Our Most Frequently Asked Questions

Both eliminate lake weeds. The difference is — a MuckMat Pro holds you up on mucky lakebeds. LakeMat Pros won’t hold you up very well, they’re meant to kill weeds on fairly firm lakebeds, or for areas where you don’t intend to walk but want to be weed-free.

All our framed Mats are made to control lake weeds. 

All (except LakeMat Pros) are made to support weight on mucky bottoms.

They’re large mats that rest on your lake bottom, creating instant, firm, weed-free areas. They’re made of tough, geotextile fabric on rugged aluminized-steel frames.

Yes, they’re always in stock. Mats ship —Free— via UPS and typically take three days.

The steel frames hold all Lacey Mats firmly on your lake bottom. For example: an XL MuckMat Pro weighs 72 lbs, much heavier than a cell phone. But if you drop your phone in the lake, it will sink — as my nephew, Tim, found out the hard way.

The short answer is: gravity. 

Yes you can! Our factory is located at:

9860 Cherry Valley Ave

Unit #5

Caledonia, MI, 49316

(Southeast of Grand Rapids)

Call ahead to schedule pick up

(616)340-1263

Yes. We also have discounts for groups and lake associations.

We also give Veteran Discounts

Call (616) 293-9101

MuckMat Pros are large mats that rest on your lake bottom, creating on instant, firm, weed-free area to walk on without sinking in muck. Made of tough, geotextile fabric, reinforced with geogrid on a rugged steel frame, they come in three sizes: Medium 12’x14’ - Large 12’x19’ - Extra Large 12’x24’.

Yes, MuckMat Pros are made to hold sand. Two to three inches of sand is all you need to have a natural looking, natural feeling lake bottom.

You can use pea stone gravel instead of sand. This makes an attractive bedding area for fish. Fish loved pea stone - but your bare feet may not.

LakeMat Pros are large mats that rest on your lake bottom that eliminate all your lake weeds exactly where you want. Made of tough, nonwoven geotextile fabric on a rugged aluminum-coated, steel frame, they come in three sizes: Medium 12’x14’ - Large 12’x19’ - Extra Large 12’x24’.

Several reasons. Our fabric — frames — design — and our guarantee!

LakeMat Pro’s fabric —

Our exclusive, gas-permeable fabric allows gases like methane to pass through. Other mats are made of materials that trap gases; they tend to float. LakeMat Pro fabric is made specifically for underwater use. Others use various types of plastic sheeting.

LakeMat Pro’s frame —

Our frame is smooth, aluminized steel enclosed in the Mat fabric. Others have you buy rebar to insert. Rebar is rusty, has sharp ends, it’s soft, bends easily and rebar splinters are a bummer. Some want you to pour sand in their mats; they send you a funnel.  

LakeMat Pro’s design —

Our patented system assembles in 5 minutes. The frame holds LakeMat Pro square, taunt and firmly on lake bottoms and allows you to move it easily.

LakeMat Pro’s 10-Year, 100% Guarantee —

Our superior materials and patented design make LakeMat Pro the finest lake weed control mat, by a country mile. They’re built to last.

LakeMat Pro is the finest weed control mat, not the cheapest

Which would you rather have: the best or the cheapest? We choose to be the highest quality. Others choose to be cheaper.

MuckMat Pro is unique. There’s nothing else like it, so there’s nothing to compare it to. If you want an instant firm, weed-free lake bottom, MuckMat Pro is your solution. Promise.

Muck pellets are bacteria that eat dead weeds, fish poop and other organic material. Your muck is 1/4 to 1/3 organic material — the rest is small soil particles — commonly called “dirt.” What eats dirt? Nothing, that’s why it’s called dirt. Bacteria don’t eat dirt.

If your muck is three feet deep and the muck pellets digest all the organic material (it takes a few years) — you’ll still have two feet of muck left. During summer, a cubic foot of water holds one-trillion of these bacteria. Why add more?

Yes. Ice and won’t hurt them. They won’t float away over the winter. Just leave them in at least 18-inches of water. Lacey Mats have been setting in lakes since 2009. They’re all fine, yours will be too.

