tool box - tray liners

[JeeperAz]

The liners in my box are reaching the end of their lifespan. They are the kind that is the very thin closed-cell foam. Tools slide everywhere when opening and closing the trays. Time for something new.

I'm sure I can go to sears and get thier bulk liner matierial but was seeing if anyone else is using something they are pleased with.

Any suggestions?

 

[camarojoe]

I just bought some of the rubbery-foam type shelf liner stuff on a roll at WalMart. Its about 4.00 per roll, but it took about 4 rolls to do all the drawers.. I really havn't put it to use too hard yet, but it seems to work pretty well for not only protecting the drawers from chips and crud, but also keeps the tools from moving around when you open/close the drawers.

 

[dboat]

Harbor Freight has some stuff that they sell by the sheet prety inexpensive.. works good, not sure about the durability though..

 

[crasher]

I've used the homeowner grade mesh shelf liner from Home Depot as well as the stuff made for tool boxes. They may look the same, but the homeowner stuff from HD seems more *porous* than the toolbox grade stuff. In my case it seems that no matter whether my heavier tools (1 inch or larger wrenches, 1/2 inch ratchet handles, stuff like that) are stored dry or wiped with an oily rag first... any heavy tools that lie in place for a week or so *on the homeowner shelf/drawer grade stuff*seem to 'settle' into the mesh. I almost have to *peel* them back off the liner. I've tried spraying some of the mesh with WD 40, and some I wiped with 10 Wt machine oil. No luck yet solving this in *my* case. Other brands my react differently, YMMV. The price between the budget homeowner shelf stuff and tool-grade stuff is close enough that I would choose the tool-grade stuff first and I prolly will pretty soon anyway. One other weird problem is that while my tools stick to the stuff, that doesn't seen to stop the liner from sliding a bit in some of my drawers when I open/close them. I'm thinking of looking for rolls of cork for the heavier stuff, but I don't know if the tools will slide too easily on that either. All I can recommend is to buy small quantities and try for yourself to see what you like best. I hope this helps in some way.

 

[gerry]

Anyone ever try the indoor/outdoor carpet squares? The ones I remember you could cut to fit and they were rigid enough to stay flat

 

[eschoendorff]

Anyone ever try the indoor/outdoor carpet squares? The ones I remember you could cut to fit and they were rigid enough to stay flat

I read (on a different forum) that the resident auto-techs liked carpet remnants. I've never tried it myself, but the idea seems to be rather well-received on other forums.

 

[Rickster]

Yea, I always us the regular indoor outdoor carpeting. Even if it has a bit of a curve as it comes off the roll, it always settles out flat. If you push the drawers closed quickly there will be some movement on the tools but for thr most part they stay in place. I tried the black mesh stuff and found it bunched up in the drawer.

 

[Steve_S]

Beware of getting those carpet pieces damp. They will take forever to dry out and can rust your tools!

 

[kartracer55]

I prefer the faom type like you have. Yes, stuff does slide, but only light stuff like small wrenches. Using a wrench wrack eliminates this problem, and thats usually the only thing that sldies around. This is the kind I use. My friend uses the super grippy foam rubber mesh stuff from sears, and it always bunches in the back of the drawer. It gets to be a pain in the ***

Jim

 

[Rickster]

Somebody on another thread mentioned a yoga mat. My wife has one from Target and it looks like it might work. Comes in different colors, not sure of price.

 

[MXtras]

I am with everyone else - I have tried everything and I have yet to find the ultimate, affordable drawer liner. I am staying tuned......

I recently put the foam sheet stuff from WallyWorld that camarojoe mentioned - it stays put pretty well, doesn't get all sticky from oil, but it's a bit pricey at $4+ for a 5'(?) roll.

Closed cell neoprene foam is my favorite but it's not easily obtainable and it's pretty expensive also. For now, the Wal-Mart stuff will work fine.

Scott

 

[428]

liner

I used Automotive trunk liner carpet. Real thin and backed so unless you spill something a little mosture won't go through.
I designed a machine for an automotive supplier that made floor carpets and trunk liners and they gave me rolls of samples for testing. I'm not sure where you'd get cheap quantities of it though.
Wished I'd thought ahead, I'd have saved it for sell. Had hundreds of yards of the stuff. Mostly graphite gray, looks real good.

I can ask the next time I work with them if they'll give or sell me some rolls if anyone is interested. Easy to cut and fit. Comes 60"-72" wide.

 

[tubeman]

Yoga mats are perfect!

 

[PaPaPie]

I'm going to try using some leftover "non slip" mat that you put under area rugs to keep them from sliding around.

