Floor Mat for standing while cutting
 

After cutting out many pieces for a quilt yesterday, I had an achy back and sore feet. Does any one have one of those speciality gel mats for standing on? Do they really help? I assume the old adage "you get what you pay for" is true for these mats. The quality ones are pricey, and I would hate to spend the money only to find they don't really help.

I can tell you from a Health & Safety viewpoint for production workers on concrete floors, it can make a huge difference.

Costco sometimes has them. I've seen them at Big Lots too. But yes, you want a good mat, an old piece of carpet may be better than nothing, but not by much!

I've seen them at Home Depot but after looking for awhile this is the one I bought last year and I love it (I sew standing up.) It's worth every penny.

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Anti...ords=floor+mat

I bought 2 for when I am longarming and I move it to my cutting table when I cut, it does help and it was worth every penny spent on it. I found some smaller ones at Sams Club that work just a well, I think I paid 30.00 for them, I can’t stand for long stretches without one, worth every penny.

I have three in my kitchen because we have ceramic tile floors. Two from Home Depot and one from Costco. The one from Costco is the best quality that I have purchased. One of the others is already flattened on the part where we stood the most. Prior to having a dishwasher, I did the dishes nightly without one and then with one and it was a world of difference once I had one.

I bought a foam mat at Walmart, I can stand for 3-4 hours at least. No backache.

I bought one on Amazon that I love. Really helps my back and hips when cutting or ironing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

How about the anti fatigue runners you can buy at lowes orHome depot? You can have it cut any length you need and I didn't think that pricey.

When I sold my retail business last year, I bought myself two Wellness mats at my wholesale price and a runner for when I get a longarm. I have one mat at my cutting table and one at my ironing station. Wellness mats are not cheap but they are awesome and made in the USA.

I agree with the others, they are well worth the cost.

Regarding your sources - think outside the box. Check local restaurant supply stores, they should have the durable, good quality mats.

Another thought: we replaced damaged carpet in our family room about 10 years ago. We had paid for the mid-grade pad, but the installer only had the top-grade on the truck, so he installed that at no extra charge. I have plantar faciitis, and I will tell you when it flares up, that pad makes a HUGE difference. I can actually walk barefoot pain-free in that room only, whereas the rest of the house I have to wear my ugly crocs or other soft, squishy footwear. Might be worth checking to see if you could purchase a remnant or section of the high-grade carpet pad.

Those are interesting. I bought foam puzzle piece letters and use a strip of those, because I didn't know there were mats such as these. The puzzle piece foam letters feel good on the feet, too.

I bought one and I really love it. Justabitcrazy that is an outstanding idea. I still have a stack of those my grandkids used to play with. Since they are 13 and 15 I don’t think they will mind if I use them by my cutting table.

years ago i bought some that fit together on the sides like a puzzle. foam. loved them.

I have expensive ones at that the LA but I have to say the $10 small one I got from Walmart is even more comfortable in front of the cutting table (and in front of the ironing board)

I love the mats I bought at Costco.. made for the kitchen. I have 2 long and one short in my kitchen, and one short one in front of my cutting space downstairs. I'm asking for another for in front of my ironing board for Christmas.

I have three of these mats that were purchased at Walmart...each was under $25 (?). One is used at the cutting table, and the other two are used in front of my quilting frame. I found them in the aisle with the kitchen floor mats and such. Thinking about another one for in front of the sink. Without these mats I'd be miserable.

My husband stands on concrete at a barn scale weighing cattle, and I purchased him a large mat so as he could move around on the mat. It was very pricey; however, worth every penny. He no longer complains of his back hurting him. I really think I got it at Target, Sam's or WalMart.

For several years, I have used interlocking foam floor tiles, typically used for children's rooms, vendors' booths, and so on. Being vertically challenged, I also wear Crocs while long arming and ironing. It is a real blessing not to experience knee or back problems.

Another thing to consider when standing for long periods are your shoes. I have to wear my Nurse Mates Align shoes when longarming ( or anything that requires me to be on my feet for a long time). It makes a world of difference. I also use the foam mats that fit together like puzzle pieces.

My husband is into woodworking and has a wonderful mat in his workshop. As several have mentioned, good mats are expensive but I can attest to the quality, durability and cushioning of the Gel Pro brand sold by Woodcrafter.com. I’ll try a link but have never done this before so let’s hope.......https://www.woodcraft.com/categories...d%5B%5D=GelPro. I’m sure these available many other places but this just happens to be where we obtained ours. I should also mention mats do not hold up very well to golden retrievers who like to chew........

I purchased 2 of these for my longarm. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . They make a world of difference and I like the beveled edge. I was afraid of catching my foot on the ones that aren't beveled.

Thank you all for that information. Is there any problem with butting two together to make a longer strip?

We have one of those mats in front of our kitchen sink from Costco. We like it a lot - our kitchen has tile so it's great having the mat. Been thinking of getting one for the sewing area - carpet is in the room. Try to alternate doing different quilting tasks, cutting, sewing, ironing, etc. so I'm not standing too long.

Sounds like these mats truely work. Now to decide if the gel mats similar to the link (it worked!) from Cactis Stitchin are worth the cost, or if I should try a less expensive alternative first.....

Thanks everyone for the feedback and information.

I shopped at local Tractor Supply. Bought horse stall mats. 4 feet wide @ 8.29per inch. So a mat 2 ft by 4 ft by 3/4 inch thick is $17.

I wear my Crocs foam clogs. Nice and spongy.

I don't have the gel mat but picked up some of those rubber mats that look like a jigsaw puzzle. I placed them along my quilt frame as its all concrete there. My cutting table is in the other room and though its concrete under the indoor/outdoor carpeting I don't seem to need it as much. Also think the previous owners glued 2 layers of indoor/outdoor carpeting on that side of the basement. Hate indoor/outdoor but just never got around to replacing it. Wish I had now but too much trouble replacing it with all the stuff I have in my sewing room.