There come times when you need to protect your flooring from furniture, dust, debris and other heavy objects. The need can be permanent, as in the case with furniture, or can be temporary when building or decoration is underway. In this post, we will go through the different options for each purpose.
PVC Chair Mats
PVC chair mats are ideal for placing under desk chairs that have wheels. Normally, the wheels would scratch wood flooring or be difficult to glide on carpets. But these problems can be avoided by using chair mats. The most common size of these mats is 75 x 120 cm and is made from high-density polycarbonate. The mats are a few mm thick and provide a suitable surface area for the chair to move easily without marring the carpet or scratching the hard surface underneath it.
Carpet Protector Film
This is suitable for carpets only and ideal when decorating. Carpet protector film can be purchased in rolls that are typically 1 metre wide and 25 metres long. It is self-adhesive and sticks to the carpet to provide a waterproof barrier that protects the carpet from dust, debris, staining and liquids. It is easy to apply and easy to remove.
Polypropylene Protection Sheets
Polypropylene sheets are ideal for protecting hard surfaces. The sheets look like cardboard but they are made of a flexible plastic. It consists of two sheets between which is a fluted layer. This provides impact resistance and overall protection of the surface underneath. They are ideal when building work is underway and they typically come in 2.4 x 2.1 m sizes.
Moving Heavy Furniture and Objects
Moving objects like fridges, washing machines, sofas or beds for a spring clean or room rearrangement can be a difficult feat even with some helping hands. There is always the risk of damaging your flooring or straining your muscles.
Furniture sliders make light work of moving heavy furniture and objects by reducing friction and allowing the object to be moved effortlessly without lifting it. You can simply slide the object to the desired location.
Moving objects on smooth hard surfaces like tile, laminate or hardwood require the use of EVA felt sliders. These ensure that the flooring is not scratched or marred. The felt layer reduces friction, making it easy to push the object.
EVA plastic sliders are suitable for carpet surfaces. The smooth and hard plastic layer reduces friction when the object is slid over carpet, allowing the object to glide easily when pushed.
For both, felt and plastic sliders, the EVA top layer acts as a cushion for the feet of objects to embed firmly without slipping. Sliders are also very easy to use. A slider is placed under each corner of the object, and once moved to the desired location, they are removed. Remember to keep them handy for the next time you need to move something.
Furniture Felt Pads
Like we wear socks for our feet, sometimes furniture feet need them too.
For long-term protection of hard surfaces, it is well worth investing in furniture pads. This inexpensive solution can give you peace of mind because your flooring will not be marred when chairs and furniture are moved. The most common felt pads come in assorted self-stick shapes and sizes and are very easy to apply. Once the adhesive backing is removed, it can be stuck onto the furniture leg base and left for a few hours for the glue to fully cure. They are suitable for all types of furniture legs and hard surface flooring.
In situations where furniture like chairs are in constant use, you may find it better to opt for a more heavy duty solution like nail-in felt pads or screw-in felt pads. As the names suggest, the pads have a concealed screw or nail fixing. Once fixed, there is no possibility of them falling off or slipping.
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Don’t forget that you can also gift these products to friends and family who are going through the same issues with protecting their flooring. These may just be the most awesome, useful and practical set of ‘socks’ you may give to someone.