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Cushioned Warmth. Beat the fatigue and cold with a heated shop mat that simply plugs in Customized Mats: Dri-Dek Tiles Sizing a Mat. Getting as large a mat as possible seems like a good idea. This way, you could cover as much of the concrete floor as possible. But bigger isn't always better. At roughly $2 to $4 a square foot, covering a large area would be costly — assuming you could find a mat large enough. And second, covering an entire shop with a "soft" material makes moving tools and equipment around the shop just about impossible. The best thing to do is size the mat (or mats) to cover the areas where you stand and work the most. For me, that's at the front of my table saw and workbench. I like the mats to extend about 1' to each side and behind the area I work in. In most cases, a 3' x 4' mat is just about the right size. There are times when a standard-size mat just won't fit the area you have to work in. A solution to that is to create a custom mat. For that, check out the box at right. How Thick? Another consideration is the thickness of the mat. Just like the overall size, a thicker mat isn't always better. Sure, a thicker mat will have more "cush," but it can actually increase fatigue and be a hazard. Why? A thicker mat makes you feel less stable, so you end up swaying and shifting your feet more often as you work. And the extra thickness is a tripping hazard. Corner piece M Custom Matting. With just three different pieces, you can customize your anti-fatigue mat to any size or shape area. One of the more interesting anti-fatigue products available is the snap-together tile and trim pieces shown above. Dri-Dek tiles are ideal for any place you need to have a customized, anti-fatigue mat. Each 12"-square, vinyl tile has close to 300 flexible legs that absorb the shock of walking on a concrete floor, see photo at right. As you can see in the main photo on the opposite page, the tiles can be snapped together to fit around any arrangement of tools, benches, or cabinets in your workshop. And the open grid allows sawdust and chips to fall right through. Cleaning up is just a matter of A Snap Together. Mating rolling back the mat pins and tabs secure the tiles and then vacuuming to each other as well as the everything up. edging and corner pieces. The tiles do stand off the floor about ln. To provide a smooth transition around the outside edge of the mat, you can snap on tapered edge strips and corner pieces (top photo). One final plus, all the pieces are available in 12 different colors, so it's an easy way to add a little pizazz to your shop as well. The only real downside to Dri-Dek is the cost. The tiles run a little under $4 apiece, with the edging ($2) and corners ($1) just a bit less. So a 3' x 4' mat with edging and corners strips will cost about $72 (about $25 more than a similar rubber or sponge mat). For sources, refer to page 51. Tapered edging Dri-Dek Tile (12" x 12") Mats %" to 5/s" thick will provide enough comfort, yet minimize the possibility of tripping. Many manufacturer's taper the edges as well to reduce the hazard (see opposite page). A Little Texture. Besides the taper, most mats will have a textured surface to help prevent slipping. A little texture is nice, but I've found that too much can make it hard to sweep the mat clean. Beat the Cold. One last thing. Concrete stays cold a long time. And most mats will provide some insulation. But if you expect to spend a lot of time working in the shop during cold weather, you might want to take a look at the Footwarmer shop mat shown below. The Footwarmer has a built-in heating element. So no matter how cold it is, the mat radiates a constant heat to keep you more comfortable. The Footwarmer comes in two sizes, but the larger model (FWB-16x36) works best at a bench, like you see in the photo below. |
