For those who do art fairs, I want to mention the newest addition to
my display set-up. I bought a set of interlocking tiles such as are
sometimes used under gym equipment. They are black, 2’ square, with
edge pieces that are like little ramps so people don’t trip. I used
them at Cain Park on top of a plastic drop cloth, and I didn’t have
to stand in mud. Then, and at my shows since, my feet didn’t hurt at
all-- and I seldom sit down at shows.
The floor does add 15 minutes to my set-up time, and I need room for
their big box in my van, but this was about $140 very well spent,
IMO. I recommend these larger tiles over 1’ square ones-- one
quarter as many pieces to lay down and pick up. And it helps to
define “my space”, especially for outdoor shows.
I searched on line for “interlocking floor tile”. There are
different thicknesses, colors, and prices. Mine came from Softtile
I will second Noel’s opinion on the foam squares. We used them at
our last art fair and they were great to stand on. We are usually
moaning and groaning after standing on the asphalt all weekend. I am
sure that the ones that Noel bought were much better quality but we
bought ours at Harbor Freight for $11.95 for four squares. So we had
a bit of savings there although there were no edges. Which is
important if you are going to use them to cover all of your booth. We
laid the tiles behind our cases as a path. The one drawback we
encountered was our chairs made dents in the tiles. I think if we had
used those brown furniture pads we would have been fine. They are
light weight and very cushioning. I also highly recommend them.
For those who do art fairs, I want to mention the newest addition
to my display set-up. I bought a set of interlocking tiles such as
are sometimes used under gym equipment. They are black, 2' square,
with edge pieces that are like little ramps so people don't trip.
The floor does add 15 minutes to my set-up time, and I need room
for their big box in my van, but this was about $140 very well
spent, IMO.
Just in case anyone else wants to get some of these mats, Sam’s Club
sells the sale thing, minus the sloped edges, for $18 for 2’x2’ 8
interlocking tiles. They’re black on one side, and bright colors
(red, blue, green, or yellow) on the other side. I have them all over
the house–in my workshop at the one bench where I stand the most,
and in several places upstairs where our older dog needs traction on
the hardwood floors.
I got safety-yellow beveled edge pieces for mine from a booth at a
woodworking show for $1 per 4’ piece. The company was Peachtree
Woodworking. They have a website, but they don’t have the mats and
edging on there now. http://www.ptreeusa.com Perhaps an e-mail might
turn some up in their warehouse…
I put 6 of the mats on the floor of my van when the seats are
removed, because they help keep the carpet cleaner after outdoor
shows, and they also make sliding things in and out of the van much
easier.
The one drawback we encountered was our chairs made dents in the
tiles.
I have these crazy half-moon shapes in mine from my small heels on
my shoes during the summer shows. It’s really funny, at first, you
could trace my steps, now there are way too many!