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Kitchen floor mats and padding

Fat Guy
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Pierogi

Pierogi

Posted
Posted

A cheap-@ss "carpet" from K-Mart. Mostly to absorb drips so I'm not looking at too scuzzy a floor all the time. I covet a Gel-Pro by the prep area (which, since my kitchen is so small, would by default cover the sink area), but I use a portable dishwasher which has to roll over to the sink when in use. Nixes the Gel-Pro, I'm afraid.... :sad:

--Roberta--

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My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

the old cook

the old cook

Posted
Posted

I am lucky enough to have a large kitchen; so I have two Gel-Pros. One in front of sink, one in front of island vegetable sink. Wood floors, but I seem to have problem with the mats, as they constantly "curl" on corners and trip anyone walking around kitchen area. So have turned them over trying to straighten them out. They are wonderful when standing for long periods of time, sure saves on backaches.

In front of refrigerator is a regular cloth mat to catch all the ice chips and cubes that come shooting out of the front of refrigerator when getting ice and water....irritating refrigerator!!

Moopheus

Moopheus

Posted
Posted

Our kitchen has terra cotta tiles on the floor, a very hard surface that's hard to stand on for very long. As soon as we can afford to, we're going to replace it with something less harsh, like maybe cork. I thought about getting some sort of pad for the space between the island and the stove, but in the end decided on a pair of kitchen clogs. Specifically, I went with Klogs, and that's worked out to be a pretty good solution for me.

"I think it's a matter of principle that one should always try to avoid eating one's friends."--Doctor Dolittle

blog: The Institute for Impure Science

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted (edited)

A cheap-@ss "carpet" from K-Mart. Mostly to absorb drips so I'm not looking at too scuzzy a floor all the time. I covet a Gel-Pro by the prep area (which, since my kitchen is so small, would by default cover the sink area), but I use a portable dishwasher which has to roll over to the sink when in use. Nixes the Gel-Pro, I'm afraid.... :sad:

Ours is from Zellers...a sort of K-Mart equivalent and because our kitchen is a galley kitchen, it covers the floor between the work counter and the sink.

I would kill for a Gel-Pro or something, but it's out of my snack bracket with so many other things to buy during our 17 year renovation project... :raz:

Oh...it does make it a bit of a pain to sweep the floor. The floors are wood and I wouldn't have anything else (as discussed in one of FG's other kitchen topics.)

Edited by Darienne (log)

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

I have a polished travertine stone floor in the kitchen. I tend to move alot when cooking and have never had a comfort issue. I do keep a beach towel in front of the sink when I am working to catch drips. I also always have decent shoes on so that probably makes the biggest difference.

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

I do keep a beach towel in front of the sink when I am working to catch drips.

I keep dogs for that purpose. :raz: Our two year old, Kyra, is johnny on the spot for that one.

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Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

I do keep a beach towel in front of the sink when I am working to catch drips.

I keep dogs for that purpose. :raz: Our two year old, Kyra, is johnny on the spot for that one.

My drips are usually water as I rinse my hands or a dish and move around. Without a towel I send up with polka dots all over the floor. Not something a pooch would take care of - just water drops that attract dust - pain in the....

MarkIsCooking

MarkIsCooking

Posted
Posted

I just love the way people keep coming up with great subjects. I'd love to hear more from any Gel-Pro owners. Are they worth it? How do you clean them ? I have a regular cheap mat by the sink. It's getting a little ratty. Thanks for any feedback.

---------------------------------------------------------

"If you don't want to use butter, add cream."

Julia Child

lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

A good way to keep from tripping on the rugs you use in front of the sink (or anywhere else) is to use a small piece of double-face tape at the outer corners....works like a charm and it's easy to do.

  • 3 weeks later...
Athena1963

Athena1963

Posted
Posted

I use anti-fatigue mats from office supply stores or Sears, in the hardware/tools section. They work well and are cheaper than Gel-Pro mats. Can be cut to fit and will work under rugs. Just watch out for the red ones at Sears, they will transfer the color to your floor.

