Wall-to-wall protection is essential for every martial arts facility. If you have your mats in place and are looking for new wall padding, you have two options: wood-backed wall pads and roll outs.
Wood backed Wall Pads
Zebra Athletics has always supplied the wood backing on our wall pads. Our wall pads have a 7/16” OSB backer and a 1 ½” foam core with an 18 oz vinyl wrap. All our wall pads come standard with a “lip” on the top and bottom. These lips provide the area needed to attach them to the wall. The wall pads will not only protect the person training, but also the wall. Protecting your facility’s wall will help you save on remodeling costs should you choose to replace the pads in a few years.
So many of the facilities we supply wall pads to have interior walls that are made of sheetrock. Sheetrock is ½” thick and is attached to the studs in the walls, typically 16” apart. In-between those studs are hollow pockets. A plywood-backed wall pad prevents damage to the sheetrock and makes installation and removal easy. If your lease is up and you move or if you decide to remove the wall pads, all you have to do is unscrew them from the wall.
The Advantages of Wood-backed Wall Pads vs Roll-outs
- More protection for the person training
- Minimal damage to the wall
- Faster lead time: typically, 2-3 weeks vs 5-6 weeks for roll outs
- Custom options available: Logo’s, widths, heights. Rollouts provide logos but most custom work is done on-site
- Easier to remove from the wall and reuse if changing locations
- Easier to install
Roll-out Mats
Roll-out mats are composed of closed cell foam and the style used for walls are typically 1-1/4” thick. Installing them can be a challenge as they usually need to be bonded to the wall using adhesive. They also need to be held in place until that adhesive dries. Removing them is virtually impossible without damaging the wall or leaving much of the roll-out mat permanently stuck to the wall.
Advantages of Using Roll-out Mats vs. Wood-backed Wall Pads
- If a wall pad needs to be modified in the field, it is very easy to cut through a piece of foam. This is useful for creating a hole for an outlet or for trimming the mat if it is too long. However, with good measurements this will be avoided when ordering wood-backed wall pads.
- They will match a facility’s floor mats if roll-out mats were chosen for the floor, as well.
Looking for Custom Wall Mats for Your Facility? Get in Touch with Zebra Athletics Today!
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