I bought this to replace the exact same item that I purchased four years ago so that show the longegivity of this mat. The price has increased by ten dollars over those four years though. And yes over time the plastic does what plastic does - yellows and cracks but the old one although cracked is still fully intact. I will be using it to protect surfaces when I do craft and painting projects. I do wish I knew how to recycle this large piece of plastic. Recycle centers don't want it and I don't want to send it to a landfill - but probably will eventually.