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  4. Using flooring material as chair mat??

Using flooring material as chair mat??

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  • ShiroKuroS Offline
    ShiroKuroS Offline
    ShiroKuro
    wrote last edited by
    #1

    Mr SK has an office style chair (with wheels) at his desk, and there's carpeting there, which makes it hard to move the chair around. He originally got a traditional plastic mat thing, but it was too thin and would sink so the chair wheels don't really roll any better.

    I actually have something like this in my home office, on carpet

    https://www.amazon.com/Anji-Mountain-Chairmats-Anti-Slip-Multi-Purpose/dp/B0D6G6NLCW/ref=sr_1_7

    It works mostly fine. But now they are all quite expensive, much more than when I got mine.

    So he's thinking of going to Lowes and buying a box of interlocking floor boards, the wide plank (fake wood) kind. There are tons of options, and it seems like if he got something that was 10mm thick, it ought to work and maybe be a third of the price.

    Does anyone have any other suggestions, or things we might not be thinking of that would cause problems doing this?

    1 Reply Last reply
    • AxtremusA Offline
      AxtremusA Offline
      Axtremus
      wrote last edited by Axtremus
      #2

      ... he's thinking of going to Lowes and buying a box of interlocking floor boards, the wide plank (fake wood) kind.

      flooring-on-carpet-for-office-chair.jpg

      I have been using a setup like that for 10~15 years. For the most part, yeah, it works. But you need to additionally secure the boards together or the interlocking mechanism will give and the boards will separate. Also, it slips over time -- depending on the direction of the carpet fiber, the whole thing will shift ever so slightly, such that you have to realign it every few days.

      To secure the boards together, I use long Velcro tapes. I think duct tape would have worked too, I used Velcro because I had extra supply of it and I was hoping Velcro may help the boards "grip" the carpet better to mitigate slipping. But it still slips. If Mr. SK finds a better solution, I would love to know.

      Good luck!

      1 Reply Last reply
      👍
      • wtgW Offline
        wtgW Offline
        wtg
        wrote last edited by wtg
        #3

        Have one of the rigid wood-look chair mats on carpet, a Costco purchase. Despite the fact that it has a slightly textured back, it still moves around as @Axtremus has described. The other thing that I find to be a pain is that the chair rolls around too easily and I feel like the slightest movement makes the chair move when I don't want it to.

        We used to have a clear, slightly flexible plastic/polycarb chair mat with gripper teeth on the back. It had a little more texture on the top so the chair didn't "float" around as easily, and those gripper teeth were very effective. And very pointy, almost like a thorn. A bitch to set up, but once it was in place, it didn't budge. It lasted a long time (years and years), but because it was not rigid, it would flex downward a little into the carpet and it got tons of little cracks from a person sitting in the chair and moving it around. Eventually it cracked all the way through and I replaced it with the one we have.

        The best arrangement is to have a rolling chair on commercial carpet that isn't pile but rather looped. You get a little resistance with respect to rolling, but it's still much easier than moving on a thicker carpet.

        When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier

        1 Reply Last reply
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        • S Offline
          S Offline
          Steve Miller
          wrote last edited by
          #4

          That flooring will work best if you stick it to a piece of plywood.

          1 Reply Last reply
          👍
          • ShiroKuroS Offline
            ShiroKuroS Offline
            ShiroKuro
            wrote last edited by
            #5

            Thank you everyone!!!

            @Axtremus he will be very happy to hear that you're doing what he wants to do and that it works ok!

            @wtg he doesn't want to try another see-through one. I actually have to reposition mine somewhat regularly, it's not the end of the world.

            I think we don't want to deal with changing the carpet in that room, not any time soon at least.

            @Steve-Miller so you mean, a piece of plywood on the carpet, then the floor boards?

            1 Reply Last reply
            • wtgW Offline
              wtgW Offline
              wtg
              wrote last edited by wtg
              #6

              @ShiroKuro I'm sure that's what @Steve-Miller means.

              Keep in mind that you will not have a beveled edge around the perimeter; how much of a drop there is depends on how thick the plywood is. If you roll the chair off the DIY mat, you will have to stand up to put the chair back; you won't just be able to roll it back onto the mat. Of course if the mat is large enough, that won't happen.

              Not sure how thick it needs to be in order to keep from flexing under the combined weight of chair and chair sitter.

              When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier

              ShiroKuroS 1 Reply Last reply
              • wtgW wtg

                @ShiroKuro I'm sure that's what @Steve-Miller means.

                Keep in mind that you will not have a beveled edge around the perimeter; how much of a drop there is depends on how thick the plywood is. If you roll the chair off the DIY mat, you will have to stand up to put the chair back; you won't just be able to roll it back onto the mat. Of course if the mat is large enough, that won't happen.

                Not sure how thick it needs to be in order to keep from flexing under the combined weight of chair and chair sitter.

