*Work Bench Mat*

[zippi]

I have taken my tool box off my work bench as I have bought a new Craftsman rolling cabinet yet to come in. I have painted my work bench so I am now looking for a nice rubber mat to put on my work bench so I don't mess the paint up.

 

[mhejl]

Horse stall mat from places like Tractor Supply. Heavy. Cheap, too.

 

[zippi]

Horse stall mat from places like Tractor Supply. Heavy. Cheap, too.

Thanks for the info. We have a Tractor Supply so I'll check it out.

 

[shopnut]

I just finished up my main workbench last October. I went back and forth on what to coat it with for quite a few years and finally settled on some type of rubber.

If someone was on a budget, I would recommend the 12" tiles from Lowes. They are $.69/tile and are about an 1/8" thick. The downside to them is the good ones aren't adhesive backed. If adhesive backed is desired and you are okay with a wood look, the vinyl planks look pretty decent.

What I ultimately chose was a solid neoprene sheet in 1/8" thickness and 60 durameter. So far I am really liking it. It sort of "grabs" the item I'm working on so it doesn't go skating across the surface when I apply some side force. I have an aluminum lip around the perimeter of the top to capture the rubber sheet and so far it's holding it well without adhesive. No adhesive will also allow me to flip it over to get some extra life out of it if/when it gets scarred up.

Home Depot actually had the best deal per sq ft for the size I needed on the main section, but ebay had a better price on the mat for the smaller area. The point is, shop around for the size you need because prices vary a lot per sq ft.

Anyway, just food for thought.

 

[Davefr]

IMHO the best option is Tuff Seal 18" X 18" interlocking floor tiles. (smooth pattern). They're very tough, easy to clean, can be replaced individually if damaged and look great.

https://www.garageflooringllc.com/tuff-seal/

 

[zippi]

Thanks for the info guys. I found this one at my local Rural King store. Going to check it out.

 

[Doug Arthurs]

You may want to make sure the rubber choice doesn't smell too bad.

 

[zippi]

Just picked this up at my local Rural King (It's like a Tractor Supply) store. 1/4" thick and 4' wide. I bought 2' at $6.99 a foot. It is heavy and lays flat. They also had it in 1/2" thick. I saw a couple other rubber mats in the dog area of the store but the corners didn't want to lay flat. I ended up putting my old Craftsman Machinist tool box on the work bench. It's smaller than the tool box I had up there and still leaves me plenty of room to work. I'm a Happy Camper.

 

[Black300zx]

Just picked this up at my local Rural King (It's like a Tractor Supply) store. 1/4" thick and 4' wide. I bought 2' at $6.99 a foot. It is heavy and lays flat. They also had it in 1/2" thick. I saw a couple other rubber mats in the dog area of the store but the corners didn't want to lay flat. I'm a Happy Camper.

What I ultimately chose was a solid neoprene sheet in 1/8" thickness and 60 durameter. So far I am really liking it. It sort of "grabs" the item I'm working on so it doesn't go skating across the surface when I apply some side force. I have an aluminum lip around the perimeter of the top to capture the rubber sheet and so far it's holding it well without adhesive. No adhesive will also allow me to flip it over to get some extra life out of it if/when it gets scarred up.

Have either of you let oil sit on either of those options for extended periods of time?

As a temporary solution I used the matt from the top of my USG 44" box as a bench mat. If you let puddled oil sit on it overnight it would swell up and create bubble. I'm hoping one of these options is more tolerance of standing oil, as I'm looking for a new bench mat.

 

[zippi]

Have either of you let oil sit on either of those options for extended periods of time?

As a temporary solution I used the matt from the top of my USG 44" box as a bench mat. If you let puddled oil sit on it overnight it would swell up and create bubble. I'm hoping one of these options is more tolerance of standing oil, as I'm looking for a new bench mat.

I have not put oil on this mat and let it set. I really don't think I'll ever have oil spilled on it but you never know. Whenever I change the oil and filters in my vehicles I'm always on the floor with everything. I tinker more with wood and parts off my 49 so to clean up or repair so for me it would be more saw dust and dirt. I guess everyone would need to evaluate what they do and what mat would work best.

