How to Choose the Right Bowls Carpet and Care for It

Choosing the right carpet for your bowls club

We supply eight styles of carpet for both Short Mat and Carpet Bowls.

All of our bowls carpets range in speed and can be manufactured to specific lengths and widths. Before purchasing a new carpet for your club, read our top tips below and ensure you choose the right mat for you.

Bowls Mat Speed Affects Weight

The weight of the carpets also varies depending on the speed of carpet you require.

For example, the chip foam and latex backed bowls carpets which are of a medium/slow pace tend to be thicker and therefore heavier, whereas the faster foam backed carpets tend to be thinner and therefore lighter.

Consider the Condition of the Floor

It is important to remember that if you are using a faster carpet your floor should be reasonably flat and in good condition. This is due to the faster & thinner mats picking up any discrepancies in the floor when the Bowls travel across the surface. This will not be such a problem with the thicker medium/slow carpets, although due consideration should be given to this on all occasions.

Also worthy of consideration is the type of floor you are laying the carpet onto because the hardness of the floor will effect the speed of the carpet.

If you are unsure about the condition of your floor and the speed of carpet you require then please ask us for advice; we can even arrange a floor survey if required.

Who will be Playing on the Carpet?

When considering what type of carpet you need, always ensure you take into account the standard of the players who will be using the carpets.

County standard players and above may prefer to play on the faster carpets as this is the surface they will be playing on in competitions, while with respect the all round medium/fast pace carpets may be preferred by Club players.

This is an important factor in selecting a carpet – don’t choose purely on price, as it may not necessarily suit your Bowls Club members.

If in doubt please ask for our advice and we can nearly always recommend the right carpet for you.

How Long Will a Carpet Last?

One question we always get asked is “How long will a carpet last “?

Anything that is well looked after will last a lot longer than something that isn’t so as a ball park figure we suggest a well looked after carpet should last your Club for at least 8-10 years.

Caring for your Bowls Carpet

As a starter, ensure the surface you are laying your carpet onto is clear of any debris such as glass, small stones, etc. These can embed themselves into the backing of your carpet, and over a period of time begin to shred and disintegrate the backing, especially foam and latex backings.

Vacuum cleaning the playing surface regularly will also rid the carpet of any debris.

When in storage, always lay your bowls carpets horizontally and in a damp free area, and if you are using a Bowls carpet handling machine make sure they are always positioned onto the spindles centrally and away from the edges of the machines.