We’ve had our Stanley Tools Utility Mat for about a year. Even though its hero function is to create comfort for stranding at a workbench, we’ve found a list of uses for ours that keeps growing and that makes this surprisingly simple thing a big part of our projects from the workshop to jobsite to weekend DIY.
-Dropcloth. First, it’s an uber dropcloth. At about 1-inch thick the Stanley Tools Mat protects floors from all kinds of damage from DIY. We roll it out under a ladder for changing a light fixture or repairing a wall. It doesn’t slip, it catches the dust and protects the floor from a dropped tool—all things a typical dropcloth doesn’t do.
-Pad. When we install a replacement door, we typically lay it down in front of the opening, then tip it up into place. A mat in each corner protects the door and the floor. It enables us to get our fingers under the door head to lift it up more easily, too. It’s similarly handy for installing windows.
-Moving Blanket. We used Stanley Tools mats on all our Save My Bakery builds—both under our feet at the miter and table saws. and in the truck. The mats are ideal for sliding between things nestled (jammed) in the truck to isolate them from each other on long rides or to protect them from things that might fall, say between the table saw and workbench or on top of the miter saws.
-Assembly. And for projects where we need to be on our knees or other otherwise in an uncomfortable position (like laying down to repair or install a sink), they make the unpleasant and uncomfortable less so.
Now if I could only get one that would make a coach-class airplane seat a softer ride, the Stanley Tools Utility Mat (it’s made for Stanley by Sleep Innovations) could literally go from floor to flight. Wheels up.
[…] panel. Next, set yourself up with a place to put everything. I like to lay everything out on my utility mat so I can see it. Then, I read the directions. It’s amazing the kinds of stuff they put in […]
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