DIY Floor Mats & More

[MikeyB08]

Welcome to DIY Floor Mats & More. This tutorial will hopefully open up some ideas. The steps in this tutorial are very easy and very basic for what I consider a rewarding end. So let's begin.

*Note: This is a general How To. This is by no means the only way to create Floor Mats & More. This is what I have started using as it is very cheap and very versatile.

I will be making a Truck Bed Cover. By all means, lets your imagination run on this one.

Materials Needed:

- Flexible Cutting Mats (3 Pack @ WalMart for $4.97)

- Model you are working with

- Sharpie/ Pen

- Ruler

- Scissors (Hobby Knife for more precise cutting) *Be Careful.*

Now that you have your materials needed, let's get started.

1. Here is the packaging for the Flexible Mats:

2. Here is my materials. If you feel you need the assistance of a cat, use your own or contact your local animal shelter for further help. As you can see, I already have my template drawn in the lower left hand corner. Templates can be made in a number of ways. I find that white masking tape is my #1 Go To. You can also use your ruler to measure out your template. Guesstimate and trim as needed.

3. Cut out your template using a pair of scissors or Hobby Knife (these particular mats are very thin and very easy to cut so move slowly).

4. After cutting out your template, do some test fitting before you commit to the final product (gluing). Once you are happy with your final creation, glue as needed and enjoy.

After Thought: As far as I know of, these mats can be painted easily. If you have any other ideas/ uses for the Flexible Mats, by all means post them below. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Also, I would like to see your creations using the Flexible Mats so that the community can build on the topic.

[1972coronet]

Very , Very cool , James
The coolness factor was increased by the inclusion of your feline companion !

My "ship's cat" , Oliver (American Shorthair) is eleven years old , but still acts like a kitten ! He nebs into all of my projects ; he got into my AMT '62 Buick project and swatted all that he could of it onto the floor .

He's like an innocent , curious little boy .

Thanks for sharing your technique and ideas with us !~

[MikeyB08]

Very , Very cool , James

The coolness factor was increased by the inclusion of your feline companion !

My "ship's cat" , Oliver (American Shorthair) is eleven years old , but still acts like a kitten ! He nebs into all of my projects ; he got into my AMT '62 Buick project and swatted all that he could of it onto the floor .

He's like an innocent , curious little boy .

Thanks for sharing your technique and ideas with us !~

Thanks for the compliment!

My cat, Butters, is just a normal short haired tabby. About 1 1/2 years old. I have a very serious Love/ Hate relationship with this cat. One minute he will snuggle up beside me and sleep. 10 minutes later, he's on my table pushing my models off. I think he's attention starved (don't see how, he gets more love than I do ).

[Casey]

As far as I know of, these mats can be painted easily.

That was going to be my question, as the colors they are made in probably wouldn't work for most people.

[MikeyB08]

Yea. So far Ive painted a set of floor mats (pics soon) black and it was fine. Going to try other colors soon.

I would suggest you do any/all bending before you lay paint just in case.

[MikeyB08]

Here is my floor mats for my Enzo I'm currently working on. Allow room for improvement as I am still working on these.

My current plans are to add some small thread around the outside and print off the Enzo Badge to place on the floor mats.

To make floor mats, I suggest using masking tape to lay down in your interior tub where you want the floor mats to be placed. I often use my finger to push the tape into the corner so I can judge my cutting better. Once you have your general idea, cut out your Floor Mat pattern using a hobby knife. Make sure to allow yourself room for trial and error. You can always trim where you need too.

Once you've cut out your tape template, place the tape on top of the cutting mats. Cut it out and do some test fitting. Trim as needed, where needed.

I'm working on a headliner next. Stay tuned!

[MikeyB08]

Here is my headliner for my Enzo (W.I.P).

Same steps for the floor mats.

Sprayed with Krylon Cherry Red Gloss. Worked great!

[crazyjim]

I'm going to have to check out this flexible stuff at Wal-Mart. Thanks for the info.

[MikeyB08]

I'm going to have to check out this flexible stuff at Wal-Mart. Thanks for the info.

No problem. Feel free to share your ideas/ creations. It pretty flexible. My next project I'm going to try and build a Trunk Tub.

[spotarama]

i converted a 55 chev 2 door wagon to a panel delivery by gluing the rear side windows in before painting and then made a 'rubber' floor mat for the rear from a large black balloon i bought from a toy shop. i cut it with a round edged blade which i rolled across the surface rather than dragging as you normally would with plastic or such.

as its such nice soft rubber it lies nice and flat but if you want to have it looking a bit untidy it also folds over/up most realistically

and one idea i had for spray on bedliner for a pick-up would be to 'paint' the required areas with superglue in such quantities that it doesn't dry straight away and dust the area with talcum powder. as the glue dries it will shrink and pull the talc into all the corners etc and leave a suitably grainy surface which you'd then paint semi-gloss black or body colour

i don't think it would work with paint or pledge as these would dry far thicker than CA and absorb the talc

just an idea, let me know if it works

Edited July 20, 2013 by spotarama

[67hrholden]

I cant see the images and I have no imagination so cant begin to visualise from the description, anyone else having this problem or can someone point me to where I can find the images.

[Darren B]

I am also not able to see the pics they are saying moved or deleted, sounds awesome thou............

[MikeyB08]

Sorry guys... I'll redo this one. Images were deleted when I cleaned up my Photobucket...

[Darren B]

Not a problem at all, just sounds like an awesome tut and I have never try floor mats, it may add a lot to a build....

[crazyjim]

There's also Plastic Dreams that makes floor mats. You might want to check them out.

[Darren B]

There's also Plastic Dreams that makes floor mats. You might want to check them out.

Is there a website for that company?

[crazyjim]

Sure is. Here you go -

http://plasticdreamcars.wix.com/plasticdreams

[Dr. Cranky]

Thanks for that link, Jim. Excellent.

[crazyjim]

No problem. Someone posted a build here that had a set. I haven't used them yet, but have inquired about letting Crazy Scale Auto Parts carry their products. I've recently added spark plug wire and fuel lines. Crazy Scale Auto Parts also has a 2 for 1 sale going on most of the Miscellaneous items - alternators, batteries, carburators, differentials, disc brakes, engines, intake manifolds, and fuel cells.