How to Choose the Right Office Chairmat
Protect Your Office's Flooring
Not many people know how important having a chairmat is for increasing the life of your office's carpet, vinyl, tile, and wood flooring. Wheel marks can cause permanent damage to your floor over time, creating an unpleasant mark on the floor in that area. Chairmats prevent this wear and tear by providing a protective barrier between your chair and the flooring.
Choose Wisely
After realizing that you really should be using a chairmat to protect your floor, choosing the right one is very important. First, you must determine which floor type you have. Here are the different types:
- Economy - 1/4" thick, including padding such as commerical or backed carpets
- Berber/Standard Pile - 3/8" thick, including padding such as Berber carpets
- Medium/High Pile - 1/2" thick, including padding and high pile carpets
- Plush/Medium Pile - 3/4" thick, including padding such as plush carpets
- Deep Plush Pile - 3/4" thick, including padding such as deep pile and shag carpets
- Hard Floor - Hard floors such as vinyl, wood and various tiles
Here's a quick tip to help you determine your carpet thickness:
- Straighten the end of a paper clip; stick the straightened end into the carpet so it penetrates the carpet backing and reaches the floor below; grab the paper clip with your thumb and index finger at the point that it is flush with the top of the carpet; then measure the distance between your fingers and the end of the paper clip.
There are many different styles and sizes of chairmats to choose from. There are also quality differences between manufacturers as well, but if you choose a polycarbonate chair mat you will find they are extremely durable, environmentally frinedly, safe and odorless, fire-resistant, and easily maintained.
Here are a few examples:
Tips for Caring for your Mat:
- Upon Delivery - Unroll your mat as soon as it is delivered and leave for 24 hours at room temperature without anything on top of it.
- Re-sizing - Floor mats are precision cut to size so do not cut or alter mats as this can impair performance.
- Moisture - Don't use your mat in wet areas and clean only with a cloth or a sponge soaked in mild soapy water.
- Harmful Products - Avoid contact with solvent based paints, inks, varnishes, alkaline cleaners, bleaches and oils.
- Extreme Temperatures - Placing in temperatures below 50 degrees F can damage and reduce the life of polycarbonate mats.
- Flooring Style - Make sure you choose tge polycarbonate mat specially designed for your type of floor covering. A mat intended for another texture or depth can cause damage and may crack due to the lack of support.
- Avoid Heavy Loads - For example, chairs with metal caster wheels can cause damage to mats, especially when placed on rough textured floor tiles.