Choosing the best garage floor mat for snow and winter weather is an important consideration when it comes to protecting your garage from the icy grip of winter. The proper mat will keep damaging road salts and deicing fluids away from your bare concrete. They also prevent slip fall accidents from the water that can pool up and freeze overnight on your garage floor and they do a good job helping to keep your garage floor clean.
*** Newly Updated for 2019 ***
Manufacturers of winter snow mats and containment mats have made some improvements in the past year. As a result, we have updated this popular article to keep you informed with the latest information about the best winter mats for you to review.
Best containment mats for snow
If you live in a climate with large snow falls, then a containment mat would be the best choice by far. Unlike traditional garage floor mats, these mats are designed to hold gallons of water for those days when the bottom of your car resembles more a snow plow than your daily vehicle.
Snow, ice, and water are collected on the mat instead of your garage floor. They actually contain all the liquids that drop from the sides and bottom of your vehicle, hence the name.
After reviewing a variety of containment mats that are available, we have three different brands that we can recommend.
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Park Smart containment mat
The first is the Park Smart Clean Park containment mat. These were arguably the first actual containment mats and have been around for quite a while now. They still provide the nicest and cleanest look of the various containment mats available.
Made of polyvinyl, these mats come with plastic snap-in borders that contain the water and snow. You can remove the liquid with a wet vac, mop, or just unclip the edges near the garage door and squeegee the water and snow out to the driveway.
Available in a standard 20 mil and heavy duty 50 mil thick polyvinyl, we recommend the thicker 50 mil mat as the best choice of the two.
The 20 mil mats have developed a reputation of not holding up nearly as well to repeated use and will need to be replaced sooner.
You can find both the heavy duty 50 mil and 20 mil options here at Amazon.
One benefit of this mat is that people have had success with studded snow tires if you purchase the additional 50 mil thick protector strips
for the tires. Just lay the additional strips within the mat to provide the extra protection from the studs.
One thing we want to mention is that while these containment mats work fairly well, they don’t hold as much liquids as some of the newer designs that are available now. Also, some people have voiced frustration over having to clip the edges in for installation as well as removal of the edges for storage. There are quite a few sections to clip together depending on the size of the mat.
We feel that clipping and unclipping the edges is not that inconvenient if you are only installing and storing the mats once a year. However, there have been reports of the occasional edge that can break during this process.
Auto Floor Guard containment mat
Next on our list is the Auto Floor Guard containment mat
. These were a fairly new introduction to the market more than a few years ago now and they are still getting good reviews. In fact, the Auto Floor Guard used to be our favorite winter containment mat.
What makes these mats unique is that they are made of a very durable PVC coated Polyester Scrim fabric instead of vinyl plastic sheeting. It’s the same type of material that is used for tarps in the commercial trucking industry and makes for a tough and flexible mat. Because it is made of a fabric and not plastic sheeting, it isn’t measured in mils of thickness like vinyl mats are.
The edges of the mat are constructed of 1.25” round high density foam that is heat sealed into the mat.
This allows you to drive over the edges without damage and the tall sides will retain gallons of water from snow and ice without fear of it spilling out onto the garage floor.
These mats are less expensive than the heavy duty Park Smart mats as well and you don’t need to assemble any parts. You just roll it out, unfold it, and you are ready to go. They also roll up fairly easy to store away again for the next winter.
Auto Floor Guard has actually made some improvements to their mat for this year. The biggest change is that they are using a heavier Polyester Scrim fabric for increased durability and wear. We believe this is in response to better compete with the TruContain mat that we review below.
Along with the more durable fabric, they include a free squeegee head. Additionally, they have increased their limited warranty from 90 days to one year. Again this competes more directly with TruContain.
Lastly, they also include what they call their new Stay-Put-Corners. This is a large square piece of hook and loop Velcro that you can glue to each corner of the underside of the mat and the garage floor.
The idea of this is to keep the corners down and to prevent the mat from bunching up if you turn the wheels of your vehicle sharply in place. While it’s a novel idea, the jury is still out on this in terms of how well it actually works.
All mats come in black and have three different sizes to choose from. Compact is 7’9”x16’, Midsize is 7’9”x18’, and SUV/Truck is 8’6”x20’.
