What Are The Differences Among Stage Padding Styles

Stage padding offers many benefits, and it’s a must-have when your school’s stage is in the same space as your gymnasium. As you shop for stage padding, you’ll find several different styles available. It’s important to understand the differences in those styles so you can determine which stage padding option is right for you.

The Benefits of Stage Padding

Stage padding is an essential investment for many schools and recreational areas, simply because of the building’s design. It’s common to create a stage in one end of the area used as an auditorium.

Such a design makes it easy to assemble students for presentations and concerts, and the school only needs one large space for these multiple purposes, saving money. But when the auditorium space doubles as a gym, it’s also easy for students to collide with the stage, potentially suffering severe injuries.



Stage padding cushions the wood edge of the stage, helping to absorb the impact of a collision. Quality padding can help to reduce injury severity, even preventing injuries like fractures and head injuries.

Investing in stage padding makes the space safer for students. It also allows a school to safely use the space for multiple purposes, including drama clubs, theater productions, concerts, assemblies, gym classes, sports team practices, sports competitions, and more.

Different Types of Stage Padding

As you shop for stage padding, it’s important to consider the type of padding that’s best for your needs.

Padding Styles

There are several padding styles to fit every stage. The most common type of padding is a L-shaped pad that covers the dangerous corner edge of the stage. You can simply flip the front of the pads up onto the top of the stage allowing access to the storage doors. These can be made as a removable or semi-permanent fixed pad.

With removable stage pads, the top and bottom of the pads are sewn together and act as a hinge. There is no need to remove the pads to access storage below the stage. These pads are secured in place with a hook and loop power rail system.

If you do not have storage under your stage, you can use the more rigid style of stage padding we refer to as a fixed wall pad. This would be an L-shaped pad that is directly fastened to the stage or hung on a z-clip channel system.

When the stage floor space is limited and you would rather not pad the top edge of the stage, then a flat front pad is a great choice. This style of stage pad would be mounted only on the front of the stage. It can be secured with a hook and loop power rail system, hung on z-clips, or fastened directly to the stage face.

Installation and Attachment Options

Let's look a little more into the attachment options that you have with our stage mats.

The power rail hook and loop system is a popular option for stage padding. The loop side of the system is sewn to the backside of the padding, and the hook side of the system will come in a power rail channel. The power rail reinforces the strength of the hook and loop system.

If you are not interested in the hook and loop system and you still want a removable or flexible style of padding for the stage, we can add a vinyl flange with grommets along the top edge of the pads. Appropriate fasteners can be used to attach the pads with the grommets.

For fixed wall pads, you can choose from a 1-inch nailing margin along the edges or hang the pads with a z-clip mounting system.

Custom Dimensions

Stages vary in their style and shape, and at Greatmats, we can customize our stage padding to fit your stage. For example, if you have a curved stage, we can create mats to fit curved stages, so they will fit and follow the curve of your stage.

Our custom-made pads are also made to your specific dimension needs, ensuring they match the height and length of your stage. This is particularly important, since the pads need to deliver adequate coverage to be effective; any exposed portion of your stage could be a safety hazard.

Variety of Colors and Custom Graphics

Stage padding is also available in a variety of colors, so you can choose colors that reflect your school’s branding or your sports team’s logo colors. With a wide range of vinyl colors available, you can custom design pads to deliver the exact appearance that you want for your space.



Adding custom logos and graphics can also make your stage padding one-of-a-kind. You might choose to customize the padding with your school’s name or logo, and that also serves as an excellent photo backdrop during events.

Choosing the Best Stage Padding for Your School

As you consider different stage padding styles, it’s important to determine if you’re looking for a permanent installation or a product that you can easily remove. The installation method will affect how easily you can remove the pads, with hook and loop closure installation being ideal for temporary use.

Look for pads that feature quality materials and a durable design. At Greatmats, our padding features high density foam designed to maximize student safety.

That foam is carefully selected to maximize its shock absorption, while also being a durable choice. When paired with rugged vinyl, the pads are long-lasting additions to your stage.

These pads are also designed to reduce mold and mildew, and they’re resistant to punctures. Other features to look for include fire resistance, fire retardant properties, and emissions qualities.

If you’re looking for custom options, you’ll find plenty of choices at Greatmats. From custom designing padding to meet your stage’s dimensions, to providing a wide array of custom color options, we work hard to deliver the finished product that you’ve envisioned for your school.

Contact us today with any questions, or if you’re looking for something custom-made. We’re happy to help you create the specific product that you need, and can also answer any questions you might have and provide shipping quotes.