Most crafters have one question that we get a lot: how to make Cricut mat sticky again. A super sticky mat is essential to ensure your craft machine cuts where you need it.
And while most of the questions we get from Cricut users are regarding the cleaning and making sticky again of a cutting mat; our advice can be applied to any cutting machine that requires a cutting mat to work.
We have assembled this guide on how to make the Cricut mat sticky again. Also, there are some great shortcut products for this that we think you’ll want to buy! Let’s get started.
A cutting mat will usually be included when you purchase a Cricut machine. These cutting mats are usually made of rubber and are very sticky to the touch, allowing you to stick your paper, vinyl, or whatever material you’re using to the mat, allowing it to travel through your machine and slide evenly and be retained in place during the cutting process.
Cutting mats are important when cutting non-supported material without a release liner. But over time, and with many uses, your cutting mat will lose some stickiness. It likely suffers from material build-up, and its sticky quality disappears over time.
This will interfere with your cutting, leading to a lack of accuracy and material falling apart after the machine cuts it. So, what do you do? You can buy another mat, but it can be pricey; if you do a lot of cutting, you will go through your mat at lightning speed.
Or, you can do what all craft cutting geeks love: rejuvenate your mat with ease. It should be as good as new!
OK, so how to make the Cricut mat sticky again when you know how to clean it? Simple, just add another layer of glue.
The best method to make the Cricut mat sticky again is to use a Zig 2-Way Glue Pen. It is, by far, the easiest way to make the Cricut mat sticky again. The glue has a pen form, so it is incredibly easy to apply. Like adhesive spray, there is no need to tape the edges of your Cricut cutting mat, as you can control exactly where the glue goes. Plus, the glue turns blue and clears when it dries, which will make it easy to ensure you’ve applied an even layer to your entire Cricut cutting mat.
When opening the pen, you must prime it to ensure the glue flows through the sponge at the tip. You do it by pressing or dabbing the tip of the glue pen on a scrap surface until you can notice that the tip turns blue with glue. Follow these steps to make the Cricut mat sticky again:
Firstly, you must apply glue to the inner mesh side of the Cricut cutting mat. Use broad, even strokes that go across the mat. Try not to get any glue on the edges of the mat. If you do, wipe it off immediately.
Then, allow the cutting mat to dry for 20 to 30 minutes. The glue should be clear.
After that, if your mat looks sticky to cut through the delicate material, you can use a clean shirt or piece of fabric to condition it. Then, press the fabric against all sticky spots on your cutting mat. This pulls up some excess adhesives and coats the cutting mat with a bit of lint to take it down a notch.
Lastly, please wait for some hours before covering the new glued mat with a clear film cover so it doesn’t stick completely to the area of your mat.
Note: Don’t apply any glue to the edges of the mat, as it may stick to the rollers of your Cricut and jam cutting machine.
You can use other spray adhesives or sticky glues suitable for your Cricut cutting mat. Since these methods are dirtier than glue pens, you should cover the edges of the cutting mat with masking tape to save it from the glue.
The best option for spray adhesive: Krylon Easy Tack Repositionable Adhesive Spray
The best option for sticky glue: Aleene’s Tack It Over And Over
Visit: cricut.com/setup
Source: https://setup-cricutt.com/how-to-make-cricut-mat-sticky-again/