Click here for the most current pricing
One other feature that we like about the Auto Floor Guard mat is the ease of removing liquids and snow from it. It is easier than the Park Smart mat since you can squeegee water right over the rounded edges without having to unsnap anything. They are not recommended for studded snow tires however.
TruContain Containment Mat
The TruContain Containment Mat was a brand new introduction last year and is still considered the best value all the containment mats that we have reviewed to date. There are a few reasons why we like this mat even more.
Based on the same design as the Auto Floor Guard containment mat, the TruContain mats were manufactured with a heavier Polyester Scrim fabric. We could actually feel the difference when we compared the two. Now that Auto Floor Guard has increased weight of their material, the TruContain mats are now comparable in thickness
Not to be outdone, however, TruContain has now released an optional heavy duty version of their already successful standard containment mat. Called the TruContain HD, this mat is manufactured with 33% heavier Polyester Scrim fabric than their standard mats.
This newer HD mat was first tested in the harsher winter climate of Canada. The width of the mats is approximately 9” wider than standard as well. This was done in order to accommodate the width of most any vehicle.
The heat welds for the high density foam edging are very high quality also. TruContain elected to move the welds to the underside of the mat instead of the top. This produces a nicer look and does a better job of protecting the welds from the elements.
Besides the optional heavier Polyester Scrim fabric and better location of the welds, the TruContain mat also comes in a much more attractive dark grey color instead of black. As before, they include a free squeegee attachment with each mat shipped.
Finally, TruContain backs their mats with a 1 year warranty. This is all achieved at a similar price point as well. As a result, we feel TruContain is the best overall value for for a winter containment mat.
You have four different sizes to choose from. They are 7’9”x16’, 7’9”x18’, 9’x20’, and 9’x22’.
Click here for the most current pricing
The TruContain HD (heavy duty) containment mat is available in 8′.6″x18′, 8′.6″x20′ and 8′.6″x22′.
Click here for the most current pricing
One other point to consider with this style of containment mat is that it is very easy to store for the winter. Just fold it long ways and roll it up like a large sleeping bag. It’s that simple.
Attention Canadian Readers!
If you are from Canada and want to know how you can purchase one of these winter containment mats and have it shipped to you, there is now a company we can refer you to who can do this. CLICK HERE to visit their website.
Garage mats for light snow and rain
For those of you who get the occasional snow fall and don’t feel the need to contain such large amounts of water and debris, there are two more mats that are worth your consideration.
The first would be the Drymate Fabric Garage Floor Mat
. These work well at absorbing liquids from snowmelt and provide for a soft ant-slip surface.
Made with waterproof, bonded backing, these mats will not let snowmelt, road salts, or deicing fluids reach your floor. The material is made of 50% recycled fabric that can hold up to 5 times its weight in liquids.
They are available in a 7.4’x8.4’ size for small vehicles, motorcycles, or ATV’s and two sizes for cars and trucks – 7.4×17’ and 7.4×20’. You can purchase them with the best pricing and free shipping here from Amazon.
You can clean these mats with a vacuum once dry or use a wet vac on them when wet. You can also drag them onto your driveway and hose them down with soap and water if needed.
Finally there is the ribbed garage floor mat. Though technically not a containment mat for snow or water, the ribs do work at holding moderate amounts of liquid if you have a level floor.
Made of polyvinyl, they are available in a variety of sizes from 7.4’x14’ to 10’x24’ and come in a standard 55 mil or commercial 75 mil thickness. The ribs help to create an added non-slip benefit as well. You can purchase them at the best price with free shipping here from Amazon.
Best outdoor mat
With all the talk about winter mats, we thought we would update you with what we think is one of the best outdoor mats available. We purchased one of these before last winter and have been thoroughly impressed.
Debris from the bottom of your shoes falls through the slats and is neatly deposited on the floor. Just lift up the mat and sweep up or vacuum the debris away. Though a bit pricey, this mat is designed to last for years and may well be the best investment for a floor mat that you could make in the long run. You can find the price it here from Amazon
.