 

[drivesitfar]

the new rubber smells pretty bad so if you go that route getting a used one from a home gym might work best. the horse mats are pretty thick at 3/4 inch and they make some gym rubber mats 1/2 and 3/8 and i just had some 1/4 inch jigsaw pattern ones I couldn't use so they are gone now.

I saw one of our member use a piece of aluminum and since my 8 foot bench is 2 foot wide i've got a 2 foot by 4 foot 1/4 (.250 for you machinists) that i'm going to put on half and maybe tool boxes or bolt bins on the other half.

good luck

 

[velocipede]

Here's another thought. I'm mostly a wood worker and do a lot of mat knife cutting on my bench top. I bought a cutting mat from a fabric store and fit it to my bench top. Works great, excellent protection, spills wipe off easily and the markings are accurate enough for me. Only draw back was that it came in a roll and took a long time to flatten. Ended up using a hair dryer to get it to relax.

 

[Black300zx]

I have not put oil on this mat and let it set. I really don't think I'll ever have oil spilled on it but you never know. Whenever I change the oil and filters in my vehicles I'm always on the floor with everything. I tinker more with wood and parts off my 49 so to clean up or repair so for me it would be more saw dust and dirt. I guess everyone would need to evaluate what they do and what mat would work best.

My USG matt got soaked when I split open my transmission and bubbled up after a couple hours

 

[shopnut]

Have either of you let oil sit on either of those options for extended periods of time?

I've spilled oil on it plenty of times with no ill effects, but generally it gets cleaned up rather quickly.

My general mode of operation with messy jobs like splitting a motorcycle engine case up on the workbench, for instance, is to do it in one of my shallow aluminum sheet pans when I expect oil to be running out and pooling up. That way I can just go dump/wipe it out easily when the job is done. I guess everyone's methods are different though.

With the "moderate" oil resistance of neoprene, I would expect some reaction to occur if exposed for longer periods of time.

I have some scraps of the rubber left over and plenty of different chemicals... maybe its time to do a little test! It would be nice to know just how careful I should be if I want it to stay looking nice.

 

[tmorris1]

I have been happy with this one I got on Amazom

VersaTex Multi-Purpose Rubber Floor Mat for Indoor or Outdoor Use, Utility Mat for Entryway, Home Gym, Exercise Equipment, Tool Box Liner, Garage, Under-Sink, Patio, and Door Mat; 24" x 36", Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D1Y77X2/?tag=atomicindus08-20


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Black300zx]

My general mode of operation with messy jobs like splitting a motorcycle engine case up on the workbench, for instance, is to do it in one of my shallow aluminum sheet pans when I expect oil to be running out and pooling up. That way I can just go dump/wipe it out easily when the job is done. I guess everyone's methods are different though.

That's a really good idea! Not sure if it would have worked for my 5spd trans due to size, but I'll give it a shot when I break my diff open in a couple months to catch whatever oil didn't drain out of the drain plug

 

[CraigStu]

I like the vinyl flooring idea. It's cheap, available at all the local stores in maybe 100 varieties, and easy to cut. We went w/ 'luxury vinyl' in our new house for the kitchen, dining, and foyer and it is nearly indestructible. I have cork flooring on one tool box because I had some left over from a house project. It works very well also.

 

[Hopsing]

Most of my bench is covered in aluminum sheet. Street signs given to me by a friend who worked for (the) public works department; 30"x8'. I do have another section next my toolbox that is roughly 30"x 36" that I covered with the rubber from an industrial conveyor belt. That was gotten from a demo job at a Maytag appliance warehouse in Galesburg, IL.

 

[Tduby]

That's a really good idea! Not sure if it would have worked for my 5spd trans due to size, but I'll give it a shot when I break my diff open in a couple months to catch whatever oil didn't drain out of the drain plug

If a full sheet pan isn’t big enough look at dog kennel liners or washing machine pans

 

[Jacko264]

Look up treadmaster for bus flooring it’s very strong and looks great
Graham

 

[fishwatcher]

I just bought a Park Tools OM-2 Overhaul Mat for my bench top. It’s 15”x 24.5”, has a hex pattern texture and shallow trays to hold small parts. You can buy more and interlock them if you want to cover a bigger surface.

