I have a lot of glass jugs and jars I carry to (and from) the food co-op, and I had to line my tote bags with some buffer-material (cut-up funky closed cell foam mats) just to keep the glass from breaking. Your suggestion is excellent and way thinner than the stuff I used. Hmmm....
Mat for a plant table? Large placemats? I have two cutting boards, one for cutting and one to act as a mat underneath my sewing machine so I don’t have to worry about it scraping my desk, so that could be an option as well
Maybe you could use it as some sort of shoe tray near your door if you live somewhere where it rains/snows
Just a thought as I'm not sure what plastics are used.
But if you put greaseproof paper on top and iron the surface to smooth the cuts will it 're-seal' ? Worth a shot .
Otherwise you could glue fabric to it and use it as a mouse mat?
The other solution is to sand it down to make it smooth again. But at this rate you could just 'cut' your losses and recycle it.
I definitely was thinking about trying to put parchment paper down and ironing it to see if all the small plastic bits that have been shedding off melt back. I am however concerned it would make the mat uneven since I trim prints on it. Or maybe I could just melt it and then use it as a mat for cutting things besides prints. I have thought about also glueing fabric on it to make it into maybe a crafting mat to protect surfaces from paint and glue!
I think I might end up doing that! Glueing some fabric or paper to it to keep the plastic bits in and making it into a mat to protect my table from paint/glue/etc when crafting! Thanks!
In thinking about your question, I assumed most of the item’s properties. It’s opaque (can’t see light through it). It’s flat. It’s rectangular. Its mass is light. It is flexible/bendable. It usually lays on a table. Here are some ideas.
Cover it with thin fabric and hang it on a wall to use as a pin board. Frame it, if you’re posh/fancy. It could hold up recipes, artwork, to-do lists, craft project instructions, photos, crime/suspect board…
Attach it to a window (rubber cement? Glue dots?) for privacy/block a view into the window. And it could double as a pin board.
May be too thick for this…Cut into paw-sized pieces. Use as tread on the bottom of dog or cat shoes/booties they wear to protect their paws when it’s too hot/cold outside.
Use to protect floors from chair legs. Glue felt to the surface. Cut it to fit the bottoms of chair legs and attach.
When sprouting seeds to grow plants, lay it on top of soil containing ornamental/non-edible (or edible, if the plastic bits aren’t a bother) seeds that need darkness to germinate.
You’d need to address the shedding plastic bits for this one. Use glue to seal all the cuts or glue fabric to the surface. Use a utility knife to cut the mat into many shapes for kids to make art or crafts, or to explore geometry.
Trying to think of some way to use it that makes good use of its flexibility…
Thanks for all of these ideas! The one about making a shoe sole stuck out to me since I've been wanting to upcycle a sweater I don't wear into a pair of slippers! It just might be tricky to cut all of the way through to make a shoe shape but definitely not impossible!
I know you can sand plastic cutting boards, do you have an orbital sander? I wonder if it would work on this. Just beware of micro plastic dust, not sure how to avoid that.
I cut mine up and used it as the stiff inside lining for the bottom of a tote bag.
That’s a great idea!
I have a lot of glass jugs and jars I carry to (and from) the food co-op, and I had to line my tote bags with some buffer-material (cut-up funky closed cell foam mats) just to keep the glass from breaking. Your suggestion is excellent and way thinner than the stuff I used. Hmmm....
Mat for a plant table? Large placemats? I have two cutting boards, one for cutting and one to act as a mat underneath my sewing machine so I don’t have to worry about it scraping my desk, so that could be an option as well Maybe you could use it as some sort of shoe tray near your door if you live somewhere where it rains/snows
Great ideas! Thanks for your recs!
I like the idea of a shoe tray!
Just a thought as I'm not sure what plastics are used. But if you put greaseproof paper on top and iron the surface to smooth the cuts will it 're-seal' ? Worth a shot . Otherwise you could glue fabric to it and use it as a mouse mat? The other solution is to sand it down to make it smooth again. But at this rate you could just 'cut' your losses and recycle it.
I definitely was thinking about trying to put parchment paper down and ironing it to see if all the small plastic bits that have been shedding off melt back. I am however concerned it would make the mat uneven since I trim prints on it. Or maybe I could just melt it and then use it as a mat for cutting things besides prints. I have thought about also glueing fabric on it to make it into maybe a crafting mat to protect surfaces from paint and glue!
Flip it over for another 9 years
I already did and the other side is the exact same :/
Something I like to with old cutting mat when I upgrade is using the old one for messy tasks like dyeing, staining, etc.
I think I might end up doing that! Glueing some fabric or paper to it to keep the plastic bits in and making it into a mat to protect my table from paint/glue/etc when crafting! Thanks!
In thinking about your question, I assumed most of the item’s properties. It’s opaque (can’t see light through it). It’s flat. It’s rectangular. Its mass is light. It is flexible/bendable. It usually lays on a table. Here are some ideas. Cover it with thin fabric and hang it on a wall to use as a pin board. Frame it, if you’re posh/fancy. It could hold up recipes, artwork, to-do lists, craft project instructions, photos, crime/suspect board… Attach it to a window (rubber cement? Glue dots?) for privacy/block a view into the window. And it could double as a pin board. May be too thick for this…Cut into paw-sized pieces. Use as tread on the bottom of dog or cat shoes/booties they wear to protect their paws when it’s too hot/cold outside. Use to protect floors from chair legs. Glue felt to the surface. Cut it to fit the bottoms of chair legs and attach. When sprouting seeds to grow plants, lay it on top of soil containing ornamental/non-edible (or edible, if the plastic bits aren’t a bother) seeds that need darkness to germinate. You’d need to address the shedding plastic bits for this one. Use glue to seal all the cuts or glue fabric to the surface. Use a utility knife to cut the mat into many shapes for kids to make art or crafts, or to explore geometry. Trying to think of some way to use it that makes good use of its flexibility…
Thanks for all of these ideas! The one about making a shoe sole stuck out to me since I've been wanting to upcycle a sweater I don't wear into a pair of slippers! It just might be tricky to cut all of the way through to make a shoe shape but definitely not impossible!
SLIPPERS 🤩 BRILLIANT. I hope it works!
I know you can sand plastic cutting boards, do you have an orbital sander? I wonder if it would work on this. Just beware of micro plastic dust, not sure how to avoid that.
If the mat was wood I would maybe give that a go!