I recently got rid of my flat mat in front of my sink and got a gel mat. Does anyone find them more comfortable? Honestly, I kind of keep tripping over it as it is higher than my floor and I don’t find the gel all that relaxing? Thoughts?
1 Like
I have often considered getting a mat. Especially when we ripped up the old two layers of vinyl flooring, put down a new sub-floor and topped it with tile. I noticed the difference on my knee comfort immediately.
I thought I’d trip on the mat as well, so I bought a nice pair of thick, padded clogs to wear specifically when I’m in the kitchn. (Iusually go barefoot in the house.) I’ve found they raise me up an inch, and I feel less pain in my knee joints. Also, I don’t need three mats, one in front of the sink, the other at the counter and the third at the stove!
1 Like
I love mine. Mine have a beveled edge so tripping is minimized, and my feet and ankles dont crab at me.
1 Like
Had one for a while in the kitchen, didn’t like the height/thickness - it got moved to the pantry, then the garage…
I recently got these mats, thin with a bit of foam backing.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VXSZCX9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’ve accidentally stood on mats meant for store employees, and liked them (for the short time I was on them). I don’t know where they buy those.
Try Sam’s Club, Costco, or a restaurant supply house.
1 Like
My problem with it is that its just in front of the sink and I have a backwards L shaped kitchen. So if I’m chopping a the counter part, sometimes I have on foot on the gel mat and the other on the floor. My husband loves it because he walks around in socks, no slippers.
This makes me think your kitchen is L-shaped and also backwards. The only way I can think of to make a backwards kitchen is to install all the cabinets, plumbing, and appliances so that their doors and front edges are touching the walls, with the cook standing in the middle wondering what to do.
Which is how I usually act in a regular kitchen. 
Maybe upside down is better? —————-|
Pretend that’s attached. My sink is the vertical line. Only it doesn’t go passed the line on top.
The drain doesn’t work right in an upside down kitchen, unless someone VERY important owes you a VERY big favour. 
I think I get it though. 
So that’s why it never worked right!! 
I used to work at Williams Sonoma. We had one of these Wellness Mats in front of one register for customers to walk on/try out. It was the same mat for over 10 years. You can only imagine how it was abused. We never had anyone trip in all the time I was there.
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?words=wellness%20mat
They’re not really decorative, or cheap, but are really comfortable and last well. I used stand on it at the end of the night, after 8+ hours on the floor, to do my closing paperwork.
I don’t trip over it. It’s more that when I stand in front of the part of the counter with no mat sometimes my right foot ends up on the mat, so one foot is higher than the other and it feels weird
Ah. I misunderstood. I have the same problem with the rug between my sink and my cooktop. I just scoot it over to wherever I’m doing the most work. So when I do the dishes it’s in one spot and when actually cooking it’s a couple of inches over toward the stove.
Duh - why didn’t I think of that?
2 Likes
I LOVE my gel mat. I bought it when I was pregnant and stand on it while I do all my food prep.
My son gifted me 2 gel mats (actually, I requested them) and absolutely love them. I do all of my prep at the kitchen sink, so they are set side by side (short end to end) so one is positioned on the counter next to the sink, and the other is on the left part of a double sink for washing anything that doesn’t go into the dishwasher. If I were to get another one, I’d put it at the range/oven.
2 Likes
I’ve got one, which I’ve put in front of the gas range. Love it there, since it catches the inevitable splatters, and the occasional stuff that escapes from the pots and pans. Easy to wipe clean too.
Otherwise, just keep a regular rug in front of the main double sink. If prepping a lot of food, I’ll typically wash it, and sit down for the knife work or whatever. For smaller jobs, I just stand.
