Using flooring material as chair mat??
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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.
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That flooring will work best if you stick it to a piece of plywood.
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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?
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@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.
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@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.
@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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
@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...
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@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...
@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.
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@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.
@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.
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Liquid nails or any construction adhesive will work, although as Ron points out the only reason for using flooring over the plywood is to make it look like flooring rather than plywood.
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@wtg said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
Hopefully no underfloor heating…..
Nope, not in that room. But the basement bathroom actually has it! And the bathrooms on the main floor as well. I would not have installed those if it had been up to me. We've only turned them on once, to make sure they worked.
@Steve-Miller said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
as Ron points out the only reason for using flooring over the plywood is to make it look like flooring rather than plywood.
Good point, I wasn't thinking about the cosmetics of it!
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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.
@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, then put it under the desk.
Smart idea.
You might add the cost of the flooring, the plywood, and the adhesive plus the work and compare that to the cost of the expensive mat. -
Maybe there is a place you can get a piece of sheet vinyl or even self-adhesive squares to attach to the plywood base for another more affordable option? Or if you want a little bit of rolling resistance then thin carpet squares on top of plywood? Lots of options!
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I'd just get a real chair mat. The flooring will look like it does not belong, while the chair mats just kind of go away.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer”
― Douglas Adams -
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Maybe there is a place you can get a piece of sheet vinyl or even self-adhesive squares to attach to the plywood base for another more affordable option? Or if you want a little bit of rolling resistance then thin carpet squares on top of plywood? Lots of options!
@Rontuner said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
Or if you want a little bit of rolling resistance then thin carpet squares on top of plywood?
That was my thought as well.
@Mik said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
I'd just get a real chair mat.
@CHAS said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
You might add the cost of the flooring, the plywood, and the adhesive plus the work and compare that to the cost of the expensive mat.
I think @Mik and @CHAS are right. I'd be surprised if the DIY version ends up being much cheaper, unless you already have some plywood lying around the house and can get flooring on the cheap at Habitat for Humanity or a clearance price at a home center.
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I'd just get a real chair mat. The flooring will look like it does not belong, while the chair mats just kind of go away.
@Mik said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
I'd just get a real chair mat.
He tried that already and the see-through kinds didn't work on carpet (they sink in). The one you linked says it work on carpet though, and it's not very expensive, so I'll take a closer look. Of course, it says it's back ordered through Nov...
@wtg said in Using flooring material as chair mat??:
I'd be surprised if the DIY version ends up being much cheaper
Yes, this is the question. I think he was thinking he could just buy one box of floor boards and be done with it. That would most definitely be cheaper. But if that's not really going to work, and if the one Mik linked doesn't work or isn't available, then we'll end up getting him something like what I have (to the tune of maybe $170)
