Tools Studio

Floor Mats

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Meta Description: Carl recommends “Rubber-Cal Dura-Chef" floor mats. Good tough Anti-Fatigue mats that stay put. Not to soft or hard. Affordable with Amazon Prime free shipping.

https://carlford.us/blog/2019/12/floor-mats/

Photo: Floor Mats 1

I have a concrete floor in my studio.  I also have flat feet, thus I need really good floor mats in my studio.  Over the years I have tried lots of different options for floor mats.

I tried the cheap ones from Home Depot, etc. When they were not soft enough, I tried stacking up the cheap ones, etc.  I even let someone at a AAW symposium talk me into a really expensive $200 mat. A sucker is born every minute! I hate that mat with a passion!  It will not stay put!  It is always sliding out of position!  Err!!!

A few years ago I decided to change all of my mats to the expensive kitchen mats with holes from Rubber-Cal.  If they are good enough for chiefs who stand on them all day in the kitchen then they are good enough for me.

I like the “Rubber-Cal Dura-Chef Interlock Anti-Fatigue Rubber Matting, 5/8″ x 36″ x 36”.

It has to be the 5/8″ thick mat!   The 1/2″ and 3/8″ thick ones are not soft enough.  The 3/8″ thick one is a complete and total waste.  It is like standing on concrete.

Get from Amazon with a Prime Membership!

Photo: Floor Mats 2Often there are similar looking mats at Home Depot, etc.  At first I was buying my mats their.  Then they changed brands.  The new brand really sucked!  The rubber was to hard!  Not enough cushioning for my flat feet.

Then I discovered I could get the mats on Amazon and the shipping was FREE with my Amazon Prime membership!  Otherwise, the shipping will kill you!  The mats are really heavy.

Do NOT purchase directly from Rubber-Cal. The shipping will kill you!  Free shipping from Amazon with Prime membership is like the best deal on the face of the earth!

The mats from “Rubber-Cal” come and go on Amazon.  With a price around $25 each.  Right now (12/18/2019) they are on Amazon for $30 each.  A good price!   Beware!  Some times the price goes up to $50 each or more.  Wait a while and the price will go back down.

Well, maybe $30 is not such a good price. But, I have flat feet. It is worth it for me. Similar mats at Home Depot, etc. have gone up in price over the years. They are getting close to $25.

Also beware of Amazon’s dynamic pricing.  If you purchase something today .  Then go back to purchase more in a few days then Amazon with jack up the price.  You can sometimes avoid this by looking up your old order.  Then going to old order.  Then go to the item from the old order.  Now the price is the same?

Other Sizes, Etc

Photo: Floor Mats 3Rubber-Cal makes smaller and larger versions of the same mat.  The 36″ x 36″ ones are really heavy.  A handful to move.  Thus I would not go with a larger mat.

I like the mats that lock together with tabs rather than the ones with fancy beveled edges.   I just let the tabs hang off at the end of a run of mats.  I have no problems with walking or tripping over the tabs.  I don’t need beveled edges.

This is really important so I am going to repeat it.  It has to be the 5/8″ thick mat!   The 1/2″ and 3/8″ thick ones are not soft enough.

Taking Up the Mats

Photo: Floor Mats 4The mats are heavy.  Taking the all up and putting them back is a huge job!  This has not really been a problem.

I only take up the mats when I absolutely have to move a big stationary tool .

I DO NOT take them up for cleaning!

Cleaning

Photo: Floor Mats 5Yea all those hole catch wood chips and saw dust like crazy!  I avoided these mats for a long time.  I wanted a smooth top mat that would be easy to clean!

In use I have found the holes actually help.  The wood chips in the holes add to the cushioning.

Cleaning is not a huge problem if  you are not to anal about it. Most of the time I just sweep the big wood shaving off the top.  Sweeping is easy, no problem. Let the saw dust in the holes be! Live and let live.

When I want to get the mats really clean for classes, etc then I use by big 4″ vacuum hose attached to my big cyclone dust collector.  It sucks the shavings out of the holes no problems in most cases. Let live any small stuff that gets stuck. It will come out next time.

Floor Coverage

Photo: Floor Mats 6I have a ton of mats.  Lots of them.  I purchased them little by little at first.  Then I decided to cover all the area in my studio where their were no big stationary tools and I walked frequently.

You can’t put the mats under big tools like lathes.  They are to soft. The tools will bounce around to much.

Entrance Mats for Studio

Photo: Floor Mats 7Long ago I installed similar mats in the hallway outside of my studio.  See photo.  It was one of the best things I ever did!

The idea here is these mats knock off any saw dust and shavings on the bottom of my feet BEFORE I track into the rest of the house.  They work good.

I got the mats long ago.  I  have no idea where I got them or any other details.