Editing Mat (section)

==History==
{{Update-EB|section=y|date=January 2011}}
[[File:Dry grass mat, also called "Korai paai" and found widely in Tamil Nadu.JPG|thumb|The mats made from ''[[Cyperus pangorei]]'' (Korai grass in Tamil) are called "Korai paai" in Tamil and can be found widely in the households of Tamil Nadu, usually in the size 6 feet by 3 feet.]]

'''Matting''' or '''floor covering''' or '''rugs''' is any of many coarse [[woven]] or [[Braid|plait]]ed fibrous materials used for covering floors or furniture, for hanging as screens, for wrapping up heavy merchandise and for other miscellaneous purposes. In the [[United Kingdom]], under the name of "[[coir]]" matting, a large amount of a coarse kind of [[carpet]] is made from [[coconut]] fibre; and the same material, as well as strips of cane, [[manila hemp]], various grasses and rushes, is largely employed in various forms for making doormats. Large quantities of the coconut fibre are woven in heavy looms, then cut up into various sizes, and finally bound round the edges by a kind of rope made from the same material. The mats may be of one colour only, or they may be made of different colours and in different designs. Sometimes the names of institutions are introduced into the mats.<ref name=EB1911/>
Due to the silky nature and tensile strength, '''jute mats''' or '''mattings''' have started being used as floor covering or doormats, runners and in different forms. Jute floor coverings consist of woven and tufted and piled carpets. Jute Mats and mattings starting from 1&nbsp;m width to 6&nbsp;m width and of continuous length are easily being woven in Southern parts of India, in solid and fancy shades, and in different weaves such as boucle, Panama and herringbone. Jute mats and rugs are made on both powerlooms and handlooms in large volumes in Kerala, India. Indian jute mattings / rugs are being widely used in USA and European countries, due to its soft nature. Jute can be easily bleached, colored or printed, similar to textile fibres, with eco-friendly dyes and chemicals. Hand-knotted jute carpets and mattings are also being made from Kerala, India.{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}}

Another type of mat is made exclusively from the above-mentioned coir rope by arranging alternate layers in sinuous and straight paths, and then stitching the parts together. It is also largely used for the outer covering of ships' fenders. [[Perforated]] and otherwise prepared [[rubber]], as well as wire-woven material, are also largely utilized for door and floor mats. Matting of various kinds is very extensively employed throughout [[India]] for floor coverings, the bottoms of bedsteads, fans and fly-flaps, etc.; and a considerable export trade in such manufactures is carried on. The materials used are numerous; but the principal substances are [[straw]], the bulrushes [[Typha]] elephantina and Typha angustifolia, leaves of the [[date palm]] (Phoenix sylvestris), of the dwarf palm ([[Chamaerops]] Ritchiana), of the Palmyra palm ([[Borassus]] flabelliformis), of the [[coconut palm]] (Cocos nucifera) and of the [[screw pine]] (Pandanus odoratissimus), the munja or munj grass ([[Saccharum]] Munja) and allied grasses, and the mat grasses ''[[Cyperus textilis]]'' and ''[[Cyperus pangorei]]''.<ref name=EB1911/>

The mats made from Cyperus pangorei (Korai in Tamil) are called "Korai paai" in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.industreecrafts.org/Natural%20fibres%20-%20Korai%20grass.htm|title=Indus Tree Crafts Foundation – Natural fibers – Korai grass|website=industreecrafts.org|date=5 November 2022 }}</ref> and can be found widely in the households of [[Tamil Nadu]], usually in the size 6 feet by 3 feet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-others/tp-variety/grass-mats-still-hold-their-own-here/article2194340.ece|title=Grass mats still hold their own here|website=The Hindu Business Line|date=3 November 2005 }}</ref> They are usually dyed in colors of bright red, green or purple, resulting in patterns. These mats differ in their levels of flexibility, fineness and price. [[Pattamadai]] paai (named after the region Pattamadai, near [[Tirunelveli]]) is generally considered the finest "paai". Many of these Indian grass-mats are examples of elegant design, and the colors in which they are woven are rich, harmonious and effective.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/6356/1/NPR%208(5)%20542-545.pdf}}</ref> Mats made from [[Vandavasi]] are also famed and used commonly. These days, along with these natural grass mats, one can also find plastic mats, which are easier to maintain and are cheaper. This class of work obtains in India, [[Japan]] and other Eastern countries. Vast quantities of coarse matting used for packing [[furniture]], heavy and coarse goods, [[flax]] and other plants, etc., are made in [[Russia]] from the bast or inner [[Bark (botany)|bark]] of the [[lime tree]]. This industry centres in the great forest governments of [[Kirov, Kirov Oblast|Viatka]], [[Nizhniy-Novgorod]], [[Kostroma]], [[Kazan]], [[Perm, Russia|Perm]] and [[Simbirsk]].<ref name=EB1911>{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Matting |volume=17 |page=902}}</ref>