At $31 there are many cheaper options, but I wanted it to match the other Park Tool kit I have in the rest of my bike oriented workshop. The color is much darker blue than pictured from Amazon. I’m glad because it looked like it was going to be a paler blue.

I really like the butcher block look of my bench top.. but I scratched the heck out of it the other day when the end rail of drawer I was cleaning dragged across the top. Now I have protection and a reminder to be more careful with sharp objects.

 

[Prospecter]

I cut cardboard boxes to fit. Change as needed.

 

[Motorman55]

While remodelling my garage. I turned my large tool cabinet into a built-in with the use of a plywood top and edging. After painting the plywood top a light gray, I went with this 2'x3' cutting mat I purchased from Micheal's. Its 2 sided and very smooth. The aluminum edge trim keeps it in place.

 

[Joe Reed]

I went with the cheap, easy route when I bought this house 20 years ago. Masonite/hardboard smooth side up....tacked down around the edges with wire brads. The idea was that it would get replaced occasionally since it's so cheap. In reality, I've never replaced it. Sure, it's got paint, oil spots, etc. on it - but it's a workbench...not a dining room table!

 

[Nutria]

Lots of good ideas in this thread to file away. I've been low-tech. I have different areas covered with different stuff for different uses. Half is just cardboard from door shipments. Some areas are bare (maple butcherblock or solid-core door) for woodworking, and street signs cover the rest. Simple, flexible, works.

 

[Kuma601]

I bought some of those sticky vinyl tiles and for my plywood benchtop they didn't stick very well. Removing them left a sticky residue that was pretty time consuming to get off. I have hardboard on one of the other tops that is well worn at about 35 years old. The others are MDF.

 

[97tj-neil]

"Slap Mats" are pretty popular in the resin 3D printing community. They are made of silicone, so resistant to many chemicals and glues. Here is one example on amazon, though there are many brands in various sizes and colors, some with a lip, some with separate smaller divided sections to hold fasteners, etc.

Slap Mat

Yoga mats are another way to go. I found one cheap at a yard sale still sealed in original plastic, but they are not too bad on amazon either. I cut a piece to fit the top of my table saw and it makes a nice protective cover. I also have found that yoga mats are great toolbox drawer liners.

Yoga Mat

 

[Garcky]

I went with the cheap, easy route when I bought this house 20 years ago. Masonite/hardboard smooth side up....tacked down around the edges with wire brads. The idea was that it would get replaced occasionally since it's so cheap. In reality, I've never replaced it. Sure, it's got paint, oil spots, etc. on it - but it's a workbench...not a dining room table!

That's what I've always done, too, with wooden benchtops. I use 1/4 tempered masonite, which holds up very well. When it gets nasty, I just replace it.

 

[Solpainter]

I have used the vinyl floor protector found in the flooring section at Lowe’s. It is about a 1/8 inch thick and resistant to most chemicals. It can be bought by the foot. I am very pleased with it. Width is 36 inches and easy to cut.

 

[fishwatcher]

I have used the vinyl floor protector found in the flooring section at Lowe’s. It is about a 1/8 inch thick and resistant to most chemicals. It can be bought by the foot. I am very pleased with it. Width is 36 inches and easy to cut.

Wow.. that work bench is super organized, super clean! Thx for sharing.

 

[Solpainter]

Thank you, Yes, I was the high school shop teacher with with OCD! I use my shop daily.

 

[no704]

Depends on the work being done. My stepdad is a gun guy and always used some rubber mat. Got him a pretty cheap gun mat on Amazon last year that is intended for that. Has a couple magnet pockets. He Loves it!

 

[DHCrocks]

I used the silicone blackstone griddle mat like this griddle mat

Its awesome, nothing seems to damage it, oils, solvents glues just wipes right off. It can also take some heat so soldering on it is not a problem. What I really like is that it is grippy so things don't slide around and the lip on the edges prevents little screws from falling to the ground and contains any spills.

 

[CraigStu]

Look at vinyl tile flooring. Not the squares the planks. The interlocking snap together type. Comes in a million colors from plain to wood grain to marble and other stones. You can buy a box of it, do your bench and maybe have a few left over. It is easy to cut w/ a jigsaw or similar. The better ones have an underlayment built in so they don't slide much. You may not even need to fasten it down.