moving puzzle mats

[TallAdam85]

I have had 40'' by 40'' 7/8 of inch puzzle mats, I have had these mats never moved at my old dojo when I had tile floor. Now that were at the new dojo were on carpet and every day we have to keep moving the mats into place because there sliding to one side of the floor. I was wondering if I put my wavemasters on them or if i build a frame this will stop them from moving but just wanted to see if this has happened to anyone else if so what you do.

thanks

 

[bowser666]

We have the same problem at our school when we are doing San Shou ( sanda) takedowns and sweeps practice. We have to readjust everytime.

 

[TallAdam85]

so is there any way to stop them from shifting any one have any advise for me to stop them from moving

 

[jks9199]

If you use the search function, I remember another similar thread.

I assume you don't want to use double stick tape to hold 'em down. A frame may be your best option.

 

[terryl965]

There is a matt that you can put under each corner that will stop it from moving Garden Ridge carries then for there throw rugs and they work great. I use them and mine does not move of course I have one every ten matt so it really holds them down.

 

[astrobiologist]

We have the exact same problem. Our mats cover about 25 feet by 40 feet of floor space. We have several wavemasters and other training aids on the mats and our three makiwara and three forearm striking posts are bolted through the mats and yet they still move. It's a huge pain in the butt to move that much matting. We've tried the soft mesh underlays and double side tape, they both were useless. I would lvoe to figure out some better way to keep the mats in place. I think the next step may be to install a frame around the outer edge that holds everything in place.

 

[terryl965]

Go to Garden Ridge and get some of those they work for me. My area is about three thousand square feet and I have had no movement with them.

 

[Grenadier]

They're not that difficult to move, if you have several people helping you.

Get your students to line up along the edge, spaced out evenly, and have them grab the edge of the jigsaw mats, and lift.

Tell them to move their hands up and down, creating a small wave, and while the mats are in the air, you can easily move them back. The kids will think that they're having fun, and you can use them in a most productive manner.

Of course, don't try this by yourself, since it's all but impossible for one person to do this.

 

[TallAdam85]

Garden Ridge is not in michgan do u know the brand of the tape

 

[KELLYG]

Building a frame is probably the best thing. The only other thing I can think of is the rubberized sheets that goes under carpets. I use it under the throw rugs in my house. I allows for a firm grip but does not leave a damaging film on the floor or carpet. I think that I got it at Kmart or Walmart and it is relatively cheep.

 

[teej]

What they do not tell you about puzzle mats is that over time, the microscopic air chambers inside the mats break down with use so eventually these mats squish out. Heat will also expand them if you are in a hot environment and your AC breaks down.

Framing works for a while but once your mats start moving, all the frame does is stop them from going in that direction so not your floor will start to buckle, get waves in it because the floor is still shift but can't move past the frame.

Now my floor is 5 yrs old, but I just got mad having to reset it again, so I pulled the entire floor up and went back to carpet. I am going to look into have extra thick padding or double padding put under the carpet.

 

[ATC]

Just build a frame and anchor it down. Then lay the mats out inside the frame. Over time the mats will expand and contract with the temps of the seasons, but overall you will have the mats expand more than contract. After a few years just trim the edges a bit and you should have solid non moving mats.

You will get a bubble or more from time to time but again just trim the edges only slightly.

You can also make sure to leave and inch or two of space inside the frame for expansion. So when your mats move they only move an inch. Over time they will expand into the extra space.

If you don't want to do the trimming at all then leave the 1 - 2 inch space and then get a vinyl cover and pull tightly over the mats and anchor the cover to the frame. Makes for easy mat cleaning and keeps the mats flat and wont bubble either. You have to get the vinyl as tight over the mats as possible though. We have two matted areas in our school and one is coverd in this way as discribed and the other is not. The covered side has been great for over 10 years. The non covered side has been bubbled and trimmed then each year for 10 years and now has a 2 inch gap on each side from the trimming. In the summer time no gap on the winter.

After seeing both sides I say the cover system is best.

 

[Impactkbf]

Just build a frame and anchor it down. Then lay the mats out inside the frame. Over time the mats will expand and contract with the temps of the seasons, but overall you will have the mats expand more than contract. After a few years just trim the edges a bit and you should have solid non moving mats.

You will get a bubble or more from time to time but again just trim the edges only slightly.

You can also make sure to leave and inch or two of space inside the frame for expansion. So when your mats move they only move an inch. Over time they will expand into the extra space.

If you don't want to do the trimming at all then leave the 1 - 2 inch space and then get a vinyl cover and pull tightly over the mats and anchor the cover to the frame. Makes for easy mat cleaning and keeps the mats flat and wont bubble either. You have to get the vinyl as tight over the mats as possible though. We have two matted areas in our school and one is coverd in this way as discribed and the other is not. The covered side has been great for over 10 years. The non covered side has been bubbled and trimmed then each year for 10 years and now has a 2 inch gap on each side from the trimming. In the summer time no gap on the winter.

After seeing both sides I say the cover system is best.

Can you tell us a bit more about this vinyl cover? We're having the same issues and we're looking for solutions. THANKS!

 

[Tez3]

Welcome to MT. You may not get an answer from the poster you quoted, the thread is 7 years old, hopefully though someone may have an answer for you. You could pop across to the 'Meet and Greet' section, introduce yourself and ask there.

 

[Ironbear24]

Puzzle mats are evil. They seem to follow me everywhere too.