I need a new fondant mat (have used the cheap Wilton one for some time now) and need your suggestions on what brand, type, size, where to purchase, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I like the plastic 'fabric' you can get in craft and sewing stores.

Inexpensive and sturdy.

I've been using the "green quilting mats" that are self-healing and I love them. They are great to roll the fondant out on -- I just use a little powdered sugar and don't have problems with sticking. I can cut shapes on them without worrying about cutting the mat. I bought two sizes at Hobby Lobby using 40% off coupons, so they were really reasonable.

I'm with JoAnnB! I love my cheap vinyl I purchased in the Walmart fabric dept.!!

Here is another vote for the Vinyl in the fabric section. I picked up one yard at the local wal-mart of the medium weight and cut it in half when I got home, works great!

I love my ateco fondant work mat. It is really large and silicone, so sticking is not a problem. It can be a little pricier than vinyl from the fabric store (which I have not tried) but it is worth every penny to me. If you do a little searching you can find it for $30 + range.

Thank you so much for starting this thread. I have been wondering where I could get a more sturdy mat than the Wilton one. I will most likely get the vinyl.

Ok, going to Wal-Mart straight from work. Cant wait to try this.

Have a mentioned how much I LOVE this website?

I was using an old tupperware mat that had circle sizes on it for pie crusts. It was heavy and didn't shift around and I was using and still use for small stuff a set of those disposable cutting boards.

HOWEVER... I got a yard of heavy vinyl at Joann's before I did my last fondant cake and I now wonder what took me so long. It was wonderful!

I can lay it over any diagrams and easily see them. Great stuff!

Thank you all so much for your advice. I was ready to purchase a $50 fondant mat online and wanted to see if there were any other suggestions out there before I spent the money. I will try the vinyl and see how that goes.

Thanks again for the responses!

Ok..had to pull this up and comment..again. I bought the vinyl, and I LOVE IT! Oh, my goodness..it saved me so much time. It lays out perfectly flat, nothing stuck to it. Used it this weekend and last night. It used to take me an hour to roll out enough MMF to cover a cake, last night I rolled it once, flipped the mat over the cake and wahlah!!! It was done. Ran out to the living room told DH & DS about it and they are like, yeah we can get you a Christmas gift that is under a buck...whatever. I LOVE VINYL!

I'm in need of a fondant mat also, after my Ateco mat, which I love! - got a 2" crack in it. Not sure how that happened; I wasn't even cutting in that area or direction! How thick is the vinyl you're using? I picked some up once, I guess it was a medium weight and it wouldn't roll out flat and had crease marks that wouldn't come out... maybe it was too thin?

I like my mat from Creative Cutters. It is huge and is so thick and never slides. You do not need to put any crisco or powdered sugar on it. A huge step up from the cheap Wilton mat.

This was my first purchase, I got the heaviest duty one. It was the most expensive too, but it was $1.77 for a yard of it. Worth every penny. The wal-mart craft section has their vinyl divided by color for weight, I got the black. No seems, or anything on the cake.

I love my Ateco mat also, it was a good investment.

beachcakes, I use the medium weight vinyl. It was less than $3/yd. If I get creases in it, I just run hot water over it for a minute and no more creases! I also dampen my workspace slightly before placing my vinyl mat down. This keeps it flat and prevents it from sliding around while I'm using it.

I also use the vinyl purchased at Walmart. It works great. Lifting it up and turning it on to the cake is awesome, my time is cut in half. And so inexpensive. Probably the cheapest cake tool I've bought to date.

beachcakes -

one of the keys to not having creases is to keep your vinyl rolled when not using it. I have had many discussions with my husband about laying stuff on top of my vinyl and squishing it.

My instructor actually suggested rolling out fondant between 2 sheets of the vinyl and even though I have only covered 2 cakes in fondant, it worked out great for me - the flexibility of being able to move your fondant around while centering it on the cake is fabulous since the fondant won't come off the vinyl until you work it off.

Thanks for the tips on the vinyl! I have been able to use the Ateco mat in the same manner, although it's not see-through, I'm just bummed that I spent $30+ on it and it cracked! Don't know how b/c I keep it rolled. strange. I'll have to check out the vinyl next time I'm near a walmart!

I have been using an old Tupperware mat with the pie crust circles as well and I've been relatively happy with it. I am very intrigued with the idea of the clear vinyl though. Do you still need to dust it with something or do things just not stick to it like a Silpat?

Another walmart vinyl fan here. I cut a small 12" by 12" piece off what I bought, that way if I just need to make some smaller items, I'm not pulling out (and having to wash) the big one.

I use an empty paper towel (Viva of course) tube to store it. I just roll it a little tighter than the tube, and stick it in. The vinyl is bigger than the tube, so it sticks out of the ends - very easy to see and to get out!

I love my Ateco blue silicone mat. It comes in a 2 foot x 3 foot length and I cut the last foot off to make a square (much easier to handle.) I also use a smearing of Crisco on it to make life easier and I've had no problems at all!!

I'm another Ateco fan.

Beachcakes, I think you should contact Ateco and ask for a replacement. A place with good customer service will stand by its product. You have nothing to lose by asking.

MaryAnn