Cutting Mat
 

Hi, My cutting mat has waves in it, and it will not lay flat. I don't know how it happened, but I would like to see it flat before I discard it. Any suggestions.

I've read somewhere that heat helps. The suggestion was to lay it on a flat surface in the sun and wait. No idea though if that works...

If you do an advance search on previous posts, I think it is ICE that may work.

What brand is it? When I was at a quilt show Olfa was there, the salesperson was telling us to soak our mats. Maybe if you soak it for several hours then lay it flat with something holding it down will help.

I think they are supposed to stay out of the sun.

My mat has a warning to keep it out of the heat and cold.

When the mat is already warped, what do you have to lose. Lay it out in the sun on a flat surface (my friend used her hubby's truck)until it is quite warm. Bring it in and lay it on a flat surface and put some weight on it like books to hold it flat while it cools. Next day it should be flat as new.

Mine mat was the same. I left it in the hot car. I tried the sun. It got worse. I tried laying it flat with weights on it for 2 weeks..still no change. I just bought a new one and stuck the warped one aside..laying flat

In 30+ years I've had only 2 mats warp as you are describing. But I lived in TX in those days and it was hard to transport one even to a class in the car without damage from heat.

So I developed a "case" to carry and to store mine.

Jan in VA

According to the Fiskar site they recommend placing cookie sheets in the freezer and then laying the mat on a flat surface, cover with the frozen cookie sheets and place a heavy object on top of that. Leave it until the cookie sheets reach room temperature. They advise not to use heat as it will make it worse.

I have a warped cutting mat at my other home and I am going to try the cookie sheet method when I get there. I took good care of that mat and have no idea of why it warped but I have tried keeping it weighted on a flat surface when I'm not using it and it will look like it flatted it out until I start to use it and the warp is back.

I'm anxious to know if anyone has used the frozen cookie sheet method and if it worked.

Great idea Jan for the carry case/design board.