You can take them out if you need to.

No, but it’s a good idea for a few reasons. 

First, once you move it you’ll reveal a clean, clear, natural lake bottom with no weeds. It’s much nicer (and more interesting) to look at a real lake bottom rather than a Mat.

Second, you’ll get rid of a lot more weeds over the summer. If you leave an XL LakeMat Pro in one place, it covers close to 300 square feet. If you move it once a month you’ll have about 1,500 square feet of weed-free area by August.

Third, moving it through the water washes much of the sediment off that’s landed on it. If enough sediment builds up over time, it creates a base for weeds to start growing on top.

On average, you should move it once a month throughout the growing season. It takes four about weeks for submergent weeds (that grow underwater) to die and decay completely. There are many factors, like: the types of weeds, time of year, the amount of sunlight, water depth, water clarity, dissolved oxygen levels in the water, even water temperature. But on average, once a month.

The area where you’ve placed-and-moved a LakeMat Pro will remain weed-free for the rest of the season. One study determined areas treated with benthic barriers remain 95% weed-free through the rest of the year.

For LakeMat Pro, the easiest way is to move it through the water. Or, you can use a push broom or a squeegee to sweep it off right in the lake. MuckMat Pros are usually left in a place where you want to walk. Many owners put sand on them so they usually don’t need cleaning. Sweeping off a MuckMat Pro is the simplest way to clean it. But anything that moves water, like underwater pumps, or even a garden hose (with enough pressure) will blow the sediment off.

The common sense rule of thumb is, if it’s “seasonal,” like a swim raft, you don’t need a permit because it’s only temporary. If it’s “permanent,” like a seawall, you do a permit. Boatlift Mats, for example, are seasonal support for boat lifts, they can go in and out with your lift — they’re seasonal.

Statutes vary by state or province, even by county and sometimes by lake. But typically, “seasonal” temporary use is permitted. 

Lacey Mats are the safest, greenest, completely environmentally friendly, chemical-free way to control your lake weeds. They don’t harm fish, frogs or other aquatic creatures. Even the benthic microorganisms you can’t see aren’t harmed, our breathable fabric allows them to keep your lake clean.

And our Mats work much better than aquatic herbicides!

Underwater, the materials are projected to last 200 years. 

Our 5-year guarantee covers all parts and workmanship

Lacey Mats use the simple principle of preventing sunlight from reaching aquatic weeds. All plants need sunlight in order to conduct photosynthesis. Without sunlight, your weeds can’t grow.

Most submergent weeds (those that grow underwater) will be dead within two weeks. Their remains should be decayed in around four weeks.

Floating weeds, such as lily pads, have much more structure. They’ll die within three weeks and should be mostly decayed around eight weeks.

Yes, all types of Lacey Mats are used in rivers throughout North America. In strong currents we suggest tying a line your Mat, just in case. Since 2009, we haven’t lost one yet

Boatlift Mats are large mats that rest on your lake bottom, creating an instant, firm base to prevent boat lifts from sinking in muck. Made of the strongest geotextile fabric on Earth, on a heavy-duty steel frame, they come in five sizes: Pontoon Mat 24’x14’ - XL Boatlift Mat 19’X14’ - Large Boatlift Mat 14’x14’ - Jetski Lift Mat (PWC Mat) 9’x14’ - Extreme Boatlift Mat 2 6’x14’.

It depends on:

The weight of your boat 

The distance between the footplates on your lift, front to back

How much weed-free area you’d like around your lift. 

Boats up to 6,000 lbs, you can use any size (except a Jetski Mat). The Large size will hold your lift, but you can go bigger if you want more weed-free area around it.

If the distance between your footplates (front to back) is more than 12 feet, use the XL, Pontoon, or Extreme sizes.

For PWC lifts, use either the Jetski Lift Mat, or a Large Boatlift Mat. For double PWC lifts, use the Large Boatlift Mat. 

Extreme Boatlift Mats are for boats over 6,000 lbs or if a lift must set on a steep decline — two feet or more, front to back. The Extreme comes with two 6’x14’ sections. One is placed under the front footplates, the other is placed beneath your rear footplates. 

