Olfa recommends soaking your mats and as long as you lay them flat to dry out, it's ok to curl a little in the tub while soaking. The material in the mat which makes it self-healing doesn't work well when it's dried out which is the reason for the occasional soaking.

If you are getting rid of your mat - remember that it can be cut up...use part as a template for folding fabric for your shelves, use another long piece for the end of your ironing board to use as a cutting mat when making the continuous bias binding, some could be covered to make a stiff, yet flexible cover for a journal....etc...and I like the shoe mat idea.

Can you please give me a link to the place where OLFA actually recommends soaking your mats...I've just finished a little searching & couldn't come up with that..... I started to quilt in 1993 & have never heard of it, and would really be interested to see the research on that, thanks!

This may be of interest

http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...tting-mat.html

What do you use to cut a mat? Knife, scissors, saw?

glad to hear the info from all of you ... going to soak mine. If it doesn't lay flat in the tub I guess I could put it on the carport and lay wet towels on top. Thanks

I have my DH cut up the mats and keep the good parts. great next to the sewing machine for paper piecing and other small cutting. make a great travel mat too. Can be cut with an excto knife, but he cuts them with his table saw.

Ditto to the wet towel on the floor.

In a pinch, if you don't have a large flat surface to soak it, put the cutting mat on the garage floor or the patio, whatever is available, and cover it with towels that are totally soaked with water. Leave it for about an hour and it will be almost new again.

I would think it would help if you poured a quarter cup of water on the mat and just keep pushing it around for about 5 minutes. That would get it hydrated. Someone else suggested wet towels. That should work also.

Great website! Really explains the process. I got tickled though when I read the part about fixing a warped mat and decided by the time I purchased plywood and plate glass, and then wrestled them home, I would rather buy a new mat.