The fabricgrip mat is a bit thicker and stronger than the other mats but isn t as sticky it s intended to just keep the fabric in place as the rotary blade or bonded fabric blade travels over it.
Cricut light grip mat not sticky.
When you first open your cricut mat you ll notice that they are super sticky.
Start with 1 coat.
Secure the edges of your cricut mat using masking or painter s tape.
Though to be honest it can be a little overly sticky when brand new.
You can condition or prime your cutting mat to make it less sticky.
Give your mat a light cleaning when it loses some of its stickiness.
Cricut mats are sticky and the level of stickiness dictates how secure the grip is.
That is the reason the mat is designed sticky or tacky.
This is to prevent any adhesive that is added from getting onto the edges which may interfere with your machine s rollers.
Make sure that you use alcohol and bleach free wipes if you don t you might find that the wipes permanently destroy any hope of making your cricut mat sticky again.
The cricut standard grip mat.
Once the edges of the mat are taped use a spray adhesive or glue stick.
Using a clean t shirt or sheet repeatedly press the fabric against the sticky portion of your cutting mat.
Apply plain rubbing alcohol or goo gone on the surface then go over it with a scrapper.
The stronger the grip the heavier the material like chipboard or thick card stock you can cut and the lighter the grip the thin or lightweight materials like regular paper and vinyl you can cut.
The green standard grip mat is included with the cricut explore air 2 while the blue light grip mat is included with the cricut maker.
In order to keep your mat sticky for as long as possible it s a good idea to clean it regularly.
However in doing so this accelerates the wear on the adhesive.
The green mat is not too sticky and not too under sticky it s just standard.
The rotary blade doesn t drag on the material the same way the standard fine point blade does.
If your cricut mat is just a little dirty it might be best to start with a baby wipe to gently wash away any material build up that s been gathering.
Before you restick your cricut or silhouette cutting mat it s important to tape around all the edges.
The magic of the cricut machine is the fact that the material you are cutting or writing on stays put while it is being cut.
It s important to not make the edges sticky so they won t ruin the cutting machine.
But if can be too sticky for sure.
Then wipe an alcohol free baby wipe or roll a lint roller over the surface.
After a dozen or so cuts mats will lose their sticking power.
Often times i find that i have to dull the adhesive using a shirt or towel so that it doesn t damage my materials.
When you first get your mat or after you restick your mat it will probably be too sticky especially for light or medium weight materials.