Mat repairs

[giles]

Deep joy - our village hall has just had a fire safety inspection. My pile of judo mats has been identified as a potential fire hazard, along with the children's playgroup plastic toys. I've got to do something to show willing. One point which was made was that the edges of some of our mats were frayed, providing a potential wick and making them even more dangerous.

The mats are the solid judo ones: 25 mm thick foam with a vinyl covering. Any suggestions for a simple repair of the edges? My immediate choice would be the universal gaffer tape (duct tape in the States I think). Any one done this and how does it hold up?

[Robert Wolfe]

We've had vinyl/foam mats cut at various times over the years, and have used a fellow who does repairs to automotive upholstery to fix things. The repairs use a combination of nylon mesh and vinyl and can pretty closely match the color of the mats. In our experience, the repairs hold up for about three years in heavy use.

[Aaron T]

Rubber cement has worked well for me for little slices. For larger holes, Aqua Seal or other like products work very well. If I need to make a patch I keep pieces of mats that have been trimmed down to provide the stock for the patches. Our mats are under daily use, both products hold up well.

Aaron Fields
Seattle Jujutsu Club, Hatake Dojo
Sea-Town Sombo
www.seattle-jujutsu.org

[giles]

The problem I've got is mostly abrasion of the edge of the mat - probably where some lazy so-and-so has dragged it back to the stack. I got the mats second hand and at a good price so can't (well, shouldn't) complain.