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A clean and well-organized garage can help make any job easier, whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional mechanic. A garage mat is a great place to start, and can not only brighten up the space, but can provide a more comfortable surface for standing and working, protect your floor from chemicals and solvents, and even make it easier to locate dropped hardware. High-Pressure Rubber Plugging Airbag
Garage mats come in many different sizes, colors, and materials to fit any need or budget. Forbes Wheels has assembled some of the best garage floor mat products on the market today. Some are designed primarily to contain spills, while others add padding to make for a more comfortable work surface. Still others are designed for added traction when you pull into the garage from wet, muddy, or snowy conditions. Whatever your need or job, one of these floor mats will be right for you. Looking For Car Accessories? Match your car to your style with varied car accessories like seat covers, floor mats and more. Get competitive pricing from top brands here. Advertisement THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND NOT EDITORIAL CONTENT. Please note that we do receive compensation for any products you buy or sign up to via this advertisement, and that compensation impacts the ranking and placement of any offers listed herein. We do not present information about every offer available. The information and savings numbers depicted above are for demonstration purposes only, and your results may vary. Explore Options On Amazon
Match your car to your style with varied car accessories like seat covers, floor mats and more. Get competitive pricing from top brands here.
High pile, elastic sponge column, high load rating, 3 size options
Machine made, absorbs snow, ice, water and Mud
Armor All Original Garage Floor Mat
Absorbent material, waterproof backing, available in 4 sizes, Phthalate & BPA free
Armor All Original Garage Floor Mat
Armor All Original Garage Floor Mat
With a soft, carpet-like look and feel, the Armor All Garage Floor Mat is a good looking, absorbent and waterproof choice that’s big enough for a two-car garage yet can be easily cut to fit smaller spaces or to fit around obstacles. Or if you prefer, smaller sizes are also available. Other useful features include a non-skid backing, included double-sided tape for easy, secure installation, and a bit of cushioning that makes it easier on the knees when working on projects.
DryMate Maintenance Mat Oil Spill Garage Mat
Made of the same material as our Best Overall winner, the DryMate mat is a versatile and portable solution that’s perfect for those who prefer to use a mat while working on a project. Though it lacks any cushioning, it’s great to slide in for a job, slide out and clean. Oil and other fluids are easily absorbed and it can be easily cleaned by scrubbing it with soap and water. The slip-resistant material works to a degree, but it’s not like some high-grip products.
A great option for colder climates, the TruContain Containment Mat has raised edges that are 1.25 inches thick around all four sides to keep dripping ice and snow from running all over your garage. The lightly textured PVC material provides a bit of grip but is also easy to clean. This mat even comes with a complementary squeegee, although some users report that theirs came without a handle. Either way, cleaning is most effective with a shop vac.
If all you need is an inexpensive yet effective mat for catching oil drips and occasional spills, the AiBob Oil Spill Mat could be just the ticket for less than $20. Made of easy-to-clean and absorbent polyester fabric with a non-slip rubber backing, this mat is a snap to install yet large enough to catch drips from your vehicle. Measuring 60 x 30 inches, it’s also perfect for lawn tractors and other equipment, or buy two for extra coverage. Thin enough to be trimmed using scissors, the AiBob is machine washable and tear-resistant.
Garage floor tiles may sound like a more expensive solution than a conventional garage pad, but that’s not the case with GarageDeck. These interlocking squares have a patented design that makes for quick and easy installation. Each square is made from a durable, nontoxic copolymer that can withstand rolling loads up to 40,000 pounds. The coin pattern offers some grip when wet and it’s easy enough to clean.
There are a number of colors offered, including red, white, blue, black, graphite, alloy and beige. Sold in packs of 12, 24 and 48, they are made for applications of different sizes. You could even mix and match two colors to make an attractive pattern.
For our list of the best garage floor mats, we considered a cross-section of products suited to small and large garages and to different needs, from small mats meant for casual maintenance to floor coverings that can make your garage look like a custom-floored shop. We chose the products most accessible to the widest swath of consumers in the U.S. and factored in performance, price, and value. We considered our own evaluations plus a broad range of end-user ratings and evaluations by multiple testers.
We rate garage floor mats based on the following weighted metrics:
A garage mat can not only contain spills, but it can help protect your garage from permanent damage and staining. The benefits are both immediate and long-term. When it is time to sell your home, a clean garage floor will always make a better impression. And before then, you’ll keep your garage clean.
The ideal covering varies based on your needs. If you are looking to make your garage look like a showroom, there are interlocking sets of tiles. But if you are trying to protect against spilled fluids from garage jobs, absorbent fabric is more cost-effective and puts function first. If you live in a region that gets a lot of snow and mud, PVC mats are a great way to add traction and protect your concrete floor against moisture.
If protecting the floor against stains is your main goal, rubber floors are a great option. They may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the full tile systems, but they get the job done. If your floor has an epoxy finish, check with the manufacturer for compatibility. They may stick to this epoxy whether you want it to or not.
Though tastes vary, neutral colors are always the best way to go in a workspace. Grey is always a safe bet. Black might stand out more, but it likely blends in as it’ll be in the shadow of the vehicle most of the time. A white or lighter color allows a weekend mechanic to find any screws or sockets that may have fallen. If you go for the interlocking floor, you can really punch it up with a bright red or a checkered flag theme.
This is a loaded question given the variety of options. The most affordable will be a basic area mat. The most expensive will be the interlocking tile system. Consider the size of your garage, your intended purpose and what type of material you’d like to use.
George Kennedy has reviewed cars and provided car advice for outlets such as Consumer Reports, CarGurus, U.S. News & World Report, the Boston Globe, AutoBlog and others. He is the managing editor for UpShift, the official publication of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts. George has owned multiple future-classics before they were collectible, including a 1986 Toyota 4Runner, an XJ Jeep Cherokee and a two-door Chevy Tahoe.
Checker Matting Jim Travers is a lifelong gearhead, and a freelance writer, editor, and photographer. A classic car enthusiast, collector, and a regular judge on the car show circuit, Jim is the author of the Smithsonian Institute’s Extreme Cars. He has also written for Automobile, Autoblog, BBC Autos, Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, Hagerty, US News, and others. He lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts, a town known for both its beach and its dump. On weekends, Jim is a regular at both.