How to Install a Wooden Frame Around Karate Mats

A karate mat provides comfort and safety to the person using it, which is essential during your exercises. When you get into the heat of an exercise, though, it can be difficult to keep track of your position. Adding a wooden frame to your mat not only helps it maintain its shape, but also gives you a reference point for where your feet are. If you get close to the edge of the mat, you will feel the change in texture as you step on the wood.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • Wood strips
  • Miter saw
  • 60-grit sandpaper
  • Staple gun
  • Staples
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure the width of the karate mat. Cut two thin wood strips to the width of the mat and two to the length of the mat. Purchase staples for the mat that are half the thickness of the mat plus the full thickness of the wood strips, so they extend halfway through the actual mat, creating a secure hold.

    • 2

      Lay the lengthwise strips of wood next to each other and the widthwise lengths of wood next to each other. Draw a triangle on both ends of each piece. Each triangle stretches from the outside corners of a strips to the center where the two strips meet. The lines for your triangles should make 45-degree angles.

    • 3

      Cut along the lines with a miter saw, creating angled edges that will fit together like a picture frame. Sand the edges of the wood to remove splintering.

    • 4

      Place the widthwise pieces of wood on top of the mat. Move them to the edges of the mat so the long side of the wood strips sits on the very edge of the mat. Staple through the wood strips and down into the mat at 3-inch intervals.

    • 5

      Place the lengthwise pieces of wood onto the mat between the widthwise pieces, forming a picture frame shape around the top edges of your mat. Staple through the wood and into the mat at 3-inch intervals.