Cargo Liner DIY for $30, nice, by Mawgie (newbie): 2st Post, second MOD write up

[Mawgie]

Folks-

My canine companion is a Labrador Retriever named Diesel. He likes dirt, and likes gettin' dirty. I wanted to get a cargo liner right away, designed with the following in mind:

1) no 3rd row seats or sliding cargo deck;
2) I wanted a rubbery texture, not a slippery plastic, "tupperware" liner, which can cause the dog to slip, is fugly, and seems way less expensive to make than what they charge for them;
3) waterproof, but I didn't want a lip where the rear section meets the tailgate, as that could interfere with the dog loading/unloading.

I couldn't find anything I liked from Husky, Weathetech, etc., so I decided to go it alone. Step one, buy these............

 

[Mawgie]

The tiles have a nice, rubbery texture for dog traction, and so loose objects don't slide around. Also, the tiles are very dense. There is no way a dog's toenail would cut this stuff. I bought a package of 6 tiles, each is 18" x 18". I found them at Home Depot. $23. Here is Diesel taking a trial sit down.

 

[Mawgie]

Those shears in the picture above are only for nipping off the leftover "ears" on finished ends. For the real cutting of the tile, use a brand new utility knife blade.

The tiles snap together with the assistance of a rubber mallet. After curring my shape out and test fitting it, I flipped it over on the garage floor and applied Gorilla tape on all the seams. I cleaned the seams with rubbing alcohol first, and heated the tiles with a heat gun for a good tape seal. It is rock solid. If you wanted to go to the next step, you could add a bead of RTV to the tile seam, then put the Gorilla tape on. I didn't think that was necessary.

Here is the finished mat installed.

 

[Mawgie]

I added two Quick CLips, one to each of the front cargo tie downs. Then, I carefully cut two slots in the cargo liner, threaded the clips through, and ran a bungee between the clips. Now, the mat is secured in place, I have a handy bungee ready to use, and the cargo tie down points remain fully functional. Clip detail pics..........

 

[Mawgie]

All done. Works extremely well. Highly recommended and dirt cheap. The Diesel loves his liner.....

 

[RedSled]

I like it, I am going to look in to some.

 

[Rushca01]

I like it a lot. Never thought about this as a less expensive alternative.

 

[Mawgie]

Thanks RedSled-

Took me a couple of hours overall. Straightforward and fun little project. You could flare the ends out at the rear to cover the floorspace betwen the back of the rear wheelwells and the liftgate, but I didn't because that area is already plastic, weatherproofed, and indented to hold loose stuff. Also, the cargo liner is plenty heavy eough to stay put, so I didn't think I had to "index" it over the rear cargo attachment points to hold it in place like I did at the front. Might be a good idea for someone with different needs, though.

 

[Jeremy556]

I did similar recently when I removed my sliding tray. They have a anti fatigue floor mat on a roll. Similar material, but about 2-3 times as thick and softer. It is nearly sticky, so things don't slide around at all, and cushions cargo bouncing over bumps.

 

[Mawgie]

RushCa01-

I was all set to slap the trigger on some digital fit Weathertech or Husky cargo liner solution. I just didn't like the slick, plasticky tupperware feel.

 

[Mawgie]

Jeremy556-

I looked at Lowe's, Home Depot and Tractor Supply for a roll type product like you used. Would have been nice, but I couldn't locally find it. I also tried looking for area type mats/rugs, but none were large enough to cut down except for a gigantic stall mat that was too thick and too expensive and looked like it would be really tough to cut without using profanity.

 

[SigSense]

Good job, Diesel approves.