Carpet plays a vital role in a decent look of a building, and it becomes more important when we talk about the office. The better the condition of the carpet the better the look of an office. Unlike other furniture, chairs are considered moving furniture. The frequent rolling of chairs damages, and eventually wear and tear the carpet. In this guide, I will talk in detail about “how to protect your carpet from the rolling office chair?” Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to protect the carpet from rolling chairs.
The main steps to protect the carpet from office chairs include using the right chair mat, changing the broken casters with new ones, and using furniture pads for non-wheeled office chairs.
1. Office Chairs Mats:
A carpet doesn’t let the chairs glide and roll easily. Chair mats not only protect the carpet but also help in the rolling/gliding of chairs on the surface of a carpet.
Office chairs mats are one of the best and easiest ways to protect the carpet from wheel-based chair damage. There are plenty of office chair mats available in the market. Office chair mats come with different options like size, color, pattern, material, shapes, thickness, etc.
Important Factors to Consider While Choosing an Office Chair Mat
The following factors help a lot to choose the right chair mat.
- Office space size
- Type of flooring
- Carpet thickness
- Chair mat material
i. Office Space Size:
It should be considered one of the first and important factors while choosing an office chair mat. The chair mat should not be too small that it could not cover the required space. Similarly, the mat should not be too large to give a bad look by covering the unwanted space of the office.
The best way is to measure the floor size of your workstation and choose the chair mat accordingly.
ii. Type of Flooring
The chair mat for the carpeted floor differs from the mat used on the barefoot flooring like marble, wood, tile, etc.
Non-studded chair mats are used on barefoot flooring. Such types of mats come with a flat backing. Usually, the mats for the hard floor should not be thick as they get support from the underneath floor.
The chair mats for the carpeted floor, on the other hand, come with studded backing as they need to be in place. The chair mats for low pile carpets come with short studs while the mats for high pile carpets have long studs.
A chair mat with gripper backing suits best on the carpet. The studded underside grip holds the mat onto the carpet pile and improves the rolling/mobility of the chairs by keeping the mat in place to prevent possible folding.
iii. Carpet Thickness
Measuring the carpet thickness is very important when choosing the right chair mat for a carpet. As a general rule, thin chair mats are recommended for low pile carpets while thick mats are considered best for high pile carpets.
A device called a carpet pile detector measures the carpet thickness (carpet pile). The carpet could be low, medium, or high piles.
The chair mat should be chosen as per the carpet pile.
iv. Chair Mat Material:
The chair mats are available in different materials. The most common materials in the market include polycarbonate, PVC, and vinyl.
Polycarbonate Chair Mats:
They are best recommended for carpeted floor. Being durable and long-lasting, polycarbonate mats work best on both soft and hard surfaces.
The soft surfaces include carpeted floors while the hard surfaces are laminate, stone, floor, marble, vinyl, tiles, etc. The polycarbonate mat won’t curl and bend with time.
It is recommended to use a thick polycarbonate chair mat on a carpet. This will prevent possible cracking in case of heavy pressure as polycarbonate mats don’t flex.
Such chair mats are more environment friendly and last longer than typical PVC chair mats. The high-standard polycarbonate chair mat provides the best solid surface to help in the mobility of rolling chairs.
Polycarbonate chair mats come in transparent designs too, and they cover the carpet while giving a pretty seamless look. Some designs even come with environment-friendly features like cigarette-proof, non-toxic, phthalate-free options, etc.
PVC Chair Mats:
PVC chair mats also provide great features but they don’t work well on the carpeted floor. Such mats prove best for hard surfaces. The thick mat offers anti-cracking and anti-shattering properties.
PVC chair mats come with many environment-friendly features like being free from BPA, volatile, phthalate-free, and odorless properties. The light textured chair mats improve the mobility of the chair and also control the rolling to avoid any possible skidding.
2. Replacing the Malfunctioned Caster Wheels of the Office Chair
In an office, a chair is the only piece of furniture that frequently keeps moving from here to there by the employees throughout the day. The whole pressure of the users applies on the carpet through the chair caster wheels.
How Do Malfunctioned Casters Affect the Carpet?
The broken or malfunctioning wheels work similarly to a pizza cutter slicing through the pizza crust. The dysfunctional wheels eventually result in wear and tear of carpet backing by ruining the padding of the carpet.
In that case, there is an urgent need to replace the broken or malfunctioned wheels with carpet-friendly caster wheels.
Sometimes the built-in casters of an office chair may not be carpet friendly, and they may need a replacement to smoothly roll over the carpet.
Things to Know While Choosing Chair Wheels for the Carpeted Floor
The best recommended casters for the carpeted floor are hard nylon and metallic casters. Such a caster easily moves over the carpet pile. These casters offer more mobility if equipped with ball bearings.
In case of a low budget, there is an option of cheap, non-expensive Nylon dual chair wheels. Such wheels work well on low pile carpets but they do not work on thick pile carpets.
For the carpeted floor, do not go for a caster made of rubber or other soft materials.
The size of a wheel is also considered important for a carpeted floor. The big size casters prove best for the carpet as they stuck less and aid in chair mobility. While dual-wheel casters work well on low pile carpet.
3. Furniture Pads for Non-Wheeled Chairs.
The pointed ends of non-wheeled chairs leave deep furniture marks on the carpet. Furniture pads save the carpet from the pointed ends of non-wheeled chairs. These pads come with a soft or rubbery material to protect the carpet.
Furniture pads come in different designs.
Sticky Furniture Pads
Such types of pads stick with the ends of the chair legs and protect the carpet from damage.
Screw-Based Furniture Pads
Such types of pads don’t fall easily from the chair leg as they got fixed by a screw.
Soft Chair Leg Cover
Made of silicone or other rubbery materials, leg covers come with felt pads to reduce the formation of furniture marks on the carpet. They are lightweight, easy to install, and don’t fall easily. Being the most like ones among users, these covers come in different shapes such as round, square, etc.
Bed Stoppers
Bed stoppers, commonly called furniture stoppers come with applications both for wheeled and non-wheeled chairs, sofas, and beds. The stopper protects the carpet by blocking the movement of office chairs and other furniture.
Conclusion
It is concluded that we can protect the carpet from office chair by considering the following 3 factors:
