Aldi Grass Mat

Started by steve_holmes_11, 02 March 2019, 09:53:42 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

steve_holmes_11

The Good Germans of Aldi will be stocking a new range of garden stuff next week.

Included in the offers is their artificial grass carpet at £6.99.
Add a splash of colour to your patio or balcony they say.

I'll be adding the colour to my dining table instead.
The mat is 1 x 2 metres and can be cut to size.
The top is a fairly coarse grass green, not bad for a gaming surface.
The backing is a heavy latex, too robust to consider sticking hills under the carpet.
It rolls up for easy storage.

I got myself one last year, and will get another this time to use with a grid.

Steve J

Thanks for the 'heads up' Steve and will pop by our local one to check them out. Looks to be very useful :).

Glorfindel

Thank you - this could be a real winner.  I don't suppose you have any
pics of the surface ?   I'm being very lazy and should just pop down and
have a look myself....


Phil

Raider4

Aldi website. Not in the shops 'til next Sunday.

steve_holmes_11

Quote from: Raider4 on 03 March 2019, 04:23:11 PM
Aldi website. Not in the shops 'til next Sunday.

Thanks, I should have mentioned the release date - tucked away in the top margin of their booklet.

No photos to hand yet, I'll see about taking the box brownie down to my store of gaming things.

The mat is fairly stiff backed and the surface is quite coarse.
It is designed for outdoor use on patios and other hardstanding to create a grass effect.
It's also a little greener than I'd ideally like.
Creative types might manage to remedy that with a rattlecan or airbrush.

It certanly won't be as flexible or good looking as a £40 battle mat, but it was a better match for my budget.

Sunray

Thanks Steve - tip offs like this are much appreciated !  :)

grahambeyrout

I have used these for some time and they do make a very easy base mat straight out of the box so to speak. There are a number of disadvantages however 1) They do look a
a bit coarse for 10mm. 2) the colour is a a bit vivid and 3) because of the thick rubber backing they are thick, not easy to shape. Making hills etc with them is problematical. Otherwise they are well worth a look, especially for the price and if you want a bit of roll up temporary terrain..   

Sunray

Quote from: grahambeyrout on 04 March 2019, 10:09:40 AM
I have used these for some time and they do make a very easy base mat straight out of the box so to speak. There are a number of disadvantages however 1) They do look a
a bit coarse for 10mm. 2) the colour is a a bit vivid and 3) because of the thick rubber backing they are thick, not easy to shape. Making hills etc with them is problematical. Otherwise they are well worth a look, especially for the price and if you want a bit of roll up temporary terrain..   

Granted but -
cut up with craft knife and use for -

1. Swamps
2. Areas of bush grass- supplement with fish pond artificial weeds.
3. Spray or add a yellow wash to dull the colours 

Leman

Underpants for Bamber Grassgroin and a great name for a German mercenary captain - Aldi Grassmat.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

GrumpyOldMan

Hello

If you're only after a small amount of artificial turf for crops, jungle etc just use the free sample system. I've done it here in Oz and I can see that it's available in the UK, a few I found with a quick search:-

https://www.grass247.co.uk/free-samples/

https://www.newlawn.co.uk/free-artificial-grass-samples/



Cheers

GrumpyOldMan

Techno

Nice one, again, Vic.  :-bd

Cheers - Phil

steve_holmes_11


steve_holmes_11

The grass mat is now in the shops, I've purchased my second one and cut down the first one to match my table size.

Observations and tips:

The mat is available in two colours, green and dark green.
Green looked good to me, but have a good rummage.
Don't just grab the one off the top of the pile.

The grass is a manmade fibre with a consistency similar to a woolen cardigan.
The grass is rather deep compared to a typical game, mat, but does not stick up like a static grass

The backing is sufficiently thick to make draping the mat over the sides of a table a problem.
I have cut mine down to size.

The mat benefits from being reverse rolled before cutting (grass on the inside).
This eliminates the tendency to curl up when laid out, and avoids fluff, dust and bits sticking to the flocked side.

I did my cutting on the garage floor and the mat picked up a lot of fluff.
The parcel tape that keeps the mat rolled is useful for picking this back off

Cutting is fairly simple.
The rubber backing is quite thin and easily cut with a light stroke of a Stanley knife (other brands are available) and a straight edge.
After the first cut I found it useful to fold each side down and then gently slice through the "grass" that remains knitted together.

The rubber backing is embossed with a pattern of dots which are useful for keeping any cuts at right angles.

I had planned to use the offcuts for irregular terrain shapes - stacked for hills, or alone as fields and forest bases.
The main offcut turns out to be 60cm by a metre, so ideal for more compact games.
The other offcut is only 90cm wide. It might possibly provide hedges with some cunning trimming.

As above: if money is no object, this is no substitute for a top of the range gaming mat.
If you're counting the Thalers / Reals / Escudos / Rupees, then this is a handy playing surface.

Leman

So foreign wargamers tend to be poor then.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

steve_holmes_11

Quote from: Leman on 12 March 2019, 10:52:37 AM
So foreign wargamers tend to be poor then.

It all depends how successfully they negotiate with their mercenaries.