 

[Wile1Coyote]

A really cheap way is to get free floor tile samples in a material of your choice, I like the thin cork style ones myself. Work great and very affordable as long as you make enough trips to the store.

 

[YJTypeR]

I've used the more expensive drawer liners from sears (the thinner mesh stuff) and it is awesome. It never moves in the drawer so no bunching. It grips the tools REALLY well, they never slide around, even when I shut the drawer hard. The tools don't sink into it either. A little pricey but I don't forsee having to get new ones for a long time.

 

[RedRacer74]

I will try to cut up some commercial rubber roll roofing material I have lying around. Some is smooth and some is grooved. I'll post a pic this weekend. If you want some try stopping by a commercial roofing job site and get some scraps. The material is really heavy duty. If it is installed groove side down then the drawer will be able to breathe and not rust is moisture gets in there.

 

[Runner94]

Has anyone out there tried one of those salvage type stores? Big Lots come to mind here in the Eastern Mass area. We also have a store named Ocean State Job Lot which sells overstocked, discontinued, etc. type of items. Maybe even a dollar store. Their usually everywhere. I've seen the draw lining stuff which is the puffy stuff at these stores. Also the mat they use for wood working. That stuff you lay on a bench and the wood doesn't move when you use a router or sander. That might work also.

My 2 cents.

 

[MXtras]

I've seen the draw lining stuff which is the puffy stuff at these stores. Also the mat they use for wood working. That stuff you lay on a bench and the wood doesn't move when you use a router or sander. That might work also.

I think this is the same stuff I have tried and it gets sticky over time - ? I guess a pic would help, but I aint-a-notta-gots one.

The foam stuff I tried was like a mesh, sold at Wall-Mart and comes in several different colors. I put it in my helmet storage bins and the bottom rim of one of my brain buckets got stuck to the **** after 2 weeks - without being touched. The two materials did not get along - there wasn't any extreneous chemicals on the wig-piece and it wasn't damp. It left a permanent texture in this nearly-new skid lid.

This foam stuff you are talking about (if it's the same stuff I am talking about) sure does look like it would work, but it doesn't stay put - it bunches up in the back of the drawers. It also does NOT like any oil - it almost melts and turns into a super-thick, gooey mess. I guess it depends on what it's exposed to but it doesn't suit my purposes - it's too picky.

I am still on the hunt. I have tried almost everything mentioned in this thread over the years and short of the closed cell neoprene foam, I haven't found the ideal material yet.

Scott

 

[JMURiz]

I agree, a local guy uses them...but gets fancy. He takes one and uses as a base, then takes another and cuts out the area where his tool goes...so he can see exactly what tools are missing when he does cleanup. Then again he has a couple huge chests so he has room to do it...but it's the best system I've seen.

Yoga mats are perfect!

Also, this is my first post, glad to find this site...hope to build a garage next spring at my new house

 

[Trooper]

I use the mesh mat from Harbor Freight. Your tools do stick to it a bit but it doesn't bunch up, it's cheap, and in the two years I've been using it it doesn't react with oil on the tools or any other chemical I've exposed it to. I have some Sears stuff in another box and prefer the HF stuff. Sears stuff was also more expensive.

Trooper

 

[RedRacer74]

Indestructable Drawer liners for free.

This is the commercial grade roll roofing material that I got from a job site. It was an extra roll that was given to me. I use it under cars on the lift and under stored cars ( mainly my father in laws Harley !!)
I cut some up to line the tool box drawers. The one side is white with a heavy pattern and I put that side down to allow the metal drawer to be able to breathe.

The tool side up is black. Just got the nice Craftsman Professional screw driver set.

Now I need to find a way to keep them from sliding around. Some kind of rack.
My wife is surprised at my new found organizational skills since building my barn / shop and finding this website.

 

[Luckydevil]

redracer- what brand pliers are those?

 

[RedRacer74]

I don't remember what brand they are off hand . They are a decent quality. The shops at my summer home, I'll be up there in two weeks but I will get back to you..

 

[Deafautotech]

i had used menards' rug mat as it is 3'X4' and i can cut it and fit in few narrow drawers like hammer drawer, bulk storage drawer, and else.. i had use it on my snap on boxes and i dont need to worry about damage drawer liner or hurt drawers so i just put rug and dont care if dirty get in because i can vacuum it out if i want to...

 

[shadow images]

I have used all kinds of mats and they still let tools roll around ,so now I use the cheap anti fatigue mats and cut the outlines of the tools in each draw. No more rolling around and ever tool has its place. Also lets me know if a tool has grown legs and walk off.

