In this guide I’m going to share with you everything you need to know about cutting mats.
Topic: What are cutting mats
- Cutting mats are used to put your material on so it stays in place while your cutting machine cuts it out. This is typically adhesive vinyl, HTV, cardstock etc. Cutting mats come in different sizes and different grip strengths (stickiness level). Knowing what these are will help you find the perfect mat for your particular material. Now cutting mats are a consumable item, which means they will not last forever. So keep in mind that you will need to purchase new ones every now and again. I’ll give some hints how to take care of them so they last longer down below.
Topic: What sizes they come in
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There are two standard sizes that cutting mats typically come in. There are a couple other sizes but I’m going to focus on the two main ones.
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First you have the 12 inch / 30cm x 12inch / 30cm mat.
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This mat will fit most of your cutting needs perfectly being scrapbook size.
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The next mat size is 12inch /30cm x 24inch /60 cm mat
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This mat is the same width as the first but allows you to cut longer designs. It’s a great size to have if you know you want to make big designs.
Topic: What different grip strengths mats have and how can you tell.
- So cutting mats come in a variety of different colours. These colours are mostly standardised in crafting world to mean all the same thing. (Some off brands have their own colours so just be mindful.) These colours represent the different grip strength or stickiness of the mat and there is four in total.
- Light Grip mat - BLUE
- The light grip mat has a gentle adhesive layer that’s designed to work well with light weight materials like paper, cardstock, vellum, sticker paper, glitter cardstock.
- Standard Grip mat - GREEN
- The standard grip mat is normally the one that comes with your machine. This has a medium strength adhesive layer that is designed to be used with adhesive vinyl, HTV, stencil vinyl, bonded fabric, faux leather and suede. If you are unsure of what mat to use with your project I recommend using the standard grip mat.
- Strong Grip mat - PURPLE
- The strong grip mat, yup you guessed it has a really strong adhesive layer and is designed for heavyweight materials like chipboard, acrylic, poster board, magnet sheets, balsa wood and leather. Most materials that a quite thick that can move around or shift while being cut. If you are thinking you will need to use the deep point blade, chances are you will need the strong grip mat.
- Fabric mat - Pink
- The fabric mat is used to cut fabric. This is pretty much the same grip strength as the light grip mat but is equipped with a different adhesive. (Helpful tip further down regarding this).
Helpful tips when using cutting mats
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I got a new mat and it’s way to sticky?
- When I open a new mat, I always take off the protective sheet and then give it a warm hug on my t-shirt. (Only do this if your t-shirt is clean) Very small fibre’s from the t-shirt will stick to the mat and will reduce the stickiness level for you.
- Your material is totally stuck to your mat and won’t come off. The easiest way to remove a material (normally cardstock) from your mat is to place your cutting mat face down. Slightly bend your mat back. Grab your material and start slowly pushing your material away from your mat while slightly bending your mat away from your material. Don’t bend to hard as your mat can snap and break. This helps cardstock from curling as well.
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How to care for your mats?
- Keeping your mats flat is a must. Whether you lie them down on a shelf or hang them from a hook. They need to be flat and not bent, so you get a nice cut every time.
- The plastic cover on top of your cutting mat is there to protect the adhesive. Don’t throw it away when you get a new mat. Keep it and place it back over your mat when it’s not in use to save your mat from dust and lint. Also this plastic cover has a right and wrong side. Place a little sticker on the plastic cover before you take it off. Then you will always know which side is right side up.
- To help your mat stay a bit sticky for longer you can always wash your cutting mats. All I use is a bit of hand soap and warm water. You don’t want to use a strong cleaner as that can remove the adhesive layer completely. Don’t scrub your mat either. Just gently rub the soap over the mat and then let the warm water wash the soap, lint, dirt paper fibre’s and hair off your mat. Then let it completely air dry before using again. This will not make it brand new again, but you should find that some of the stickiness comes back and if its a standard grip mat you should be able to use it for light grip projects like paper and card stock. Just depends how bad it lost it’s sticky prior to washing. Mats generally last for about 50 uses (apart from the fabric one).
Tip on the Fabric cutting mat
So, the fabric mat can get super mucky super quickly. It’s holding fabric in place. Threads and loose fiber’s are bound to get all over it. So to keep my fabric mat nicer for longer I actually grab some strong grip transfer tape, cut out a 30 x 30 square and place the non sticky side of the transfer tape on to the fabric mat. Then remove the cover sheet and place my fabric on top of the transfer tape instead of the mat. I do this a lot with fabric like felt, that just gets everywhere. When the transfer tape is no longer sticky I simply remove it and add another transfer square to my mat.
Got any tips or tricks about cutting mats, leave them down below.
bummer
after a long day what should I post now lol 
I really could’ve used this when I first started. And also it still has great tips that I didn’t know so that awesome!
That transfer tape hack is such a smart way to extend the life of your fabric mat—especially with felt, aka the fluff explosion champion. You might want to share this part to include in 