How can I repair a silicone baking mat?
We’ve had another email from our good friend Petra:
I’ve got a question about a silicone baking mat.
I have two of them, but accidentally in both of them there is a cut from a knife or pizza slicer.
Does anyone know of a method to repair these cuts?
I can’t think of something myself and also google doesn’t give any glues. So who knows…
It’s a very good question – silicone cookware seems to be *the* thing in the shops at the moment – mats, trays, cake trays – but I would worry about accidentally slicing it or whatever too.
So does anyone know how you might go about fixing one?
I have no idea if you can repair it unfortunately, I don’t think they are recyclable either, the best thing would be a reuse i think.
I would try to glue it using an industrial food-safe epoxy like Red Devil. Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work and you’re back to where you are now. In that case, I’d just cut it up for crafts.
If it is a brand that contains fiberglass (Silpat is one), there is nothing you can do with it. The fiberglass will get into your food.
A plain silicone mat can be cut down to size and used for things like pot holders, trivets, even small liners for drawers or as rug grippers.
I don’t think it contains fiberglass. It doesn’t look like that. I can still use the mats, but it would be better if they were without the cuts.
I was thinking, would it be possible to sew them? And if so, with what kind of thread?
Sew it with dental floss! Make sure to use unwaxed and unflavored for best results.
Nice idea. Is dental floss heat resistant?
I googled it, and came across a page that said it was made with Teflon. If that’s the case, then it should be fine.
Thanks. Today I sewed it with dental floss and used it for the first time in the oven. It seems to do fine. Very smart solution!
Sugru might work too.
What is sugru?
I don’t believe sugru is food-safe at the moment, but I believe they are working on it.
Petra – sugru is a RTV silicone compound with self-adhesive which is very popular in the maker/hacker community (see https://sugru.com/)
I had this problem with a silicone cake tin. I just slip some baking paper in the corner with the cut and it works perfectly.
Is that expensive?You can buy silicone adhesive to fix it.
SILICONE IS DIFFICULT TO GLUE. Its expensive to buy proper adhesive for silicone.
You might get away with silicone rubber for mold making (RTV). as silicone only sticks to itself and nothing else.
ps…USE ONLY FOODSTUFF SAFE RTV.!