                ShiroKuroS Offline
                ShiroKuroS Offline
                ShiroKuro
                wrote last edited by ShiroKuro
                #7

                @wtg said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                you will not have a beveled edge around the perimeter; how much of a drop there is depends on how thick the plywood is.

                I think he’s thinking that he can sand down the edges.
                Or at least round them.

                If you roll the chair off the DIY mat, you will have to stand up to put the chair back; you won't just be able to roll it back onto the mat.

                I have to do that with my chair whenever I readjust the mat. It shouldn’t be the end of the world. But he does need to get the size right

                Not sure how thick it needs to be in order to keep from flexing under the combined weight of chair and chair sitter.

                Yep, this is my concern/question.

                1 Reply Last reply
                • AdagioMA Offline
                  AdagioMA Offline
                  AdagioM
                  wrote last edited by
                  #8

                  The front part of our plastic/gripper teeth mat stuck out beyond the rug at the desk, and it scratched our wood floor. GRRRR. Now there’s a piece of cardboard under that section. Not pretty. But it makes the mat usable.

                  ShiroKuroS 1 Reply Last reply
                  • AdagioMA AdagioM

                    The front part of our plastic/gripper teeth mat stuck out beyond the rug at the desk, and it scratched our wood floor. GRRRR. Now there’s a piece of cardboard under that section. Not pretty. But it makes the mat usable.

                    ShiroKuroS Offline
                    ShiroKuroS Offline
                    ShiroKuro
                    wrote last edited by
                    #9

                    @AdagioM 😞

                    Both of our rooms where we have chairs with wheels are in rooms with wall to wall carpet, so that’s not an issue.

                    I assume the carpet will be smooshed beyond return as a result but that’s ok.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • S Offline
                      S Offline
                      Steve Miller
                      wrote last edited by
                      #10

                      I’d glue the flooring to the plywood, maybe with a bit of trim around it to act as a bumper, then put it under the desk.

                      ShiroKuroS 1 Reply Last reply
                      • S Steve Miller

                        I’d glue the flooring to the plywood, maybe with a bit of trim around it to act as a bumper, then put it under the desk.

                        ShiroKuroS Offline
                        ShiroKuroS Offline
                        ShiroKuro
                        wrote last edited by
                        #11

                        @Steve-Miller said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                        I’d glue the flooring to the plywood, maybe with a bit of trim around it to act as a bumper

                        Is there a special kind of glue for flooring?

                        Although at this point, I wonder if we're getting close to the price of a store-bought one...

                        😅

                        RontunerR 1 Reply Last reply
                        • ShiroKuroS ShiroKuro

                          @Steve-Miller said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                          I’d glue the flooring to the plywood, maybe with a bit of trim around it to act as a bumper

                          Is there a special kind of glue for flooring?

                          Although at this point, I wonder if we're getting close to the price of a store-bought one...

                          😅

                          RontunerR Offline
                          RontunerR Offline
                          Rontuner
                          wrote last edited by Rontuner
                          #12

                          @ShiroKuro said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                          @Steve-Miller said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                          I’d glue the flooring to the plywood, maybe with a bit of trim around it to act as a bumper

                          Is there a special kind of glue for flooring?

                          Although at this point, I wonder if we're getting close to the price of a store-bought one...

                          😅

                          Or.... If you are looking for frugal, just get a piece of plywood the size you want. Thick enough to support without bending. A little stain perhaps and some clear finish should give you a good amount of use. Or maybe an epoxe paint? Super durable, just make sure to apply and let it dry out of your living area. Depending on your rug depth, run a few drywall type screws of the appropriate length through to grab the rug and make it stay put.

                          ShiroKuroS 1 Reply Last reply
                          👍
                          • RontunerR Rontuner

                            @ShiroKuro said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                            @Steve-Miller said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                            I’d glue the flooring to the plywood, maybe with a bit of trim around it to act as a bumper

                            Is there a special kind of glue for flooring?

                            Although at this point, I wonder if we're getting close to the price of a store-bought one...

                            😅

                            Or.... If you are looking for frugal, just get a piece of plywood the size you want. Thick enough to support without bending. A little stain perhaps and some clear finish should give you a good amount of use. Or maybe an epoxe paint? Super durable, just make sure to apply and let it dry out of your living area. Depending on your rug depth, run a few drywall type screws of the appropriate length through to grab the rug and make it stay put.

                            ShiroKuroS Offline
                            ShiroKuroS Offline
                            ShiroKuro
                            wrote last edited by
                            #13

                            @Rontuner said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:

                            Depending on your rug depth, run a few drywall type screws of the appropriate length through to grab the rug and make it stay put.

                            Oh that’s a good idea. This is in the (finished) basement by the way, and I’m guessing that under the carpet and whatever underlayment might here there, is just concrete.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • wtgW Offline
                              wtgW Offline
                              wtg
                              wrote last edited by
                              #14

                              Hopefully no underfloor heating…..

                              When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier

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