Nothing beats the look and feel of hardwood floors. They add a touch of class and sophistication that’s almost decadent. Having such a glistening floor communicates a classic sense of attention to detail and effortless beauty to your house guests. Your clients and other people that may pop by your office also feel that you're always ready for serious business conversations.
Hardwood floors are easy to maintain. They are hard wearing hence can last longer and take a beating. That's why they can handle loads of footfall traffic. But, installing wood floors comes with a few concerns for most offices and homeowners. For one, all that foot traffic can create unsightly scuff marks. But, the biggest threat to wood floors remains your office furniture, especially rolling office chairs.
Rolling office chairs can leave dings, scratches, and even chip pieces of wood from your floor. This is a legitimate concern because merely doing away with such chairs is not a viable option. Why is that so?
Well, they offer ergonomic features that ensure proper positioning and adequate lumbar support. The rolling feature also enhances your productivity as you don't have to get up when you need to reach out for something that’s placed nearby.
Right now, you probably feel that you’re damned if you keep them or damned if you get rid of them. Well, the good news is it’s not such a black & white situation. The following solutions can help you shift your perspective and see that keeping your rolling office chair can be a rosy affair.
The Easiest Ways to Protect Wood Floor from Rolling Chairs
Sometimes a few life hacks can help you stay ahead of a problem. Such solutions are vital, especially when you're on a tight budget. However, they'll only buy you some time. Eventually, you'll need to come up with a permanent solution for the problem.
The following advice will prevent your rolling office chair from shredding your wood floors for some time:
Getting a Chair Rag/Mat
Purchasing and installing a chair mat or rug can help you stay ahead of the problem. A mat creates a buffer between the wood floor and the wheels of the chair. Most people recommend getting a woven rag over the plastic variant as it adds a dash of taste into the mix.
The Pros
- It’s a cheap solution
- It helps you conserve your foot traffic
The Cons
- The wheels can get stuck on woven rugs
- Such mats can conceal debris that can damage your wooden floors
- Mats and rugs restrict your movement to their surface area
Constant Maintenance
Keeping wood floors clean of all grit and debris is the best way to maintain their integrity. That's a no-brainer as it's the only way to ensure that your floors remain shiny.
The Pros
- It enhances your workspace hygiene.
- You probably have all the right cleaning products so that you won't incur extra costs.
- Most offices usually have janitors with the necessary skill-set
The Cons
- Maintaining clean floors can distract you from your work
- It doesn’t solve the issue at hand
Combining the above easy fixes is the best way to address the threat posed by rolling office chairs. However, this takes a lot out of your day, and it’s merely a temporary fix.
Does this mean that you have to move to a new office or get rid of wood floors in your home? No, you don't need to resort to that. The following solution will ensure you keep using your rolling office chair on wood floors.
C
Consider the Wheels/ Casters of Your Chair
Take a look at your chair's casters. Do they feel hard or soft to the touch? If they are too rigid then, ding! Ding! You've found the issue and are one step away from a permanent solution. Most commercially available rolling office chairs have casters that feature a rigid polymer such as nylon or plastic.
Such casters can handle loads of weight and last longer. The only problem is that they damage your wood floor. You could apply a layer of duct tape to the caster. This may soften the blow to your floors for a while, but it's not the best solution.
What’s the Best Way to Protect Wood Floor from Rolling Chairs?
Replacing your office chair is the best way to protect wooden floors. Let’s face it, your home or office space would probably need an upgrade in the future. So, doing so sooner may be wiser than addressing it later.
The wait may even destroy your wooden floors beyond recognition, and a new chair can also help you address other ergonomic and aesthetic concerns.
The Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B:
The Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B comes with so many features. It’s even more surprising how affordable the price is. This ergonomic office chair has a wider seat area that absorbs most of the pressure for excellent support. The chair also features a sturdy five-leg base that can support up to 330 pounds. Sure, many other leather office chairs also have the same features, but how do they treat your wood floors?
What makes this ergonomic office chair different? Let’s consider the casters of the Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B. This office chair rolls on nylon caster wheels that articulate to 360 degrees with ease across any surface. This design specification ensures that your wooden floors are not damaged.
When you glide your hands across the surface of this office chair's caster, you'll notice another unique feature. They are smooth and sturdy, a combination that ensures that the wheels don't accumulate dirt and grime as they slide across wooden floors. This design consideration may appear minor at first glance. But, it means the wheels won't be bogged down with dirt over time.
Less dirt accumulation equals smoother traction and less damage to your wooden floors.
Balanced Ergonomic Features
Most rolling office chair manufacturers talk a great deal about their product’s superior features. But, they often fall short in their implementation. The Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B is balanced to true perfection. It features a thick contoured backrest and headrest. Such an enhanced ergonomic design provides you with optimal comfort and support all day. It distributes your weight evenly across the five casters reducing the strain they put on wood floors.
Ultimate Comfort Factor
A tacky office chair makes it hard for you to settle on a comfortable sitting position. So, you may fidget around in your seat, which distributes the weight unevenly across the chair casters. This action may cause damage to your wooden floors. The sad thing is you'll probably not notice the damage until it's too late.
The Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B has a memory foam cushion that aligns with your body's natural curvature. It also features a soft and breathable PU leather material that covers the chair. This material and padding extend to the steel-framed armrests. It's easy to clean and adds some class to the plush factor of this ergonomic office chair.
Combining these features gives you optimal spinal support that reduces your need to pivot and involuntarily jerk around as you try to settle on a comfortable sitting position. Now, you can settle down for a more productive workday. The less you move, the less your office chair rolls around. And, you also put less strain on your carpet or wood floor.
Pneumatic Adjustment and High Weight Capacity
The Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B is not only broad and cozy, but it also comes with a maximum weight capacity of 330 pounds. This full-body support means it's balanced to perfection, distributing weight evenly. The pneumatic adjustment on this chair provides users with an intuitive way to enhance the ergonomics. So you’ll experience minimal drag and optimal traction as you glide across wooden or carpeted surfaces. This translates to less damage.
Bottom Line
Wood floors usually feature very sturdy materials such as oak, teak, alder, and basswood. If you have the budget, you could opt for mahogany. These wood samples can take such a beating that it takes years of neglect before you start to notice any signs of damage. The best way to address this risk is to take a proactive approach to ensure they remain in a pristine condition.
The first step to such an initiative is keeping your floors clean. This is a tall order, so it may be wise to consider getting a vacuum cleaner with the proper attachment. But, ultimately, it may be even wiser to consider the damage caused by standard office chairs. The right rolling office chair can help you preserve the integrity of your hardwood floors.
Upgrading to the Adjustable Ergonomic Leather Office Chair OC8N/OC8B will help you make positive steps towards retaining the smoothness of wood floors. It's not merely about the chair's superior caster design. This ergonomic office chair also balances your body weight evenly for optimal comfort, so you won’t have to roll around so much. Less damage saves you hundreds of dollars on repair and re-polishing costs.
