The packs I bought contained six 2′x2′ squares for $9. One pack will work for both benches so if they wear out in a couple years, replacing them is no big hit to the wallet.

And Chuck, I applaud your response.

a heavy old blanket rolled up back there,,and no matter what, we can crash for the night anywhere any time.

couldn’t be happier

So: what it doesnt stand up to:
Angle grinders / extended dremeling (small holes “heal” themselves.)
6amp nichrome igniters slowly melt through it
Our cat would scratch at it trying to burrow under doors… this wore it away into a spongy type thing in a few spots
You. I can almost guarantee that you will steal little piece to use here, as a pad here, as a spacer there, as a little duct thing near the window, to cover up sharp points / hooks, or as a prototyping circuit board thing (its so nice, you can sketch a circuit and then just jam them in there.)

http://www.gladiatorgw.com/detail.asp?BaseModelID=GAFC0824PN

You know I could go on and on about reading what someone has said etc but I am not going to. I’m just going to cut my losses and hit the happy trails. Have a nice lifer.

Site removed from bookmarks.

You should publish that as “Commenting Commandments”

Or something

So instead of covering the floor, recover your feet.

I’m hoping once I build out the workbench I’m hoping to do come spring, etc. in the garage, that i can “repurpose” some of these for that. All told I was thrilled to find these at Sams for a reasonable price. Good find..

And MikeR - fantastic idea about swapping sides and putting them in a different room when one side wears.

Everyone’s a critic.

Also, the ones we’ve got are colored on one side, black on the other. One of the advantages of this is if you’ve got some color side up in one room and some black side up in another when one side wears out you can swap them out between rooms.

I’m definitely planning on picking some up when I finish my shop.

For example, our epoxy works great for auto work and woodworking, but welding tends to mar it a bit. On the other hand, it doesnt’ mar it that badly, so we accept that part of the shop isn’t going to look perfect, and we do all our welding there. I’d like to use some of this padded flooring for around the band saw — where falling steel is likely to chip the floor — and maybe around my fixed-workbench where I spend a lot of time standing.

Everyone:

There are two comments that we know we’ll see on almost every post — but somehow always surprise us:

1) “This sucks because it won’t work for me.” Not every tool will make sense for every reader’s situation. We know this. Like, for example, if we write about a very large wrench, we know that it won’t make sense for you to own if you don’t work on items with large nuts or bolts.

2) “I could build this myself.” In most cases, so could we. Often the decision about whether to build or buy isn’t as much based on cost as time. If we’re in the middle of a paying project, we might go ahead and spend $50 on something that would take us three or four hours to build. OTOH, if we weren’t busy (and not freezing cold in the shop) we might go ahead and do it. Regardless, these are decision that we make as individuals and don’t reflect the quality or usefulness of the tool in question.

Here’re a few ways you can turn these cliches into positive comments that benefit the entire Toolmonger community:

1) If a particular tool doesn’t fit your (somewhat similar) application, but you’d still like to comment, try indicating how your situation differs, then offer suggestions for variants that might work for others in the same boat.

2) Before you say, “This is crap,” make sure that your assessment is based on the quality/price balance of the tool and the suggested use. For example, if the tool in question is a $5 18V cordless drill, you can take it as read that virtually all TM readers know it’s junk compared to a $150 pro-line model. In this case, the interesting part of the post is the fact that it’s $5, not the quality of the tool.

3) Rather than simply say, “I build this myself” — or worse yet, “I could build this myself — offer some tips on how to do it. If you think it’s one of the rare sutations where it’s always better to self-build, consider sending in some instructions or contact us about doing a “how-to.” For example, if you know a quick way to build adjustable, mod-able, storable paint stands for less than $50 in a resonably short amount of time, let us all in on the secret.

I understand that everyone’s looking to add to their comment count to increase chances of winning the combo kit. It’s natural. Hell, I wish I could win it. It’s a kick-ass combo kit, and we appreciate RIDGID’s generosity in offering it to a TM reader. But what we love most is how it encourages some of you to de-lurk and offer us (and all Toolmongers) great tips and information we can’t get anywhere else. It’s like hanging out at a friend’s shop 24/7, which we think is uber-cool.

All we ask is that in your excitement to log another comment, you remember that you’re part of a community here. Tens of thousands of people a day come here looking to tap the collective wisdom that commenters share. Take a moment to add that extra something that’ll help others get the most out of their shop — and their community experience.

Chuck

While $0.60 / SF is cheap, I am concerned about the durability–that is not cheap if I have to replace them every year. Any thoughts on this?