Final thoughts
Just remember to be smart when choosing what the best winter garage floor mat is for you. If you deal with an abundance of snow then a containment mat is what you really need. Our advice is to always purchase the heavy duty or commercial grade mat if it’s an option and your budget allows it. The few extra dollars is money well spent. We’ve heard more stories from people who purchased a cheap mat that didn’t make through the winter when others are on their third or fourth winter with the better mat.
If you only deal with light snow falls or water only, then the lighter duty mats such as the DryMate fabric mat or BLT ribbed mats should work just fine.
My husband and I bought the Auto Floor Guard mat to try this winter since we haven’t been happy with what we have used in the past. I must say that it was very easy to lay out and my husband was so impressed he ordered another one for our second car. We can both say that this mat is a good recommendation.
Thanks for the positive reply Peggy. We were made aware of this mat by some friends and family members who had started using it. As a result we had to look into it ourselves. We think they are great too and is why we decided to write about it.
I bought an Auto Floor Guard last week for my SUV. It works real well and is easy to clean out. As a tip, when pulling on to it or driving out it helps to keep your wheels straight. If you turn too much the mat will bunch up. Other than that I’m happy with it.
I like the mat, but it really does bunch up very easily. I am worried about how it will work with winter cold and ice. I am wondering if the ribbed mat on top would prevent the bunching up. I have to vac it anyway so the ribs would not be a problem.
We had the Park Smart mat for 2 years and it did an adequate job. We replaced it last month with the Auto Floor Guard mat after the tabs on one side of our Park Smart mat broke from driving on it. So far this mat is working good and it’s much easier to set up with no more edges to snap in place. It can tell it will be much easier to store as well. I agree with what Jeff said, it’s important not to turn your wheel if the car is not moving. So far I would recommend this mat.
I just bought the Auto Floor mat last month and really like it so far. My previous mat was the heavy duty version of the Park Smart which lasted almost 4 years before I made a bone head mistake and tore it up with my ATV (long story). It worked great for me. I think the Park Smart actually holds more water, but the Auto Floor is so much easier to just squeegee out that I don’t think it matters. I would wait till I had a small swimming pool with the other mat because I didn’t want to mess with the clips. I give it a thumbs up.
With the different weather conditions like snow and rain, there is the utmost need to go for the right flooring to protect our garage, our cars and even ourselves. We’ve known of Park Smart but the others are new for us, so thank you!
Well, after a lot web surfing, I’ve decided to give the AutoFloorGuard a try. Live in Minnesota, and have a lot of snow melt off the car, and even more off the snowmobile and trailer. I’m going to go with a custom size. Distance from outer edge of one tire to outer edge of tire on other side is 6 feet. With the containment edge being 1 – 1/4 inches, I was thinking about specifying a width of 7 feet, which leaves a overhang of 4 – 3/4 inches on each side. If anyone happens to read this, would you have an opinion on what amounts to a adequate overhang. My garage is a double, but it’s a smaller garage, so space is a bit of a premium. Also, is there a containment edge on all 4 edges, or just 3 ? The point being, is there an end without an edge to squeegee all the snow and water out ?
Hello Mike. These are great questions and hopefully others will respond as well. What is considered generally acceptable in the industry is to have a containment mat that is 2 feet longer and wider than the total length (bumper to bumper) and width of the vehicle (not just wheel track). This allows for a little wiggle room when pulling a vehicle in and out. It also allows for snow that can slide off the hood or roof of your vehicle and still land on the mat. The minimum you want is 1 foot longer and wider if you can help it.
Containment mats have edges all the way around to hold the water in and keep it from running out onto the garage floor. The Park Smart containment mat has snap in edges which need to be removed at one end when you want to squeegee the water and contaminants out. The design of the Auto Floor Guard containment mat lets you squeegee water right over the edge and is one of the reasons it is our favorite.
These look great but we live in hilly country ~ real Upstate NY and the sand / salt is just the worst. We have studded tires, anyone out there use these with studs? How do they hold up???
Also the amount of junk is awful – we get snow bunnies behind the tires. We try to get those off before we pull in but still…. there is some that drips off all night long.
Would love to hear from someone with a similar situation to ours!
