Types of Containment Mats

There are so many types of containment mats on the market, which one is best for me?

There are a lot of different types of containment mats on the market, and it is beginning to cause some confusion. Lets take a quick look at the different types.

Oil & Spill Containment

If you are looking to contain small amounts of oil and other automotive fluids that leak from a specific point on your vehicle, many folks will just use a cardboard box. Others prefer the small and cheap Oil Dri mats. They come in 2×3 and 3×5. Put them over the spot on your floor where you usually find the leak. At under $20 delivered they are not going to break the budget. They also do absolutely nothing for large amounts of fluids.

Larger Carpet Mats for Some Rain & Snow as Well as Leaks

If the Oil Dri mats are a little small for you, Oil Absorbent Garage Mats makes large ‘full vehicle’ absorbent mats. They come in 7’4×17 and 7’4×20′ sizes and a few additional sizes for small vehicles and vehicle maintenance. The larger mats go for $129 – $149 and are definitely budget friendly.

They hold a considerable amount of water, and you can hose them off to clean them up. They also keep oil and gas from getting into the concrete. At some point, if they do not overflow, the become a wet mess to walk on. I love the product for warm climates and small amounts of occasional snow, but for heavy snow fall areas, it would not be my first choice.

Roll Out PVC Parking Pads or ‘Garage Mats’

Trapped in Your Garage

G-Floor makes a wide variety of parking mats that you roll out on your garage floor. They are not containment mats and they do not have edges. The ribbed mats will contain small spills and a decent amount of rain, but large amounts of snow will run off.

They are higher priced than the carpet mats. A 7.5×17 will be just under or just over $200 (depending on how many your order.)  They can be installed over the whole floor and the provide an attractive option for moderate spill protection.

I use G-Floor in my own garage, but I have covered the entire floor. In a lot of cases the standard ribbed garage mats provide more than enough protection. If you are in Boston in the winter of 2015, it’s not the right product 🙂

Typical ‘Snap On Edge’ Containment Mat Systems

Auto Care Products manufacturers the Park Smart Clean Park product is a 20 Mil PVC and a 50 Mil PVC with snap on edges. We do not recommend the 20 Mil product, but the 50 mil product performs exceptionally well. On average you will spend $200 to $300 for one of these, depending on the size and thickness you select.

While we do not like the 20 Mil product, the only real downside to the 50 Mil product is the installation. It takes a lot of work to put one together. That said the 50 Mil has an awesome warranty.

One-Piece Full Containment Mat Systems

In Recent years the TruContain® has gained substantial market share and popularity. It’s so easy to install, it took my wife only minutes the first time she saw it. Generally priced at $229 for the standard and $279 for the premium, the TruContain® is not cheap but works very well.

People’s first reaction when they see one is wow that’s cool. Unless they are the perfectionist type in which case they say ‘boy that’s wrinkled.’ If there is a downside to the product, that’s it. Originally we were concerned about the thickness of the mat, but after a couple of years and thousands of mats, we just are not worried about it.