Floor mats

[Wade Lippman]

I am now using some horse stall mats someone here recommended. They are terrible; very hard and thick enough to trip over.

I see Grizzly has a 2x5 on sale for $19, and HF has a set of 4 interlocking 2x2 for $10.

Has anyone tried either?

[Max Neu]

I have a roll I bought from lowes,and the interlocking ones from HF.I like the lowes version better.The ones from HF have too much cushion in my opinion,plus they almost need glued down or you will be chasing them all over the shop.

[Mark Blatter]

.The ones from HF have too much cushion in my opinio,plus they almost need glued down or you will be chasing them all over the shop.

+1.

I have them in front of my TS and I find they are slippery, particularly when you get a little saw dust under them. I have been trying to think of a way, short of an adhesive, to mount them. If I cannot find a way, I will place them somewhere else.

[Wade Lippman]

I have a roll I bought from lowes,and the interlocking ones from HF.I like the lowes version better.The ones from HF have too much cushion in my opinion,plus they almost need glued down or you will be chasing them all over the shop.


Thanks much for suggesting Lowes. I googled on 2x5 and they didn't come up; but they have a well priced 3x5 in stock.

I figured the HF was junk; thanks for confirming.

[Max Neu]

+1.

I have them in front of my TS and I find they are slippery, particularly when you get a little saw dust under them. I have been trying to think of a way, short of an adhesive, to mount them. If I cannot find a way, I will place them somewhere else.
I thought about using double faced tape,but I don't know if it's even worth wasting the tape on,I might just pitch them in the trash.

[Phil Stone]

I thought about using double faced tape,but I don't know if it's even worth wasting the tape on,I might just pitch them in the trash.

I used three sets of the HF interlocking pads, and put my workbench on top of them. That keeps 'em from moving, and they are nice and comfortable, and grip my feet well.

[Max Neu]

I used three sets of the HF interlocking pads, and put my workbench on top of them. That keeps 'em from moving, and they are nice and comfortable, and grip my feet well.
I am sure they could be useful in some situations (like yours),but I found them to be more of a hazard for what I needed them for.

[Wade Lippman]

I bought 6 of the 3x5 at Lowes for $20 each.
I like them; just hope they are durable.

[William Payer]

I have the interlocking ones found at the borg or HF. They are OK but don't offer a lot of cushioning for the feet and back. Woodcraft occasionally has a 3x5 matt on sale (for about $15) that is quite a bit softer and easier on the back. I have one at my lathe and plan to add a couple more for other stationary tools.

[John Lankers]

I tossed all of the 2 x 2 interlocking tiles out and only have a 3 x 5 in front of my workbench (not to soft - not to hard) and I also invested $150 in a pair of shoes, what I should have done many, many years ago.

[johnny means]

+1 on better foot wear. Also, don't be afraid to drop a little extra coin on premium insoles. Why try to cushion the floor when all you need to cushion is what's under you? Also, mats won't correct any problems caused by incorrect foot support, they can actually make things worse in some ways.

[Yonak Hawkins]

+1 on better foot wear. Also, don't be afraid to drop a little extra coin on premium insoles. Why try to cushion the floor when all you need to cushion is what's under you? Also, mats won't correct any problems caused by incorrect foot support, they can actually make things worse in some ways.

+2 .. Mats or no mats is one of those eternal questions, as I see it. The mats people don't understand the no mats people and vice versa. I'd just hate having to move mats when I roll my machines and carts around.

[Steve Kohn]

I used three sets of the HF interlocking pads, and put my workbench on top of them. That keeps 'em from moving, and they are nice and comfortable, and grip my feet well.

I have the 3X3 interlocking mats. They totally surround the table saw/jointer tool cluster. I also found the mats skated around when they got sawdust under them. Plus it was almost impossible to move machines over the mats. So I went to a sheet metal shop and had them bend me 4 foot long, 4 inch wide, galvanized metal strips. I think they might have been 12 gauge but I'm not sure. The metal shop made me 200' of these metal strips, all bent at a 7 degree angle 1 inch from the side. I drilled and countersunk holes in these strips and screwed them down with Tapcons into the concrete floor with the 1 inch side holding the mat. I've had these metal strips down for about 2 years now and haven't had any more problems. Since part of my shop is also used as a garage, we have even been parking my Chevy Avalanche on some of these strips and mats with no apparent damage.

[Pat Barry]

Maybe instead of mats you should consider better shoes

[John Sanford]

I am now using some horse stall mats someone here recommended. They are terrible; very hard and thick enough to trip over.

I see Grizzly has a 2x5 on sale for $19, and HF has a set of 4 interlocking 2x2 for $10.

Has anyone tried either?

I use the mats from Woodcraft (similar to Grizzly's) in front of my workbench an have a couple that I'll toss down in front of my tablesaw. I use the Harbor Freight sections for out of the way areas like my bandsaw that I won't be on for extended periods of time. For anybody who doesn't like the 2x2 sectionals, they make good cheap kneeling mats, and can easily be repurposed for cheap tool box shadowing (https://www.google.com/search?q=shadowed+tool+box&espv=2&biw=1227&bih=825&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCwQsARqFQoTCObwsufrhccCFQFZiAodHEwNmw&dpr=1).