Installation Instructions
Find your product below. Most installs take ten minutes and need nothing more than a tape measure and a good pair of scissors.
Empty the cabinet or drawer, wipe it out, and make sure the surface is completely dry. If there is any moisture at all, run a fan in there until it is fully aired out. Sealing damp wood under a mat traps the moisture and invites mold this is the single most common installation mistake.
If the base is rotted or has a hole bigger than about two inches, repair it before the mat goes in. Pick up a sheet of sanded plywood or poplar, one-eighth to one-quarter inch thick, have it cut to size, and drop it in. The mat protects against future leaks; it is not a structural repair.
Under-Sink Cabinet Mat - Cutting Around Plumbing
This is the install for a standard under-sink cabinet mat that needs to fit around supply lines and a drain.
1. Prep the cabinet
Empty it, clean it, and confirm it is completely dry. Reinforce the base first if there is rot bigger than about two inches.
2. Confirm the fit before you measure anything
Check that the mat actually fits your cabinet - slide it in the front, or measure the opening. Once you've confirmed it, lay the mat on the floor directly in front of the cabinet in the same orientation it will sit.
3. Measure your pipes
Pick one side left or right and measure from that same side every time. Switching sides partway through is how holes end up in the wrong place.
For each pipe you have supply lines, drain, whatever is in there take two measurements:
- From your chosen side wall to the center of the pipe.
- From the front of the cabinet back to the center of the pipe.
Transfer both measurements onto the mat and mark the center point of each hole.
4. Double check before you cut
Slide the marked mat into the cabinet as far as it will go and eyeball it. Do your marks line up under the pipes? Adjust now. Nothing about this step is undoable once you start drilling.
5. Drill the holes
Use a step bit or bore bit matched to your pipe diameter a half-inch bit for a half-inch supply line, a two-inch bit for a two-inch drain. Put a two-by-four or a cardboard box underneath the mat so you don't drill into your floor or countertop, then cut your holes.
6. Time to cut
From each hole, run a razor blade out to the back edge of the mat or out to the side, if your plumbing sits close to one side.
Yes, you will be cutting clear through the raised wall of the mat. That is intended. The slit is what lets the mat wrap snugly around the pipe as you slide it into place. You'll seal it in the next step.
7. Seal it up
- Mark the pipe location. Set the mat in the cabinet and mark where the pipe sits.
- Cut the opening. Cut a hole slightly smaller than the pipe. Then cut a straight slit from the nearest back or side edge to the hole. Use a sharp blade so the edges fit tightly back together.
- Fit the mat. Spread the slit open, slide the mat around the pipe, and press the cut edges back together.
- Clean and prime. Clean both cut edges and the underside of the mat along the slit with rubbing alcohol, and let them dry. Brush the activator onto both cut edges and wait about one minute.
- Tape the seam. Lift the mat and place a strip of butyl tape, sticky side up, where the slit will sit. Keep the foil or film backing facing down so the mat does not stick to the cabinet. Line up the cut edges and push the mat firmly down onto the tape so the edges meet tightly.
- Glue the slit. Run a thin line of glue along the entire slit, from the pipe opening all the way up the wall of the mat. Let it soak into the seam, wipe away any excess, and let it set.
- Seal around the pipe. Clean the pipe and the mat surface where they meet. Run a bead of silicone around the pipe and smooth it with a damp finger.
- Let it cure. Wait 24 hours before using the cabinet or getting the area wet.
Under-Sink Cabinet Mat - Trimming the Edges
This applies to our standard under-sink cabinet mat not the trimmable liner, which has its own instructions below.
How much you can safely trim
You can take up to one-quarter inch off any side without damaging the wall. The wall rises, runs over about a quarter inch, and comes back down to form a finished edge that quarter inch is your safe margin on the left, right, front, or back.
What order to trim in
- Left and right sides first. These hide behind the cabinet walls, so nobody sees them.
- The back next. The cabinet hides this one too.
- The front last. That's the factory finished edge you look at every time you open the doors.
When to touch the front edge
Only as a last resort. But if you need that extra quarter inch to make the mat fit, take it going up to a half inch total between the front and the back is fine, and it beats dropping down to a vanity-depth mat and losing coverage.
How to cut
Strong kitchen scissors or utility scissors are the safer choice.
A razor blade can skate sideways in an instant and slice into the wall and if you nick that wall, you've lost the whole point of the mat, which is containing water. If you do use a blade, flip the mat upside down and run it against a ruler or a long straight edge.
Trimmable Cabinet Liner
1. Prep
Empty the cabinet and make sure the floor is completely dry. Run a fan in there if there's any moisture.
