CFNA Adds Peace of Mind with Greatmats Pole Padding

Creating indoor play spaces for kids isn’t always easy when you’re working with certain types of spaces. Large areas sometimes feature support poles throughout the room, and collisions with them could result in serious injury. That’s a challenge that Christian Friends of New Americans faced and solved with safety pilaster padding.

Amy Zeigler of Christian Friends of New Americans in St. Louis explains that the organization works with new Americans, mostly refugees, who are moving to the United States. ''We offer classes in driving and English, and also tutoring for children five years old and up,'' she says. ''One of our goals is to teach reading and math to immigrant children.'' Additionally, the organization hosts a game and playtime at the end of the tutoring sessions.

According to Ziegler, in 2025, the organization acquired a large space with concrete flooring to host its tutoring program. That basement space also needed to be safe for children to play in, but the giant pillars throughout the site made it unsafe for such use as-is.

Ziegler explains that the organization needed to find a way to make the space safe for children while playing soccer or other fast-paced games. Padding the poles would help enhance children’s safety in case of a collision, but Ziegler was also concerned about how well the padding would fit the poles. ''My main concern was whether or not the poles and mats would fit snugly,'' she says. ''If they didn’t, I would’ve had to pay the shipping to return the items that were custom-made off of my measurements.''

Knowing that the organization would need custom-made mats, Ziegler searched online and discovered Greatmats and the Safety Pilaster Padding. ''You were the only place that would custom-make the style of mat to fit our needs,'' she says.

After receiving the custom mats, Ziegler ran into a hiccup during the installation process; her team initially installed the mats inside-out and thought they were the wrong size because they were loose.

''Make sure you have the right side of the mat facing toward the pole,'' she advises. The mat has a bumpy side, which needs to be facing toward the inside. If it’s faced to the outside, it will be too large for the pole. ''Turning it around so the bumpy side is in, the corner pieces will wrap nice, smooth, and tight around the pole, which cleans up and makes the closure so much tighter and more compact,'' she explains. Once positioned correctly, the mat fits perfectly, says Ziegler.

The pole padding made the rec room safe for children to play, and Ziegler is very pleased with it. ''I couldn’t ask for a better product,'' she says. ''This was so well-suited for our space, and the high-quality materials that were used will last a long time. Thank you for an excellent product that will keep our kids safe while they play.''

Why the Safety Pilaster Wrap Is Ideal for Sports and Play Spaces

The Safety Pilaster Wrap is an excellent choice for enhancing protection and safety in a playroom or recreational space where poles are present. The two-inch foam padding offers plenty of shock absorption to help keep kids safe during a collision, and a Class A fire rating helps ensure the padding is a safe addition to the space.

The high-quality safety pilaster padding features a Class A vinyl exterior, making it a durable choice. You can also select from multiple vinyl colors to coordinate with your existing color scheme, business branding colors, sports team colors, and more.

Most importantly, this padding is custom-made to fit your individual project needs. Just as Ziegler did, you can custom-order these pads to meet your specific needs and measurements. Custom colors are also available if you’re looking for the perfect match with your existing colors.

The padding features a DIY-friendly installation. The hook and loop closures make it easy to install the pads, plus you can also remove them in the future if needed. Plus, the pads are very easy to maintain and can be wiped clean if they get dirty.

Contact Greatmats to Order Safety Pilaster Padding

Safety pilaster padding is an essential addition to many play and recreation spaces, and it’s an investment in child and athlete safety. At Greatmats, you’ll find top-quality pilaster padding, plus we also offer fence padding, gym wall padding, post padding, and other products to help maximize the safety of your space.

Contact the Greatmats customer service team today with any questions. We’re happy to help you place an order for custom safety pilaster padding or for any other wall pad options for your gym or recreation space.

Amy Zeigler

Christian Friends of New Americans

St. Louis MO 63111