Mark Muller

Mark Muller

Posted
Posted

We have a Gel Pro, and we are happy with it. It is comfy to stand on, and has held up well. We have had it over a year or hard use and it neither looks nor feels any different then when new. For cleaning, we run the vacuum cleaner over it when vacuuming, and clean up any wet spills with a sponge or damp paper towel. Messy spills clean off easily.

ScoopKW

ScoopKW

Posted
Posted

I have a polished travertine stone floor in the kitchen. I tend to move alot when cooking and have never had a comfort issue. I do keep a beach towel in front of the sink when I am working to catch drips. I also always have decent shoes on so that probably makes the biggest difference.

I also have a Travertine kitchen. What a pain in the ass -- spill acid on the floor and it'll etch in minutes. I cringe every time I juice a lemon.

Looks good. But next time, porcelain that looks like Trav. The new porcelain looks so close I can't tell the difference.

I don't have any mats, but I'm considering putting two against the island -- one on the sink side, one on the fridge side (where I do most of my prep).

Who cares how time advances? I am drinking ale today. -- Edgar Allan Poe

runwestierun

runwestierun

Posted
Posted

I bought two fatigue mats at Costco that I think are something like 42X20. They work as well as GelPro for me and they were $24.99 each. I am very happy with them.

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

I have two GelPro mats, a longer one in front of the sink/prep area and a smaller one in front of the stove. I love them. The longer one started to curl in the corners so I wrote to them. They asked me to take a picture and send it to them which I did. The immediately wrote back and said they would replace it, which they did, at NO cost to me. Not even shipping charges. Their customer service blew me away.

JAZ

JAZ

Posted
Posted

I also have two GelPro mats. One looks as good as it did when I bought it and the other has curled. It's great that they replaced it for you.

The kitchen where we teach has some GelPros but also a brand called Wellness Mats that are much more comfortable than GelPro, so if I were going to buy another, that's what I'd buy.

Janet A. Zimmerman, aka "JAZ"
Manager
jzimmerman@eGullet.org
eG Ethics signatory
Author, The Healthy Pressure Cooker Cookbook,  Instant Pot Obsession, and The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook for Two

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

Yes, they are expensive but I've found that as I get older my back starts to bother me if I stand for any length of time when prepping food. These mats really do take a lot of the strain off my back so to me they are worth it.

dans

dans

Posted
Posted

When we moved into our house a few years ago we bought 3 if the gelpro mats. They were some of the worst made things we ever bought. They curled on the edge so they were tripping people. The seams came apart and stepping on them with anything but a flat shoe would cut the surface.

Mjx

Mjx

Posted
Posted

You might want to consider a completely different option, that of a height-adjustable rocking stool (I've seen them at AI Friedman, downtown). This can be adjusted so you are practically standing, but the weight is off your feet. The rocker bottom keeps you from slouching in a problematic position for long periods of time. It's easily stashed in a corner, or carried to another room, for other uses. I don't know about the longevity of gel mats, but this has simply got to outlast the most robust of them. The price on the Varier model is insane, but it seems likely that other companies exist, which make virtually identical units at other price points.

Michaela, aka "Mjx"
Manager, eG Forums
mscioscia@egstaff.org

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

You might want to consider a completely different option, that of a height-adjustable rocking stool (I've seen them at AI Friedman, downtown). This can be adjusted so you are practically standing, but the weight is off your feet. The rocker bottom keeps you from slouching in a problematic position for long periods of time. It's easily stashed in a corner, or carried to another room, for other uses. I don't know about the longevity of gel mats, but this has simply got to outlast the most robust of them. The price on the Varier model is insane, but it seems likely that other companies exist, which make virtually identical units at other price points.

Looks incredible. ...when I can't find the price easily...I can't afford it... :raz:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

  • 7 months later...
lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

Scoop wrote:

I also have a Travertine kitchen. What a pain in the ass -- spill acid on the floor and it'll etch in minutes. I cringe every time I juice a lemon.

Yup, when we re-did the kitchen in our previous home we used Travertine on the floor...BEAUTIFUL!!!

Also, a giant pain in the ass. It tended to stain and discolored in some areas.

Never again. A shame though because it was truly gorgeous.

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