Seeking first-hand advice on garage mats

November 28, 2008 7:20 AM

I am looking for first-hand suggestions on garage floor mats that are made of sturdy rubber with channels to allow snow/water to run toward the garage door.

I live in rural Vermont and my wife and I have our very first garage. The other day we parked in it after some snow had fallen and we realized we had overlooked something... protecting the walls around the garage from moisture running off of our vehicles.

We plan to make some water bars out of silicon beads, but we are also interested in laying down some channeled rubber mats to help keep melted snow from reaching the walls as well.

I have done some Google research and found a few products, but I am interested in first-hand experiences. Thanks!

posted by terrapin to home & garden (6 comments total)

toolmonger has some reviews plus comments from readers who have used the products. not affiliated with the site, just a poor, ignorant person renovating her home & looking for tips.
posted by msconduct at 8:26 AM on November 28, 2008

You could ask the poster of this similar question which brand he used.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:51 AM on November 28, 2008

kuujjuarapik: I saw that thread and the person has a product with which they are unhappy, and is not doing what they want it to do. So asking them would only steer me away from a product that failed. They are looking for advice on how to fix their failed product.

Again, I am looking for suggestion (first-hand) from people who use a product that works for them.

Again, I have done research and am familiar with many of the products out there (as well as previous AskMes). But I want first-hand responses and not just links to products or previously asked questions.

Thanks anyway.
posted by terrapin at 10:27 AM on November 28, 2008

griotsgarage.com has them
posted by Zambrano at 3:02 PM on November 28, 2008

Sorry I didn't read the rest of the posts, but check that site out anyway. This guy is an absolute NUT for car accesories and I'm sure he has what you need. If not, email him and ask him about what you are looking for.
posted by Zambrano at 3:07 PM on November 28, 2008

I haven't been impressed with most any of the commercial solutions I've seen. Any garage matt that's only just the width of the car loses much of its effectiveness the moment a big chunk of road sludge falls out of a wheel well and splashes slush for a few feet in each direction, and a lot of these sheets look like they'd tear easily.

Having said that, here's what I'm considering for the upcoming winter season... I rather like the ribbed flooring stuff that's sold here, and think that an 8 foot wide chunk would be spiffy. I'm looking to then make levees on the long sides and on the end opposite the door with garage door seal stuff like this, which would have a heavy bead of silicone underneath.

For me, the key is going to be to get this snow-catching bed wide enough to capture as much runoff as possible, but not so wide it's impossible to step over to get into and out of the car.

BTW -- the water bars made of silicone beads idea is intriguing... maybe with a solution like that plus garage door seals as levees, it would be possible to skip the ribbed rubber layer altogether.
posted by deCadmus at 9:55 PM on November 29, 2008