Mechanic Work on Concrete - Mats?

[mtd240]

At our current place, I have to do all of the car work on old, rough (no longer new/smooth) concrete slabs. Any suggestions for a cheap mat, to save my back from looking like I got 40 lashes? Needs to be something that will handle fluids leaking on it (no carpet).

 

[wornoutoldman]

Harbor Freight moving blanket. Cheap enough that you can toss em out after a messy job if you did'nt want to wash them.

I also find a big piece of carboard works well too.

 

[buffaloguy89]

http://m.harborfreight.com/folding-mechanics-pad-93896.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Jere]

If I don't use a creeper I use some big election signs coroplast/corogated plastic. Cleans well, its free, I can slide well on it and if you can stack it up for more padding and tape the edges so it stays together.

 

[mtd240]

Wow guys thanks - good stuff!

 

[Super Mech]

Old sheets of paneling are good. You can side around on the finished side real easy. Cardboard is another good choice. Old refrigerator boxes are nice if you cut the side out of them.

 

[CNGsaves]

Where you stand the most, I'd get rubber mat that cushions the concrete floor. Here's an idea for you that previous posts on GJ have suggested and worked in their home shop.

4 ft x 6 ft rubber mat at Tractor Supply - - - it's called horse stall mat, so it's tough enough to handle horse hooves, it should stand up to auto mechanic shop.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/rubber-horse-stall-mat-4-ft-x-6-ft

Couple of these at $32.99 would be $65 with free shipping. Worth a try.

 

[y'sguy]

that foil faced styrofoam insulation works great and cleans up from oil stains pretty well , better than cardboard but more bucks a course. Softer too for my old body.

 

[Lippyp]

I have a big sheet of closed cell foam about an inch thick that a guy was selling at a car show, nice and warm and comfortable and can be wiped clean, not so easy to slide on as say cardboard but not bad either.

 

[Marc Benjamin]

I use a giant folded cardboard box with a movers blanket sometimes. The problem is that if you have a spill, the cardboard and or blanket is done. Also, I hate the associated neck aches so I've been eyeing one of these for a whiles.

http://www.matcotools.com/catalog/product/PFCREEPER/PREMIUM-FOLD-OUT-CREEPER-PAD/?source=igodigital

 

[Stuart in MN]

If I don't use a creeper I use some big election signs coroplast/corogated plastic. Cleans well, its free, I can slide well on it and if you can stack it up for more padding and tape the edges so it stays together.

I haven't thought of that before but it's a good idea. This is a good time of year to pick them up, too.

 

[egnorant]

I found a bunch of interlocking play mats at a garage sale for about a buck each. Work great, weather doesn't seem to hurt them, and they clean up quick!

Bruce

 

[mtmgtz]

Where you stand the most, I'd get rubber mat that cushions the concrete floor. Here's an idea for you that previous posts on GJ have suggested and worked in their home shop.

4 ft x 6 ft rubber mat at Tractor Supply - - - it's called horse stall mat, so it's tough enough to handle horse hooves, it should stand up to auto mechanic shop.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/rubber-horse-stall-mat-4-ft-x-6-ft

Couple of these at $32.99 would be $65 with free shipping. Worth a try.

Came to suggest the same thing. I have one in my truck bed right now. I plan on using a few to make a rubber floor in a workout room in our basement. Comes out to a little over $1 a square foot. I have seen them for closer to $20 at Big R or Rural King, if you have any of those stores locally. Most farm supply places carry them. They are heavy though so they're not very portable but they are heavy duty!

 

[fsae0607]

Cardboard. Or, if you're feeling saucy, the Bone creeper! I got one and never looked back...

 

[404]

There is a Sams club near you and they will have big sheets of cardboard between the layers of boxes of cereal etc. Even if you are not a member tell them you are going to the pharmacy and they should not bother you about a membership card.

Push the cardboard toward the back slowly and then yank hard a short distance. The cereal stays pretty much and the cardboard comes out a bit. Repeat. The big flat 6 wheel carts are good for piling it up on.

Regards,
404

 

[bobss396]

I use a piece of masonite with the holes in it. It is easy to slide on, stores easily and lets fluids through it if you make a mess. Cheap area rugs like 5' x 7' are good if you are under the car for a while in one area.

 

[fattogatto]

YOGA mats

 

[Boomer343]

I have a couple of dining room table protectors that I find work great. They are thin enough to fold easily, plastic faced made to resist liquids, have some padding and can be doubled up. They are usually white and that makes for dropped parts being easier to see and light reflects off the mat.