Office chairs are an essential piece of equipment for your office, but they can ruin the carpet without the proper protection. With this guide, you will learn different ways to protect your carpets from being damaged by a chair and what kind of coverage is best for your flooring needs.
Picture this! You bought an ergonomic office desk chair hoping for better comfort while you work. Along with the new chair comes a carpeted floor under attack from all of your time spent there. How can you protect it?
Your body might be thankful for all the comfort and accessibility your office chair provides, but did you know it can be hard on your carpet? Office chairs can lead to a lot of wear and tear on carpets. Chair legs often have wheels that can leave indentations in the carpet where they rollover.
Carpets are an essential part of your office decor, and you should take care to protect them. There is a chance that it might get destroyed with constant rolling from long work hours on your chair. To save the life of your carpet and keep it looking pristine for years to come, follow these steps for upkeep with your ergonomic office chair:
1. Buy Office chairs with carpet-safe caster wheels
Many of the comfortable ergonomic office chairs don’t include rollerblade wheels. While they are designed to ensure your health, the carpet is not a priority by any means. However, some options provide both your health and your carpet’s well-being with blissful ease.
To protect your beautiful carpet, you need to find an office chair with carpet-safe caster wheels attached to it. Carpet-safe caster wheels are made up of hard materials such as metal alloy or hard nylon. They don’t stick to the carpet and will not hinder your mobility. These wheels are larger than usual caster wheels, thus offering larger traction, allowing smooth movement on any carpet type.
The size and shape of caster wheels matter when it comes to maintaining your office carpet. Larger wheels help with that, as they provide more traction on the carpet than standard rubber or plastic wheels. The best choice is a ball-bearing caster wheel made up of hard nylon or metal. That way, you’ll get smooth-rolling while at the same time maintain mobility over various surfaces – even uneven ones!
These high-quality caster wheels can be expensive. If the carpet is thin and non-expensive, then you can opt for nylon twin wheels. These will extend the life of your carpet for a little longer. They won’t work on thick carpets, though!
Ensure the wheels on your new office chair are made with materials that will not damage the carpet and cause a significant amount of wear. Materials like rubber or plastic may look nice, but they can damage the carpet quickly if they are used.
Try to avoid rolling around on any fabric-covered furniture you’ve set up in your office. Especially chairs, couches, and ottomans! Not only does this type of furniture likely have patterns, but it often has long fibers which can snag onto fabrics in an ugly way when pulled back into place.
If you have expensive wooden floors, office chairs with polyurethane (PU) roller casters are a good investment. They are large enough and smooth enough to prevent the floor from getting scratched or damaged, will not make noisy sounds when rolling around on the ground, and also do not scratch your flooring.
Here are few great options for Ergonomic office chairs that are carpet friendly:
- Nouhaus Ergo3D Ergonomic office chair:
- AmazonBasics High-back Executive Swivel Office chair
- BestOffice OC-H03 office chair
- Secretlab TITAN
- Raynor Ergohuman LE9ERG
2. Check and replace old caster wheels on your chair
Caster wheels are an inevitable feature of most office chairs, but they can also be a significant cause of damage to carpets. Learn how to identify when your caster wheels need to be replaced and what you should use in their place.
- Lack of sturdiness: When the caster wheels become old, your chair will start to wobble and shift weight haphazardly. You will feel a wobble or tendency to tip when you sit on it.
- Irritating noises: old caster wheels lose their smoothness due to failures of the ball bearings. The chair will get all creaky and squeaky every time you make the slightest move.
- Signs of corrosion: Metal or alloy caster wheels are prone to corrosion and discoloration under heavy use. You need to change the caster wheels as the old ones might leave stains on the carpet floors.
- Wear and cracks on the tread: When used excessively, the treads of the caster wheels get weak and start developing cracks.
If you witness any of these signs or difficulty moving, you need to change the caster wheels immediately to prevent your carpet from getting damaged further.
Here are a few options as replacement caster wheels that are deemed safe for office carpets:
Miracle Caster! Extra Large Chair Wheels:
Key features of Miracle Caster! Extra Large Chair Wheels:
- The diameter of each wheel is 4 inches, nearly double the size of cheap plastic casters.
