My wife's office has solid hickory hardwood floors, and I'd like to protect the floor from her rolling office chair. What can be done to protect the floor? Should I even be concerned about the chair damaging the floor? In two old homes now I've shredded the wood floor under my chair, monster splinters eventually emerging. I work at home in semi-rural New Hampshire. I think they're very old pine floors, so softwood. I plan to try Shepherd Brand Urethane Casters after putty and repainting. From the manufacturer's site, "Nylon tread for carpeting, and urethane tread for hard floors." Much buzz on Amazon about these. Edit: After months with the new casters there are no new paint flakes or splinters. I haven't repainted the floor yet, but it appears these casters will do the trick. Replacing your chair's casters can help. Most chairs come with hard nylon casters, but softer rubber/polyurethane/neoprene casters are less likely to scratch or damage your floor. I live in a house full of wood floors (engineered hardwood).

If the floors are kept clean and the wheels of the chair also are kept clean, every little damage will ever happen to your floors. If your floors are perfectly smooth and any imperfection will bother you, I do recommend either a low pile or woven rug under the desk and chair. I say this, because if some sand or small rock gets between the chair caster and the floor it will mark it. You can always fill the small imperfection but a rug is a small insurance plan for that area of floor. I was initially worried about this, but I've had my office chair on hardwood for about 2 years without issue, with generally at least an hour to 4 hours use every day (and more when I occasionally work from home). It's a pretty typical chair with fairly hard plastic castors. I would either get some sort of "mat" or area rug. There are some plastic mats that are sold without the plastic spikes. There are also 'floating vinyls" or fiber floors that come in rolls (often at Home Depot) and they can just go on top of floor without adhesive.

You can cut them to size. Usually, their weight holds them down. I would not use a plastic mat, as I did because a tiny piece of something got under it and I must have rolled over it a dozen times and it left a bunch of annoying marks in my beautiful hardwood floor. I would use some sort of sacrificial mat, either a pre-made mat or a section of some laminate flooring material to cover the area that you will be using the chair. Of course I have bamboo floors so it blends in. The trouble is, no matter what you put down there, if it's a sunny room, your floor will age unevenly. I had one of those clear plastic mats down and when I removed it after a couple of years, a huge light spot was left behind. I have recently refinished the floor in this room and I'm reluctant to put anything down on the new floor--though maybe with the modern tools & chemicals it's fade-proof I don't know. But I think I have to expect some change of color over time. It's a very sunny room. Kept hoping I'd find something like casters with felt coated wheels.

I had no luck. Maybe I should invent such a thing, Lol. office chair sale ottawaBet they'd sell well.french louis chair cheap My office chair is also terribly loud rolling across the floor.leather club chair vancouver If you're really really into a solution here, you want a Flexible Glass Chair Mat.bean bag chairs ie It's that: glass you lay on the floor to protect it.cheap barber chair for sale Just Google that term. leather tub chairs amazon

The first results lead to solutions.rattan dining chairs next The chair mat is the way to go. original eames chair saleYou have to use roofing tacks hammered into the corners to hold it down, otherwise it will slide around and be annoying.buying office chairs in singapore Getting a mat is a good idea. If you don't do this what will happen is that dirt and sand particles adhere to the wheels of the chair and grind ruts in the wood creating bare spots. Thank you for your interest in this question. Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count). Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?

Casters & Toe Caps Small Wood Furniture Casters Replacements for original wood casters used on most old American furniture including Hoosier cabinets, kitchen tables, chairs and a variety of other furniture.  These casters can be used to restore a vintage piece or added to a modern piece to make it easy to move.  Make sure you pick up some inserts item # C-4I 60 LB Weight Limit Per Caster 1 1/4" Diameter Wheel Raises Furniture 1 1/2" Brass plated steel Fork Package contains one set of four casters.  Item ships same or next business day This item is $ when your order exceeds $133 before shipping in qualifying items. Add a personal messageChair caster selection and safety Chair casters can affect your health All casters are not created equal Hard vs. soft casters Worn or dirty chair casters can strain your legs and back when you scoot around. When casters roll as they should there's less strain on your body. Chair casters that roll too freely can accelerate ("skate") away from you when you get out of the chair.

When you go to sit down agian, the chair won't be where you expect it and you can fall. If your chair moves out of position too easily, you can become fatigued trying to keep it in place. Heavier people put extra stress on casters. Inferior grade casters can break down under the load and cause a chair to tip over. Hard casters can damage hard floors. If the floor tiles contain asbestos, this abrasion can cause asbestos particles to be released into the air. Newer floor tiles do not contain asbestos fibers, however, asbestos is common in older tiles. Good chair casters enhance your comfort and safety. Economy-priced chair casters are typically rated to support 75 pounds-per-caster. Theoretically, a 75 pound-rating per caster should support 375 pounds on a 5-star chair base. However, during actual use full weight is not evenly distributed over all five casters (for example, when moving from a chairmat onto another surface). Cheap casters often fail, especially when used by heavier people.

