I read this post by phasfit and went with it:
I bought two 3'x4' mats for $15. each at Lowe's. Used one for rear and one for front when back seats are down. Measured and cut to fit. The mats have a 1" border of plain rubber that I cut off first. they are easier to cut with the rubber side up using a straight edge and utility knife. And pencil marks show up on rubber side.

This is the rear mat. I made a pattern from paper for curved part and transferred it to mat.

The mat for front part I left full size except for cutting off border and two small notches on bottom.

If you don't want it to roll up the rear seat back, you can cut it shorter. I thought it would keep stuff from getting into the crease.


I left the front mat full size so I could leave it up to protect front seat backs or fold it down over seats out of way.




When not in use you can roll up the front part and keep it in back.


Reverse side is rubber, so you can just flip it over. Label says you can vac, sweep or remove and hose off.

For the 69/40 split I cut a strip on rear mat. I suppose you could cut the front mat in half. I never have people in rear seats so that's not an issue for me. That's it. Took more time for this post than it did to make the liner. I know it's not for everyone, but it's an inexpensive, pretty easy alternative to buying a retail cargo liner. After all, there's so many other things to spend money on for our Fits.

 

Wow! that looks fantastic!! Is there any way you can post specific measurements of your cuts/dimensions? I think I'm going to do this too! NICE JOB!!

 

Awesome! Excellent idea and good post.

 

nice work, any thought of anchoring? buttons maybe?

 

Best I can do. You can see what goes where? Right?




To get the bottom curve, I laid a piece of paper down inside trunk and pressed my fingers along edge, then marked with pencil and cut paper for pattern. That was the first cut into mat I made. Remember, it's easier to cut on rubber side!

 

I am gonna copy this and maybe some other materials that work as well or even better. Thanks for the DIY.

 

Sweet I did this for my DA long time ago. great way (and cheap) to keep the rear hatch clean

 

I used a vinyl mat like this...


I cut it to fit and it even has the teeth on the bottom so it doesn't slide around.
Works great for loading/unloading dog cages out of the back. Cost me $20 at Walmart.

 

Awesome! What a neat job!

 

How the devil did you cut that material? That would be great for rough stuff.

 

AV3 snips cut it easily.

 

Thanks! Just happen to have a set.

 

I did the same thing the original poster did. home depot like...20 bucks i think. does that vinyl mat cause glare?

 

glare? no definitely not.
I do have tinted windows but even without tinted windows I really don't see how it would.

 

Thanks so much for the instructions! I did an exact copy. The yellow stains are from the chalk I used when drawing lines to determine where to cut the carpet.



With the rubber side of the carpet up

 

Maybe I'm late to the party, but here's my contribution: If you want to get that rear edge perfect, just take the spare tire cover off and trace it directly onto the mat. There are two clips on either side near where it hinges that just pop right off!

I actually traced the spare tire cover directly and then added 2 3/8" on each side. You won't have the 2 1/2" "tabs" on either side where it overlaps the seat, but you can either plan for it (use Cardinal's measurements and then just trace the spare tire cover on the back edge)

or just make sure the other mat for the back of the seats is wide enough to cover when they are flat - I don't think getting that little corner of the seats dirty with the seats up is a major concern...at that point whatever muddy object in the trunk is probably gunking up the whole back of the seat

I enlisted the assistance of my wife who has some sort of rotary cutter for her sewing projects...it's like a little razor-sharp pizza cutter. Made the cutting REALLY easy...especially the curved back edge - just held the spare tire cover down on the mat and used it as a gate to guide the rotary cutter.

Great idea, Cardinal - and a lot cheaper than the "professional" covers!

 

Good idea jzerocsk!

The mats been working great for me. When it gets dirty, I just lift it out and give it a few shakes.

 

All...who have contributed. Thanks so much for the tips and DIY info. I did this in about 20 minutes with a $15 shop mat that I picked up at Lowes. Definitely looks great and save a pretty penny compared to the cargo mats available on the market. Now I can take that money and put it to use elsewhere...

 

I made a mat following your design and it works great - almost. How are you holding the front flap up on the back of the seats? I tried velcro - but it won't stick to the back of the seats. It keeps coming un-stuck and flopping down. Cheers

 

I don't. The front flap has flopped since the second day I installed it. (Possibly right after I took the picture.)

I do have a small cardboard box filled with emergency and potentially useful items pushed against the back of the rear seat on the right side and a rolled up and tied, small blanket on the left side, which keeps it in place.

The cardboard box does slide and I have to push it back into place now and then. It's been close to three years and I just deal with it. I used to think of cutting the piece off, but it does keep small stuff out of the crevice.

After looking back at the pics, I see that I had the front mat rolled and stored against the back seatback. That worked. But, I used the front mat so infrequently that I no longer keep it in the car.