- Can move quickly on office carpets and grouted tiles, eliminating the need for chair mats
- Each caster can carry 130 lbs, so a complete set of 5 can bear a maximum of 650 pounds
Titan 2″ Hooded Caster Wheels with Swivel Stem
Key features of Titan 2″ Hooded Caster Wheels with Swivel Stem:
- Hooded round casters made up of metal so durable and safe for carpets
- Moves easily on office carpet and hardwood without inflicting any damage
- Highly rated and positively reviewed on amazon by over 100 customers.
Amazon Commercial 3-Inch Transparent Swivel Caster
Key features of Amazon Commercial 3-Inch Transparent Swivel Caster :
- Made up of nylon rubber and soft PU material, ideal for wooden floors and low-pile carpets
- Dual oil-proof ball bearing adds to the durability and stability.
- Larger in size, thus safer than plastic casters
SunnieDog Office 3-Inch Rollerblade Style Office Chair Caster Wheel Replacement
Key features of SunnieDog Office 3-Inch Rollerblade Style Office Chair Caster Wheel Replacement:
- Rollerblade caster wheels made up of PU material, safe for carpets against scratches and tearing
- The motion is smooth and quiet.
- The maximum load capacity of 500 lbs
- Sold in a set of 5, thus covers a long duration on a single purchase.
- 5-star rating from 2400+ customers.
Lifelong office chair rollerblade caster replacement
Key features of Lifelong office chair rollerblade caster replacement
- The material used is polyethylene, non-toxic and sturdy.
- The diameter is 3 inches, safe for carpets.
- It can support a weight of a maximum of 650 pounds.
- 5 star from 23000+ ratings
3. Use Chair Mats to protect the carpet
Office chair mats are one of the best ways to protect your office carpet from damage. This keeps the aesthetics of your workplace and improves worker comfort with mats that match their environment best.
There are different varieties of chair mats available in the market. They vary in shape, size, material used, and design or color. There are specific points to consider while buying chair mats for the office.
Grip: Chair mats come in two backing options. You can buy one with a flat back which is suitable for hard and wooden floors. For office carpets, you need to choose the one with gripping backing so that the mat will hold onto the carpet and won’t slide or move. The gripping option can be cleated or spiked.
Material: The material of the chair mat should be chosen wisely. There are three primary options: Polycarbonate, PVC, and tempered glass.
- i. Polycarbonate is the premium option and comes at a dear price. The material is durable, fire-resistant, and provides every bang for your buck when it comes to durability. Polycarbonate chair mats are great for offices with floor heating systems.
- ii. PVC is an affordable material, and you have to compromise with the durability as PVC chair mats start cracking up in the long run. PVC is temperature sensitive and will degrade under extreme temperatures ( both low and high)
- iii. Tempered glass is the cheapest option suitable for all kinds of floors.
Here is a list of some of the best chair mats available in the market:
Anji Mountain Rug chair mat
Key features of Anji Mountain Rug chair mat:
- Great for low pile carpets, laminate, and linoleum floors
- Phthalate-free and non-toxic PVC core with non-skidding backing
- The surface is polyester, and there are 16 different designs to choose from
- Great for offices where design and decor are essential as the chair mat is functional and decorative.
Lorell Tempered Glass Chair mat
Key features of Lorell Tempered Glass Chair mat
- Works for all kinds of floors and carpets
- It looks fragile but can bear a maximum weight of up to 1000 lbs.
- Has smooth and round edges prevents any cut injuries.
- It comes with a lifetime limited warranty.
- There is no chance of slipping or skidding as the weight of this carpet is a whopping 40 pounds.
DoubleCheck heavy duty office chair mat
Key features of DoubleCheck heavy duty office chair mat
- Made up of polycarbonate, so durable and heat resistant
- Suitable for low to medium pile carpets
- Studded back to prevent sliding
- Phthalate-free and non-toxic material
- Not suitable for plush and hardwood floors as the back is studded.
AmazonBasics Polycarbonate Office Carpet Chair mat
Key features of AmazonBasics Polycarbonate Office Carpet Chair mat
- Great for high-pile carpets
- Recyclable material, 100% phthalate-free
- Material is polycarbonate and weighs around 10 lbs.
- Transparent and smooth surface with studded backing
- Supports weight up to 500 lbs
Somolux Rectangular Office chair mat
Key features of Somolux Rectangular Office chair mat
- Suitable for hard and wooden floors, including tiles, linoleum, and concrete floors
- Non-toxic, phthalate-free, and free from heavy metals like cadmium and lead.
- Both the top and the bottom are smooth.
- It weighs around 4.75 pounds, and the material is polycarbonate.