We live in a NW Chicago suburb and have huge issues with melt-off. In addition, the garage floor has a slight slope toward the house door, so the runoff would puddle there and get everything all wet. After reviewing the choices for garage floor mats, and seeing the top pick is essentially a tarp with raised edges, my husband said we should make our own. We purchased a large tarp (approximately 24’x18′) in the heaviest PVC available. We folded it in half, and inserted a 8′-long 2×4 inside the folded edge to have a ridge that stops the water from running toward the door. Since our issue was all about the incorrect sloping toward the house, this worked perfectly. We can squeegee it off easily, customize it to exactly the size we need for my large SUV, and fold it up for easy storage in the summer. Sure, I would have liked something with clean lines like the Park Smart mat, but it was too much money and people were still frustrated. This has worked great for 2-years, with little investment. I hope this idea helps someone else who can’t find what they really need in stock products.
Your idea is not new Carrie. That is exactly how the idea of these containment mats were born. We are glad it’s working out great for you!
I have a 4 car dirt floor garage that receives a lot of runoff that can make the floor muddy. There is no easy way to change the drainage. Is there some product similar to what is shown under the heading “best outdoor mat” that could be laid on the dirt floor to prevent building residents from stepping into mud when exiting their vehicle and that would & handle the weight of a vehicle?
Hello Doug. No garage flooring manufacturer makes such a product. They are all designed to be laid on a hard surface. One possible option however is Marston Mat, also known as PSP Landing Mat (pierced steel plank). It was used extensively in WWII and is still available today. It’s stiff enough to handle the weight of a car when laid over a soft surface. Calumet Industries sells it here. We have no idea how much it costs, but it might be worth looking into. Other than that, paving with asphalt might be your cheapest solution in the long run.
Will this mat work on a garage that dips in front of the cars? I have a puddle in front or you might call it the bact garage.
Hello Robert. It depends on how much your floor dips down and whether or not it’s directly under the front of the car or out in front of the car. If the puddle is out in front of the car, then the mat will prevent water from running towards the back of the garage to that low spot. If the puddle or low spot is under the front of the car, the mat will collect the water, but not as much since the mat is in the middle of the low spot.
How do I order this? I don’t see a link to procure this product.
Hello John. There are red links in the article that will take you to the best place to order most of these products. Some even say “click here for the best price”.
I purchased the Auto Floor mat last week. I was a bit skeptical about using a mat like this but after the first storm, pushing out all kinds of snow and water that would have otherwise been on my garage floor, I’m sold. Makes we wonder why I didn’t do this sooner. It’s more than I wanted to spend but I couldn’t find a lower price.
I definitely recommend having one end close to the garage door however. It makes it real easy to clean out.
I live in Canada. How could I order floor mats in Canada or have a phone number I could call?
Hello Marie. We are in the process of updating our article. Included in our update is a website for our Canadian neighbors to purchase containment mats. Click Here and you will be directed to it!
How much for a 9′ x 16′ garage mat?
Follow the links in the article Richard in order to get prices.
We expect lot of snow where I live. My garage floor has been painted with epoxy and has embedded paint chips to make an anti-slip surface. The paint chips protrude slightly causing the floor to have a bumpy feeling. How bumpy? I can rub my hand over the floor without hurting myself. I ordered a Tru- contain containment mat and I am wondering if I should pad the underside of the mat where the car tires travel with cardboard to help protect the mat?
No need for that Larry. The TruContain mat is tough and will not be hurt by your flooring.
I am interested in purchasing one of your garage mats but i orefer to make my order over the phone. Do you have a phone numbee and address?
Hello Ralph. We don’t sell product at All Garage Floors, but we do make referrals of where you can purchase product. Since it looks like you may be from Canada, we suggest you contact these guys here since they can arrange shipment to your location.
Can any of these mats be left permanently on a concrete floor?
If so, should the floor be sealed first?
Can two or more be joined?
I guess I am asking if the whole (or most) of my 24’x24′ garage could be covered. Thanks.Roger
PS We get buried in snow in upstate NY.
Hello Roger. These mats are not designed as a permanent flooring solution. Though you could leave them down year around, they will wear out much sooner than they would for just winter use. They are laid independent of each other and cannot be joined, though we suppose they could be overlapped. If you like the idea of the ease of garage mats, we would suggest going with a full roll out mat for garage floors for year around use and then using the containment mats for the winter. This mat here from BLT is a great example.
