Are you looking for a way to keep your office chair from scratching floors?
You’re in the right place!
In this ChairAdviser.com guide, you’ll learn:
- Supplies you’ll need
- Why you should clean the floor
- 7 simple steps to prevent an office chair from scratching floors
- And much more!
Office chairs are designed to roll easily around the room so you can get to where you need to be, but they can cause damage to your floors—especially hardwood floors.
It’s easy to replace an office chair to get one that isn’t as hard on the floors but replacing and repairing your floor can be costly and time consuming.
What You Need to Know About Office Chairs and Hardwood Floors
While the rollers on an office chair can cause damage to your floors from repeated use, there is another concern for floor damage.
Dirt and debris can get caught in the wheels of the chair and dragging it across the floor can cause scrapes and scuffs.
It might seem like an insignificant amount of damage from a small piece of debris or the wheels, over time it adds up and your floor will look like a well-used cutting board.
Supplies You’ll Need to Stop Your Office Chair from Scratching the Floor
- Cleaning supplies- A broom or vacuum to clean your floors and warm, soapy water to clean the casters if needed
- Duct tape or soft cloth- If you decide to use them on the wheels of your office chair to keep them from damaging your floor
- Area rug or chair mat
- Cardboard
How to Keep an Office Chair from Scratching the Floor: (7 Steps)
Step 1: Stop Dragging the Chair
The first thing you want to do is stop dragging the chair across the floor. This is the simplest way to keep an office chair from damaging floors.
When you drag the chair across the floor, you collect all of the dust and dirt on the floor and drag it along with it.
This debris can cause scuffs and scratches on the floor, and it can even damage the wheels of your chair!
Step 2: Clean the Floor
Since dirt plays a big part in the damage done to floors by office chairs, eliminating the dirt is another step you can take.
Grab a broom or vacuum—whichever you prefer, and clean around the area your chair sits well. This is especially important if you snack at your desk.
Those food crumbs can build up and leave a big mess!
Ideally, you should clean the area of floor your office chair sits on once a week.
If you snack at your desk, you might want to clean up a few times a week though!
Step 3: Apply Duct Tape or Cloth
If you want to take it a step further, find a soft cloth or duct tape.
By placing these items over the casters of the chair, it eliminates the scraping of the floorboards when the chair moves.
This could prevent the casters from swiveling, keeping them from rubbing the floor was you move.
This works as a temporary solution until you can do one of the next few steps.
Step 4: Use Cardboard
If you don’t want to commit to a chair mat or area rug yet, but still want to avoid damaging your floors, you can get a large piece of cardboard and put your office chair on it.
This is also a temporary solution as the cardboard will wear down over time and you’ll be stuck replacing it over and over.
Step 5: Chair Mat or Rug
A good solution is to get a chair mat or an area rug. This will allow your chair to still roll as needed without coming in contact with the floor.
If you go this route, you’ll want to ensure the carpet or mat is cleaned regularly.
Otherwise, you could end up with debris in the casters, which can affect the performance of the chair.
Step 6: Check and Clean Casters
If you use your office chair regularly, the casters could be subject to damage.
Check them over for any damage there may be. Use this opportunity to also clean them.
Simply remove them from the base of the chair and give them a good rinse in warm, soapy water. Let them dry before putting them back on.
Step 7: Replace the Casters
Opting for a softer material for the casters is another solution.
Neoprene and rubber are viable options if you want to switch your casters out for softer material.
If you don’t use your chair to roll to different parts of your desk, you could remove the casters altogether and just get some legs for your chair.
If you do this, remember to lift the chair when moving it instead of sliding it across the floor!
