A Guide to Mounting a Rotary Cutter Mat on Plywood for Crafting Success
I love self-healing mats, also known as rotary cutter mats! I can’t get enough of them and currently own two that I use frequently. They have become invaluable tools for my projects. Recently, I mounted one on plywood, and it has truly been a game-changer. Now, I can comfortably work on my projects while sitting on the couch instead of being confined to my table or desk. It’s so convenient, and I’m just really happy with it! Follow along as I share how to mount a rotary cutter mat on plywood quickly and easily!
Now that my prodigy (my daughter) is getting into crafting and design, I thought maybe it was time for her to have her own mat. The only difference is that she wanted a more “girly” handle!
This is such a simple project, and I hope you will find the mounted mat to be as handy as I do!
Materials:
- Self-healing mat
- Plywood cut to the same overall size as the mat (I used Purebond plywood!)
- Carpet tape
- 3/4″ wide weather stripping (<– affiliate link!)
- Screen door handle
- Spray paint, if desired
- Four felt pads or plastic bumpers
Cut the plywood to the same overall size as the mat. Even though my daughter’s mat is 12″ x 18″, it has a 1/2″ border on all sides, making the mat measure 13″ x 19″. I cut the board to size, then thoroughly sanded it while rounding the corners with the sander.
I cut the carpet tape and applied it to one side of the board. As a word of caution, do not remove the covering on the tape until the mat is ready to be applied – it is really sticky!
I carefully positioned the mat on the board. Be careful because once it is stuck to the carpet tape, it is a real bear to get it off!
Find the center of one of the shorter ends of the board and mark where the screws will be inserted for the handle. Start the weather stripping at one of these marks, that way the seam will be hidden under the handle and secured with a screw.
Pro tip: the weather stripping acts as a bumper on the edges and corners of the plywood!
Spray paint the handle, if desired, and attach it to the board.
Add felt pads or plastic furniture feet to the bottom. That’s it!!
So what do you think? I have mounted all of my mats to plywood and I love it! Need help or have questions about how to mount a rotary cutter mat on plywood? Leave a comment below!
Originally posted 2014-01-23 08:00:25.
10 Comments
Great idea! Super easy and useful.
Thanks so much! I’ve used the heck out of mine and now I’m thinking I might need a new one because I’ve worn it out!
Great idea. I have a couple of different sizes and this would be perfect for the smaller one. I like the weather stripping idea.
I have used the heck out of mine! I have a really small mat that I plan on mounting to a board also!
Would never have thought of it. Great idea.
I love mine and use it all of the time!
This is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks, Jessica!
I’m not a crafter so I have no idea what this is even used for…patterns? But it looks like a great idea to make it portable, whatever it is.
The mats are mostly used for cutting fabric pieces for quilting but I use mine when I cut paper and all sorts of other stuff!