2. Repair first if needed
Rot, or a hole bigger than about two inches, gets a sheet of sanded plywood or poplar an eighth to a quarter inch thick, cut to size dropped in first.
3. Try it before you cut it
Many cabinets take the liner exactly as it comes. Test-fit it first. If you do need to size it down, measure twice and cut once, using a razor blade or heavy-duty kitchen scissors.
4. The one rule that matters
That wall is what contains a leak instead of letting it run off onto your cabinet or your floor. Cut inside it and the liner no longer holds water.
Installing in a vanity? There is a second line running across the back of the liner. Trim to the outside of that line for vanity depth.
Drawer Liner
1. Prep the drawer
Empty it, wipe it out, and clear any debris.
2. Measure
Measure the inside width and depth of the drawer with the tape measure laid flat across the top of the drawer not down in the base.
Flexing the tape up from the bottom to read it is how you end up an eighth of an inch short. Lay it flat across the top.
3. Mark the liner
Lay the liner flat on the counter and mark your measurements. If you want to keep the logo, position it at the front corner and measure from there. If you'd rather not have it, just set your mark so the logo trims away.
4. Trim
Measure twice, cut once. Most drawers need a little off the front, a little off the back, and one or two sides. Some longer drawers take the liner as it comes.
5. Save your offcuts
Don't cut the excess into small pieces. Those strips often fit a shallower drawer somewhere else in the kitchen.
Trash Can Cabinet Liner
1. Prep
Pull the trash cans out and wipe down the cabinet floor.
2. Measure
Measure the width and the depth of the cabinet base.
3. Set up your cut
Lay the liner flat on the counter with a piece of cardboard underneath it so your razor doesn't mark the countertop or the floor.
4. Cut and install
Mark your measurements, measure twice, and cut to size with a utility knife or utility scissors. Drop it into the base of the cabinet and you're done.
Appliance Mat
No trimming required. You ordered to your appliance width, so it arrives ready to use.
This mat is not meant to go underneath the refrigerator, and the appliance should never rest on it. Slide the mat back until it meets the appliance feet and tucks just under the front doors. That's the correct position.
Whenever you clean the floor
Let the floor dry completely before the mat goes back down. Trapped moisture is bad news on hardwood, and it will darken grout on tile.
Cleaning the mat
Wash with soap and water. Dry the back thoroughly before setting it back in place.
RV Step Mat
Where these go
These are made for the inside of your RV, not for the exterior while you're driving, and they cannot be fastened to the steps. If you're parked and stationary, you're welcome to lay them on the exterior steps too.
If your steps are bare factory metal enameled or painted, with no grip tapedo not install the mat until you've added grip tape with a rough surface. A rubber mat sitting on a smooth metal step can slide if there's any moisture underneath, and that's how someone gets hurt. The grip tape keeps the mat planted as you walk in and out.
Fitting
No trimming required. They sit in place and lift right off whenever you want them out.
Water Sensor
Where to use them
We recommend one with every under-sink mat, but they work all over the house:
- HVAC closet — near the overflow pipe or clean-out. Catches condensation or a thawing freeze-up.
- Behind the toilet — at the supply line.
- Under the dishwasher — under screw the bottom kick plate and slide one underneath.
- Behind the washer — at the laundry supply lines.
- Behind the refrigerator — if you have an ice maker line. A classic spot for slow damage.
Placement inside a cabinet
Mats with a designated sensor spot: just set it in there.
The trimmable liner has no set location, so put it near where the supply valves come out of the wall and close to the sink drain. That's where slow drips from a P-trap or a failing valve show up first.
How it works
Two metal prongs on the base complete a circuit when water touches them, setting off a siren around 100 decibels loud enough to hear through a closed cabinet door. To silence it, simply lift it out of the water.
Battery and replacement
The battery is sealed and rated for about two years from purchase. After that, the sensor should be disposed of and replaced.
If you come home to one already alarming, replace it. There's no way to know how long it was sounding or how much battery is left.
Cleaning & Care
All of our mats and liners clean the same way: soap and water. Lift the mat out, wash it in the kitchen sink or hose it off outside if it's really grimy then dry it thoroughly, especially the back, before setting it back in place.
Drying the back matters more than anything else in this section. A mat set back down wet traps that water against the cabinet floor, which is exactly the problem the mat exists to prevent.
Drawer liners and trash can liners: lift out, wash in the sink, dry, reinstall.
Appliance mats: wash with soap and water, dry the back, and make sure the floor itself is dry before the mat goes back down.
RV step mats: soap and water, dried thoroughly front and back.
Still not sure?
Call us at 407-392-0950 or email customerservice@xtrememats.com.
Measure twice, cut once and if you're unsure about a cut, call before you make it.