What to do with old cutting mat.
 

I received a new cutting mat for my birthday. Now I'm trying to decide what to do with my old Olfa. I've thought about cutting it up for purse bottoms. But then I started thinking about just turning it over and using the other side on my dining room table. I know this is a dumb question but can you use the other side, too? It's unmarked which would take some getting used to but sure would be nice to have a second one somewhere else. Thanks so much!

Absolutely I would use the other side before cutting it up! The only things I use the lines on the mat for are for lining the fabric up straight. All the measuring is done with the ruler, anyway. I have used my cutting mat on the dining room table, and when not in use I slide it between the table top and the pad, no one even knows it's there, and it stays nice and flat. :D

As someone said to me a few years ago...you paid for both sides, didn't you? I've used both sides for a long time. As JustAbitCrazy says, I use my ruler for measuring/cutting. Not the lines on my mat. Go for it!

Use the back side for sure. If you need a line or two for lining up your fabric, use a ruler and a permanent marker to mark what lines you need.
I also gave a used mat (craft table size) to DH for his shop and he loves it. He covered a table top with is and now can use his cutters to cut items with and not scar up the wood top. I have also cut used mats into some smaller sizes to have a mat next to my machine and to travel with...I just used the areas that were not Sooooo scored by the rotary cutters. You have lots of options.
My neighbor used one for his fish cleaning table...LOL,LOL

I use the backside when squaring up. DH cuts me templates out of hard linoleum .

I had one that was beyond use for cutting so we put it on DH desk with the blank side up and he uses it for a really large mouse pad and it protects the desk top too.

Sure you can turn it over!!!

I just went to turn my old one over and it's gray on the backside unlike my new one that is green on the backside. Do you think it is the same "stuff" as the front? I also noticed it is a bit thicker. Thanks for all your ideas....love them!

okay guys....I'm opening this thread up again. I have two Olfa rotating cutting mats...they are at least 20 years old and the green color is getting paler in the middle (where I guess I cut a lot). I like to utilize the heck out of my stuff.......but, I'm not sure this is a good thing for the mats. How do you tell when it's time to replace them? I did pull out my brand-new 17" rotating cutting mat and used it last night. It seemed to cut much better with the same rotaty cutter. So, I'm assuming the other 2 are old. I've seen where people rejuvenate them by soaking them in a tub, etc. Have any of you successfully done that? Does it enable you to use them longer or is it worth it? Lastly, if it's time for them to be repurposed........what do you do with them? They are the rotating ones, so can't flip to the other side. I guess I can use them to protect the surface of some of my sewing room furniture (but I've already gone some old mats there). How long do you keep yours? Did mine have a good run? Let me know your thoughts. I just don't want them going to the landfill without squeezing out their last bit of usefulness! Thanks!

I gave mine to a friend for his work shop. Every once in a while he needs to cut something with an exacto knife so this worked out great for him.

I would turn it over and use the other side. When it gets worn out cutting it up for purse bottoms sounds like a dandy idea! :o

I gave a pretty much used up one to my husband for his workshop and he thinks it is the best thing he has ever had for his cutting tools as he works on his model railroad and wood projects. It covers the top of his work desk. My newer one is not very new anymore but is very usable. Some of the markings are disappearing because it has been used a lot.

I'm with you NoraB when it comes to getting all the use out of anything I have paid good hard earned bucks on. In this case I do not have a rotating mat so I'm only guessing here, but could you use one of them on your sewing table like a lazy susan to hold cups for pencils or scissors and other small items you need but are never within reach.

Absolutely! I never consider a mat "done" until I have worn out both sides.

Definitely-I have an old olfa that had pretty deep cuts in it (it was old) and I just turned it over and have been using the backside for some time and it works just as good as the other side.

My hubby does model rr work too! And, like yours, mine loves his desktop protector. Now he can exacto cut, solder, paint, and no worries.

I cut down an old one, eliminating the worn center, so now l have 2 small ones. I use one near machine for trimming up squares and use other when l travel to quilt group meetings. I use a smaller ruler and cutter while there, as table space is at a premium.

i never use the printed side of a cutting mat if i can help it.
so flipping over an old one seems a very sensible idea to me.

love the giant mouse pad idea, too.
my own is a small cutting mat.
they last forever. :)

When a mat is truly done for cutting I have put it in my trunk so it is easy to slide things on and it is easy to take out and clean up if something spills or I am taking plants home from the store. My husband has taken over one of my big old ones turned back side up on his desk to protect it and the mouse moves easily on it. The ideas never end!

Has anyone recycled their mat to use with an Accuquilt cutter instead of the Accuquilt mats?

You can cut them up and use them as a flat, sturdy bottom in tote bags or duffle bags.

What do you use to cut them with? Obviously rotary cutters won't work.

scissors cut mats easily

I had an old mat I hated to throw out. So since I had an 18” wood disk & metal lazy Susan, (bought from Home Depot) my husband mounted them together to give me a rotary cutting pc. I padded it though for ironing. Instead of tossing the old mat, I cut it out to fit the round. pc. I just set it on top of the padded disk so it gives me a good rotary cutting mat. It doesn’t slide around so I did not glue it down. I just remove that to iron. I feel pretty clever for making a dual use of an old mat.

I love to make my daughter scrub tops for her job. Her scrub tops have 3 patch pockets on them and lining them up using a flimsy tissue pattern as a guide was very time consuming and not always accurate. So I cut up an old cutting mat and used it as a template/jig for pocket placement. It is every bit as large as the pattern piece for the front of the scrub. I asked my husband to "drill" out the marks and now I can just use a fabric marker to mark the pockets on the fabric. WOW! I have literally cut out buckets of time using this method and that old mat will literally last forever!

I think it depends on the mat. I had a rotating Fiskars mat, and it didn't 'heal' itself very well. It wasn't very old before my rotary cutter started following previously cut lines on the mat instead of my ruler. Requiring me to use a few colorful words.
And it had that center piece divet on the back that made that side useless. It is sitting in the closet somewhere.
But I have an older rotating mat (Martelli? I think?) that is still healing itself well and still works great. An oldie but a goodie.
I found a couple of youtube videos that have ideas for re-using kitchen cutting mats. Maybe they will have good, alternative uses.

Maybe....coasters?

Eureka! A chair mat.
 

While vacuuming yesterday,I noticed that I have a leaky office chair. I don't know if it was some kind of hydraulic fluid or grease or what. In looking around for something to put under my chair, I came up empty in my search until I remembered....

I have an old, no, very very old Dritz cutting mat that I bought used at a yard sale back in 1994. I was a beginning quilter, so was delighted when I found a used one at a yard sale for $5. I later learned that this particular mat was not self healing. It soon became rather unusable and dulled my blades quickly. Why I kept that thing all these years, I don't know. But today, I was sure glad I did. Measuring at 30 x 36", it was perfect to fit under my chair's leg span. Woo hoo!! I am doin' the happy dance.

You paid for both sides of the mat, so why not?

My mats are marked in metric on the reverse side so this is my 'go to' side when measuring with rulers. It now looks very used. However, when I want to use the imperial side of the mat for measuring it is still relatively unmarked.

I am keeping everyone's ideas for using the redundant mats though as I couldn't bear to see them go to landfill.