Is there anything for draining the snow and water that comes off your car to outside of the garage? Or so one could maybe even wash his car in the garage even?
No, not really Joel. The initial design of your garage floor would determine how it drains. It would require a significant slope to get the water to move on its own like that. Some garage floors have drains and the concrete surface is sloped appropriately towards them. A popular option for some people with this type of garage is the free flowing interlocking garage floor tiles. It allows them to wash cars in their garage if they so wish. What most people do with the containment mats is align the edge of the mat near the garage door. This allows for you to easily push snow and water out the back of the mat to the driveway without moving the mat.
Do you sell the auto floor guard containment mat locally? I live about 50 miles from Albany New York and would travel to pick up the Midsize mat. Also could you give me an idea on price?
Hello John. We do not sell product nor do we know of any vendors that sell these mats from a store front. Most are purchased online. We have many links in the article with both pricing and purchase options. Shipping is generally free.
Just got Park Smart mat. Which side goes up. The shiny side it the ‘matted look” side?
Generally it is shiny side up, Mike.
We have a lot of snow here in eastern Ontario as well.My garage is not heated and the floor slopes to the side – not towards the garage door. I don’t want to squeegee the mat. How easy is it to use a shop vac to remove the water?
Thanks.
It’s not too difficult to use a shop vac, Julie, just make sure to stay up on it as the mat holds more water than you think. If you purchase a mat that is long enough, the mat can be positioned with one end right at the garage door. This would enable you to squeegee the water right out the door onto the driveway without worry of it running to the side in your garage.
We purchased a Park Smart mat last year, can’t fault it!! Didn’t know such a thing even existing until a few years ago but I highly recommend getting one with this years Winter creeping in!
Tony
My garage floor slopes slightly to the side. I am concerned that the lip will not be tall enough to contain significant amounts of snow melt. What is the height of the side and can you suggest how I can raise the sloped side for better containment. Maybe put a 1″ by 2″ strip along the edge to raise it a bit?
The edges are approximately 1″ high, Caroline. If you want to raise one side higher, you can do just as you suggested. Just be careful not to drive on the edge that has been raised.
Hello – thank you for this site. Which mat would you recommend to protect garage floors from mud and gravel? We are thinking about a mat because 1) rental house; and 2) unpaved driveway. We don’t get snow here in northern California, but some rain, and the driveway is unpaved, with just some leftover gravel. Thanks for any tips you can provide.
Hello Vita. We would recommend a G-Floor vinyl mat with the ribbed design. These are a thicker mil mat that are made in the USA. The ribbed design makes them easy to clean and they will stand up well to gravel that gets caught in the tires. You can find the 55 mil thick mats here at Amazon. Garage Flooring LLC sells the 110 mil mats here. These are twice as thick for a little more money.
My SUV has fairly big winter tires that track a lot of snow into the garage. Along with the snow comes a lot of bits of gravel that get deposited on the garage floor as the snow melts. I literally sweep up a good size pile of gravel off the floor every week in the winter. How well do the mats tolerate the gravel that gets deposited? Does the car running over the gravel on the mat cause punctures/tears/leaks in the mat? Is there any particular mat that would be better for this? Are mats warrantied against punctures/tears/leaks made by gravel?
Hello Chris. The containment mats are not warrantied for tears and punctures such as you describe. However, they can be fairly tough. The TruContain containment mats are the thickest of the two and would be the best choice. If you don’t need to contain a lot of water, the G-Floor ribbed mat would be a good choice. They are very thick and rarely get punctured by gravel in tires.
Hi! I’m getting some tire marks on my new polyaspartic garage floor. It is more noticeable where the from tires sit (probably due to the front weight). I would like to get something that I can place under the tires (mostly the fronts) on an almost permanent basis. I live in northern Illinois, but have no problem with cleaning them every so often. Any suggestions?
Hello Chris. The black tire marks should clean off fairly easily with a high performance polyaspartic coating. However, if you want something just for the front tires to park on, we would suggest a parking stop similar to these here. You could use one for each tire.