DockMats work the same as Boatlift Mats. They provide a solid surface for roll-in or standard docks. They create a firmer surface to install and remove docks. During the summer, they support docks and provide a weed-free area under your dock. The standard LockMat is 6’x14’ for docks up to five-feet wide. The XL DockMat is 9’x14’ for eight-foot or 12-foot wide sections.

The Lily Hammer is made to kill floating weeds, like lilies, plus any submergent weeds. They can even be used to control emergent weeds, such as cattails. The super-tough material

SandMat are a base for making sandy beaches on shore. They can go into very shallow water near shore. SandMats provide a base to hold sand, inhibit erosion, suppress weed growth, and provide excellent separation between your sand and the soil below it.

SandMats are 12.5’ wide and come in lengths from 20’ to 100’.

They are made to have sand, gravel or soil placed on them.

No, just lay out a SandMat, stake it in place (stakes provided) and put down your sand. Sunlight will be blocked and the weight of the sand will crush the growth beneath it.

Super SandMats are for firming up spongy soil on shorelines or yards that are always wet.  They are SandMats with reinforcing geogrid beneath. Cover with sand, or fill dirt and topsoil to plant grass.

For MuckMat Pros — 2 to 3 inches of sand should be plenty, but some people use more.  One yard equals one inch on an XL MuckMat Pro.

For SandMat & Super SandMats on shore — 4 to 8 inches.

Any “washed” sand is what you want. Unwashed sand has clay and other impurities. We suggest “mortar sand.” Mortar is used by masons to lay brick and block. It’s essentially the same as “beach sand,” but you’ll usually pay less if you ask for mortar sand.

MuckMat Pro’s geogrid and fabric ride atop rocky, gravel bottoms. Adding sand on top gives even more protection. 

Yes, they work just as well as in freshwater. Salty water has very little effect on the geotextile fabrics. It does shorten the lifespan of the aluminized-steel frame, but will maintain its integrity for at least 10 years.

The pesky things look for structure, like your dock, your boat or lift, or they lurk in weeds. A Mat laying flat on a lake bottom had no structure. Zebra mussels may move across your Mat, but they don’t stay on it. To them it’s a barren desert.

Lacey Mats can only kill the algae you set your Mat on. Surface algae can float above a Mat after it’s installed. Or there’s a type of alga called “chara” (it looks like a weed) can settle on a Mat. It’s not really rooted, it just sets on top of your Mat.

For floating and submerged algae we suggest copper sulfate, a non-herbicide remedy. Romans used it in their public baths to keep algae from growing. Farmers use it to prevent algae in ponds that livestock from.

You can get it at local feed stores or buy it online. (We don’t sell it).

No, not unless you want to clean them thoroughly (if you have hydrilla), or it’s required.
Ice can’t hurt them and they won’t float away. You will want to clean them in the spring though.

Leave them right on the lake bottom and use a push broom to sweep them off just like a garage
floor. If the sediment is a too thick, use an upside-down lake rake, or a squeegee first, then
sweep.
A power washer works great, yes even underwater, or any pump designed to move a lot of
water. Trash pumps work well. Pumps that move air don’t work. They move air at high speed,
but have little torque.

Don’t set anything over fish beds while they’re spawning — that’s just rude. Most freshwater fish
prefer or “need” a fairly solid bottom to bed in. If you create an area with a solid, sandy bottom
you’ll be amazed how many fish will bed on it. Plus, you create “border cover” along the edges,
which attracts bigger game fish.

Have a question we didn’t answer?

Give us a call: 616-293-910

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PS, You want to see a great reason
to not use toxic chemicals to treat
lake weeds in your lake?
Check out this northern pike (yes
pike, not a muskie). The guy
holding her is 5’9”, putting the fish
at about 60” — you pike people
know what that means, right?
Unverified (but obvious) State
Record Pike!
He put her back in her small, mid-
Michigan lake that’s never been
poisoned with herbicides.
She’s happy, and so are we.