 

[rsanter]

I have foam sheets that are either 1" or 2" think. each tool has a cutout for it and they never move.
the best is the wrench drawr because I figured out that they take less room if you stack them when you have multiple wrenches of the same size.
also, it becomes immediatly apparent if there is something missing

bob

 

[eschoendorff]

I just use cardboard....

 

[ImportTuner]

redracer- what brand pliers are those?

I have similar pliers (except different color) and the brand on mine is Pro's Kit ... don't ask where I got them (don't remember) ...

 

[Stuey]

Those look like Stanley pliers.

I'm reviving this thred to see if anyone else uses closed-cell neoprene... I'm thinking of giving it a try.

 

[RickP330]

A while back I searched around quite a bit on this. In my last box I used the rubber padding that you put under "pergo" style floors, or floating floors. IMO it is excellent but your choice of colors is non existant (I had to use green ). Since I my new box came with all snap on liners, I'm all good to go now. You can buy this stuff at Home Deepot or Lowes.
RickP

 

[qdvuu]

I got some nice thin and reasonable grippy rubber sheets from the junkyard... trunk liners from those 1960s and '70s Detroit behemoths.

 

[pirana]

I bought some liner material at Lowes that's meant for kitchen cabinets & drawers. I think it's perfect for tool boxes & way cheaper than the material meant for tool boxes. There are two different size rolls & can be had in either black or tan colored. I went with tan.

 

[bchee]

I bought some yoga mat for this purpose. I don't know what you call stores like Ross or Marshall's (they sell factory seconds at good discounts) but that's where I found mine. I think it was $6 for a big roll.

If you buy a yoga mat at regular price then I wouldn't say it's a cost effective way to line your drawers.

 

[menace2u]

Anyone ever try bedliner spray in a drawer bottom? I am rebuilding a chest (posted elsewhere here) and will need to re-paint the drawers anyway. I've used Duplicolor rattle-can bedliner spray before on my truck (over failed powdercoating on a bumper and even over a stainless steel raised air intake) and its held up very well to fading, scratches, chipping, etc... Its not rubberized enough to keep the tools from moving around alot - but its certainly durable.

Guess I would just like some thoughts on this idea.

Regards,

AndrewT

 

[Chris Adams]

Anyone ever try bedliner spray in a drawer bottom? I am rebuilding a chest (posted elsewhere here) and will need to re-paint the drawers anyway. I've used Duplicolor rattle-can bedliner spray before on my truck (over failed powdercoating on a bumper and even over a stainless steel raised air intake) and its held up very well to fading, scratches, chipping, etc... Its not rubberized enough to keep the tools from moving around alot - but its certainly durable.

Guess I would just like some thoughts on this idea.

Regards,

AndrewT

Used it to 'paint' the outside of a Sears industrial box I restored and that looks VERY nice.
But as a bottom liner, well, the tool would just roll around. Even with the friction surface I don't think it would control the roll.
And the stuff is hard enough that it would be a lot like keeping your tools on concrete or rock. Not that bad really, but not soft either.

 

[menace2u]

Used it to 'paint' the outside of a Sears industrial box I restored and that looks VERY nice.
But as a bottom liner, well, the tool would just roll around. Even with the friction surface I don't think it would control the roll.
And the stuff is hard enough that it would be a lot like keeping your tools on concrete or rock. Not that bad really, but not soft either.

Yes - I agree. Its not any type of cushion. You'd still need a liner of some sort. Just wondering about the look. Red or Orange box and drawers with a bedliner black inside the drawers. Paint always gets banged up inside my chest drawers anyway and this would help that issue - plus its easy to touch up later if needed since its all rattle can.

AndrewT

 

[Vinko]

Closed cell neoprene foam is my favorite but it's not easily obtainable and it's pretty expensive also.

I might have some older closed cell neoprene (made in the USA) left over stock made in USA by wetsuit manufacturer. It's older stuff but in new condition. I also have some closed-cell made in Mexico that isn't as nice as the American stuff (didn't work for my application), but I probably have a crate of it. Not sure the dims of each piece but it might really work well for lining. I'll test it out next week and let you know, if you want.

 

[Rigmaster]

I posted this in another thread- but here's a couple of pics of my Yoga mat liners from Ross Dress for less. Picked them up for $3.99 per roll on clearance. Each roll is approx 24"x68 or 72" depending on the brand.

The material is nice and thick- at least 2x thicker than standard toolbox liners I've seen.

Highly recommended!

 

[lethallyinjected]

Can you get them in assorted colors? Good find!