Better quality chair casters are rated for a minimum of 125 pounds-per-caster. Hard vs. soft tread casters Just as tires must have the proper tread for safe driving performance on dry pavement as well as slick or snow-covered roadways, chair movement depends on wheels that provide appropriate traction on hard and soft floor surfaces. Use hard casters for soft floors. Use soft casters for hard floors. Wood, cement, and hard tile floors Hard floor surfaces (e.g., tile, wood, cement) require soft wheel casters or the chair will be subject to dangerously rapid movement. Most new chairs are equipped with hard wheel casters for use on carpeted surfaces only. Hard wheels skate and slide on hard floor surfaces, causing the chair to roll away when the user rises. When the user tries to resume a seat the chair is no longer there and the user can fall and become injured. For safe rolling on chairmats and all hard floor surfaces, soft wheel casters should be used. Soft wheels also protect the floor and are quieter on hard floor surfaces.

Carpet casters (hard tread) are made of hard materials like metal, plastic, and hard rubber. Hard-floor casters (soft tread) are softened with a thin coating of urethane elastomers or ployurethane, vinyl, or soft rubber. The materials often look the same. You can't tell the difference between a soft and hard caster by looking at it. You have to put your fingernail into the wheel and see if it "gives" even just a little. Then it is a soft wheel. A hard wheel has no resilience. Smaller diameter wheels suffer more stress and rolling resistance. Larger diameter wheels roll easier and more freely over dirt, grit, flooring imperfections and small fallen objects. They also roll more easily over deep-carpet pile, and may also carry more weight. Wheel diameters of 2" to 2.5" (about 50mm to 65mm) are typical. Use a larger wheel of 3" diameter or more (> 75mm) if you have to scoot around a lot in your work area or if your chair is on very deep-pile carpet. (Note: a larger wheel will also raise your chair height a bit.

Remember to consider this when you specify your seat height.) The most common caster found on today's office chairs. Dual-wheel casters are attractive and help distribute weight over a broader surface, which protects both casters and floors from wear. Simpler in design and can sometimes roll or swivel ("caster") more easily than dual wheel designs. Casters are sometimes "hooded" with a fender or skirt (metal or plastic) covering the wheels. The hood hides dirt, hair and debris that can accumulate on a caster, but serves no other function. The neck of the caster blends in with the chair base for clean design lines. A variation of a single-wheel caster. Usually made of either hard (metal) or soft (vinyl) materials in the shape of a globe or half-globe. Some folks like the way they look and they change directions easily when you scoot around your work area. They don't work well on deep-pile carpeted surfaces. Allows free chair movement when you are sitting, but resists unwanted chair movement when you rise.

Prevents unwanted or unexpected movement of the chair away from the user. In some European countries all chairs must have safety casters. In the USA, they're primarily used by injured or disabled workers and on sloping floors. (NOTE: Braking casters may not release and roll if you weigh less than 120 pounds.) (a.k.a., Occupied braking caster; The opposite of Braking Casters. They resist chair movement when weight is on the caster. Most often used for added safety on work stools (e.g., drafting chairs) that are higher than normal chair height. A toe-brake completely locks the caster wheels to prevent chair movement. In the unlocked position the casters roll easily. Often used for disabled people, for example, a care-giver can lock the wheels when the user gets in and out of the chair; or a teacher can lock the wheels to keep a special-needs student from "scooting around" during instructional periods. It's usually only necessary to lock 2 or 3 wheels to effectively stop a chair from moving.

Dual wheels split apart for easy cleaning. Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Casters & Glides (a.k.a., Conductive caster, Static dissapative caster) Dissipates static charge build-up away from the chair and the worker. Used in surgical suites, electronic component assembly lines, and clean rooms. In addition to being made of static-dissipating materials, they often have some sort of metal connection (wire loop or chain) with the ground. Must be kept very clean to function properly. A layer of dust will negate the static-dissipating effect. Only available in soft tread for hard-floor applications. Large diameter and rubber tread glide easily over uneven surfaces, for example, on cement warehouse floors and elevator thresholds. Single-wheel design swivels easily. The chair can slide but cannot roll. A foot replaces the caster to keep the chair stationary. Used for work requiring very controlled hand manipulation or fine dexterity, for example, medical and laboratory work or playing a musical instrument.

Some jobs, such as operating a sewing machine, require use of a foot or knee to operate the machine, making chairs with wheels impractical. Ordering replacement casters or glides Caster wheels and glides wear like tires and should be replaced as a set for a safe and even ride. In addition, there are often slight differences in casters made by various manufacturers, that could also cause an unsafe, uneven ride if all casters are not replaced at the same time. Casters amd glides can be easily switched in minutes using tools such as a rubber mallet, flat-head screwdriver, and pliers. Remove caster from leg of chair base. Select the correct diameter and height of stem. Most office chairs use a 3/8"D x 1"H stem. The stem top can be flat or rounded, as they're interchangeable. You can substitute a shorter stem if necessary, for example, a 3/8"D x 1"H stem can substitute for a 3/8"D. x 1-1/2"H stem, as long as the caster has no neck (see #3 below). If you want to use a Euro-style caster select the correct neck (barrel) diameter.