{"id":20149,"date":"2016-01-11T05:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-01-11T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beadsandbeading.com\/blog\/?p=20149"},"modified":"2016-03-20T13:35:42","modified_gmt":"2016-03-20T20:35:42","slug":"ken-oliver-crafts-best-ever-craft-mat-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beadsandbeading.com\/blog\/ken-oliver-crafts-best-ever-craft-mat-review\/20149\/","title":{"rendered":"Ken Oliver Crafts “Best Ever Craft Mat” Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ken<\/a>Video #715:<\/span> Looking at this product from a Polymer Clay perspective… some great features… but there is one issue you need to be aware of.<\/span><\/strong> <\/p>\n

In this video I will do a review of the Ken Oliver Crafts “Best Ever Craft Mat” Extra Large Table Cover (24″ x 36″) for use with polymer clay and other mixed media art supplies.<\/span><\/p>\n

This extra large Best Ever Craft Mat is quite unique in the marketplace. Most craft mats are much smaller, in the range of 13″ x 16″ at the largest.<\/span><\/p>\n

This mat is used to protect your work surface from heat tools, paints, inks, waxes, polymer clay, glues, sprays, solvents etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

Features include:\u00a0 24″ x 36″ extra large size (smaller 16.5″ x 15″ also available); light gray surface; non-stick; non-skid; non-porous;\u00a0 heat resistance up to 480F; heavy duty; wrinkle resistant.<\/span><\/p>\n

After using this mat for a few days I found some interesting results. The non-skid surface definitely has some Pros and Cons. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Pros are that nothing slides around on it. The surface alwys lies flat and doesn’t move around or wrinkle when working on it. It is completely impervous to any mixed media supplies you might use with polymer clay.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cons are that because nothing slides on it… dirt, lint, hairs, and dust stick to it like a magnet! And then when you roll a raw piece of polymer clay across the mat surface, your clay will pick up every little bit of dirt and lint. So… although you can set polymer clay on it without worry of it leaching or damaging the surface underneath the mat, it is not an ideal surface to work with your polymer clay, unless of course you really love dirty clay.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is however an amazing product for working with any mixed media art supplies. I show in this video several examples of supplies that I use with polymer clay all the time. You can place, spread, spill and even heat set all kinds of stuff on this mat… and then simply wipe away any messes that are left behind… with just a wet wipe. <\/span><\/p>\n

The supplies I tested included, Hot Glue, Weldbond Glue, acrylic paint, Distress Crackle Paint, Gelato Pigment, Vintaj Patina Ink (Not Pinata Ink like I said though that would work too.), Heidi Swapp Color Shine Spray, Sharpie Marker, Stazon Permanent Ink, all heat set with a Martha Stewart Embossing Heat Gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, you can’t cut your polymer clay on this mat because you will end up slicing through it with your blades.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, I think that the perfect work surface combination of products would include both the “Best Ever Craft Mat” to protect your table top or bench top… along with a We-R-Memory Glass Cutting Mat on top, for doing your actual polymer clay work. The We-R glass mat won’t act like a magnet for lint-dust-pet-hair… and you can measure and cut your clay on it. Then, the “Best Ever Craft Mat” will protect the surface underneath.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n