How to cut fall protection panels - Cutting fall protection mats to size
When laying safety mats and other floor tiles made of PU-bonded rubber granules, you reach the point where the tiles need to be cut. This can be a straight cut to cut off the overhang at the edge of the surface. It can be an incision or cut-out to create a passage for a post.
In principle, fall protection mats or other slabs made of rubber granulate can be processed in a similar way to solid wood. They can be sawn precisely, mitre cuts can be made, the material can be drilled and even milled. With the right tools, you can cut quickly and safely.
Simply cut with a sharp knife or a suitable saw
You don't need to be a specialist or craftsman to cut rubber granulate slabs, i.e. fall protection slabs, balcony decking or patio slabs, cleanly and precisely.
As a rule, a sharp knife or a saw with a suitable saw blade is completely sufficient. If you then measure precisely and perhaps even work according to a laying plan, there's not much that can go wrong.
For more complex cuts, such as precisely fitting a natural stone wall, it is helpful to first make a template out of cardboard and then transfer it to the granulate sheet.
A cutting disc or metal saw, a "hot wire", a tile cutter or similar are unsuitable for cutting fall protection mats to size.
A few practical tips for cutting fall protection mats and rubber granulate slabs
Measure and mark out
Measure exactly where you need to cut the panel.
For panel types with an integrated connection system, the interlocking of the panels at the edge must be taken into account.
Mark the cutting line on the panel. Use a piece of chalk, a chalk pen or a marker.
For more complex cuts, you should first make a precisely fitting template from cardboard and then transfer the cutting line to the panel.
Set stop or guide
For safe cutting, the panel to be cut should be placed on a stable base. The panel should be positioned so that the tool does not get jammed between the panel sections during cutting.
Cutting is best when the blade or saw can slide along a stable guide. Guide rails are supplied with many circular hand saws. However, a straight bar made of wood or metal is also sufficient for a clean, straight cut.
Cutting with a knife
Use a very sharp knife with a stable blade.
The knife must fit well in the hand and be safe to use.
Pull the knife along a ruler with quick movements and light pressure. The knife penetrates deeper into the panel with each cut.
Working with the knife requires some practice. There is a real risk of cutting your finger and seriously injuring yourself!
Cutting with the circular saw
Use a saw blade for rubber or a coarsely toothed saw blade for wood.
The saw blade should work at slow or medium speed.
If it smells of rubber or smokes when cutting - the saw is running too fast!
If available: Use the guide rail for straight cuts
Cutting with the jigsaw
Use a saw blade for rubber or a coarsely toothed saw blade for wood.
The saw blade should work at slow or medium speed.
You can make straight cuts with the jigsaw, but it is also ideal for cutting cut-outs for posts or curved lines.
Cut-outs and diffusers
Cut-outs and openings can be cut precisely with a sharp knife or a jigsaw.
Before cutting, the dimensions should be transferred to the panel with chalk or a marker.
When measuring, take into account the thermal expansion of rubber granulate slabs. The air temperature during installation should be around 17 °C and the slabs should not be laid in direct sunlight.
How to cut the panels for the edge of the surface
As a rule, the dimensions of the areas on which fall protection mats, terrace tiles or other WARCO tiles are laid make it necessary to cut the tiles to size in the edge area.
It looks particularly good when the edge of a surface is cut symmetrically, i.e. the first panel in a row of panels is the same size as the last panel in the row.
This attractive laying pattern can be easily achieved by halving one tile per row. You then start the row with one half of the tile and lay the second half at the end. If the dimensions of the surface do not match, do not cut this tile in half, but cut out a centre piece to create two equally sized edge pieces.