Contact Crafts KOliver Best Ever Craft Mat 16.5x15

IMAGE NOTE: The pad is more grey-ish-white than the images show.Image 1 - full drip of inkImage 2 - added isopropyl and started wipingImage 4 - GONE!BACKGROUND/OVERVIEWI was using white paper under my alcohol ink projects (especially with clear paper, I needed some solid background) and it was a bit of a pain to use (could blow around and permanently stained) as well as a waste (the staining made it hard to re-use). An unexpected bonus is how helpful it is to clean as I go – so if I can see ink underneath my work and it’s impacting what I’m doing, I can go back to a “white background” quickly and easily.I found this through a search and selected it over some others and I'm happy I did. One of the main reasons were they sizes they offered, which suited the paper/project sizes I work with. I purchased both the smaller and larger size.PROS:Alcohol ink cleans up easily with isopropyl and a towelSuper-low staining (only had a yellow that stained - but barely - if I didn't know it was there, IT probably wouldn't see it. Time will tell if a lot of "barelys" end up in a "wow, time to get a new one of these."Takes up very little space, just roll and put back (I suggest keeping the box to store to keep it safe)I haven’t tried it yet, but I think this would be fantastic for resin projectsComes in both small and large sizesCONS: (although these are all minor, they exist)Pretty thin - even the smallest dust specs on the desk leave little bumps as it lays on them (not permanent bumps but) - doesn't impact working with it, but goes to the thinness), so may be fragile for other tasks like paper craftingPretty "sticky" - and not to the touch, but to the collection of stuff - like dust, hair, fur, etc. It comes up easily with a damp cloth, but can be annoying to look at while workingCost is high compared to disposable options (i.e. freezer or parchment paper)---I hope the information in this review helped. I know how all this stuff adds up, so I’m hoping this helped you decide if this is for you or not. If it did, I’d love to know with the “yes, this was helpful” so I can provide similar information in future reviews.Thank you for reading!~l

Purchased for Christmas presents for crafters based off a demo of the item on a shopping channel.

I have one mat each Nuevo, Ranger and Ken Oliver — all fine mats. But my favorite is the Ken Oliver mat, primarily for it’s non-slip properties and ease of cleaning. Last week, my friend & I worked with 6 children ages 4-1/2 to 6 years old. They painted, glued & taped real duck eggs to resemble a chicken sitting on a egg cup crepe paper nest. The Ken Oliver mats made clean up SO quick (we used diaper wipes) and the mats didn’t shift on the table even when little hands leaned or tried to slide them. Give the mat a try!

I don't know what these other people are talking about. I am thrilled with my mat. Glitter will always be a pain in the rear but I always have a bucket of babywipes handy. My other craft mats are stained and need to be replaced. So happy when I watched a youtube video and Ken talked about this mat. I actually bought two just so I would be able to cover my whole surface. If you love the Tim Holtz mat, try a Betty Crocker oven liner instead...way cheaper and does the same thing. I happen to have all three and Ken's is the best! No matter what craft mat you use, its always best to clean up quickly. I love how substantial it is and that it doesn't move around. I had to use my ATG gun with the other two mats to stick them to my surface. I am an avid crafter that has just about everything. I am very happy with this mat.

This is the right name for this craft mat! I used the Ranger one for a couple of years, and while it was good for techniques and easy to clean up, it slipped around way too much. This mat is a slightly thicker, silicone material that you can crunch up and fold and it still bounces back perfectly. It sticks to your work surface, and paint tins, pens, brushes etc. don't slide around on top of it which means you don't have to chase your paper or tools around your desktop while working with them. It is so helpful if you have a hard time holding paper down to emboss or do inking techniques. And I spilled some beads on it and they stopped rolling as if caught in molasses! It was amazing to see. Of course, that means pet hair sticks to it, and other bits of fluff, but a baby wipe takes care of that. An excellent tool for the craft room.

I lovvvvve this mat for doing techniques with dyes inks and Distress products, etc. It's easy to use, easy to store, and cleans up instantly.The best thing about it is the neutral color- while the one I received is NOT white, it is a light gray, which makes seeing what colors I am mixing on the mat that much easier. I like it so much better than the dull brown of the other craft mats on the market.

How could I possibly give this five stars and say I love this mat then say BUT? Easy – it isn't big enough! LOL Seriously, it isn't a Ken Oliver problem because he has a really huge mat you can purchase but I couldn't afford that version as badly as I wanted / needed it so this was my compromise. My recommendation? Well, we all have different needs and circumstances so if you are a "USE THE WHOLE TABLE" kind of crafter then I recommend saving up for the biggest version Oliver sells. Happy crafting! This mat is awesome!

The mat came in with a couple of curved cuts along the edge so not straight smooth edges. It has grids on both sides of it so there is no smooth surface and it is really sticky so little bits stick to it and are hard to remove. I wouldn't recommend it for paper crafting but might work for something else.

Good, unusual as it loses the bounce from stray beads and keeps things where you put them, but I like it as it is bigger than normal and easy to clean. Others are now making similar items, but this is a tad bigger than the rest and in a busy art room, that's a win win.