.
posted by sagc at 5:32 PM on March 19, 2021

Best answer: Grainger is definitely not the cheapest place to get this kind of thing, but it's easy to link to so -- what about bar grating? This type of thing is intended for use as elevated walkways in industrial facilities, so it's durable as fuck.

Alternatively, a steel grate mat?
posted by aramaic at 5:35 PM on March 19, 2021 [2 favorites]

A pure wool doormat is relatively fire resistant. It could burn, poorly, if ignited, but wool tends to be self extinguishing, and does not melt or pool the way synthetics can. Pure wool doormats seem to be fairly available, if a bit more expensive than synthetics. Kudos to you for being fire aware in your setting!
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 6:05 PM on March 19, 2021 [5 favorites]

Best answer: I came across this and a number of other similar in style by searching for "steel scraping mats" -- all of which reminds me of a mat from the misty depths of my rural childhood.
posted by chiefthe at 7:53 PM on March 19, 2021

Another search term suggestion: metal door mat
posted by stormyteal at 9:06 PM on March 19, 2021

Are you trying to reduce ignition near your door, or fuel? Because gravel in the shoes plus a steel doormat sounds like potential ignition, if you're being maximally cautious.
posted by clew at 11:48 PM on March 19, 2021 [2 favorites]

I was thinking grill mat, but those are not meant for walking traffic. You can get smaller ones and they have roughly the right size, and VERY heat-resistant.

Most entrance mats like those from FloorTex are designed for wear and weather resistance, not fire resistant.
posted by kschang at 1:02 AM on March 20, 2021

This kind of boot scraper is the standard solution in my part of the world.
posted by Signy at 12:58 PM on March 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions! A number of these I had already found, but are unfortunately no longer available. Particularly the cool looking wire mesh ones.

The steel grate mats that aramaic and chiefthe posted I hadn't found- those look like the type we had when I was young. They may be the ones I get.

Are you trying to reduce ignition near your door, or fuel? Because gravel in the shoes plus a steel doormat sounds like potential ignition, if you're being maximally cautious.


This would be on a concrete patio, so I'm not as worried about that as an ember flying in from somewhere and setting my doormat alight.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:04 PM on March 20, 2021

Not the most atractive things but there are a variety of upcycled tire doormats available that are going to need way more than an ember to set alight.
posted by Mitheral at 5:50 AM on March 24, 2021