How to Choose the Best Chair Mat?
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Top Best Chair Mat Based on Reviews and Price
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Why You Need a Good Chair Mat?
A quote reads “Home: A place your feet may leave but your heart will always be.” Yes, you have spent a lot on building a home of your dream. You might have cautiously selected everything for your home right from doors, windows, and floors. When talking about floors, they play a major role in making our homes attractive.
Also, they consume a lot on the budget of the construction project. With these things known, you will be particular about safeguarding the floors from scratches. You will be interested in ensuring that they retain the attractiveness for long as they are now. This is where a chair mat can protect your floor from the wear and tear caused by pulling and even rolling of chairs with wheels.
What is a Chair Mat?
Chair mats are designed to safeguard the floors in our homes and offices from scuffs, indentations and other marks. Even, they will safeguard our floors from the spills that we make when having a cup of tea or coffee sitting in the chair. You will be surprised to know that it will take nearly 80% lesser effort to move your chair on a mat compared to a carpet. When you role your chairs all day on the carpet, there are chances of leg strain and back pain.
But, these things will not happen with chair mats. They will make moving within your workspace easier. In short, these mats will safeguard you from the high cost of installing new floors and even they will protect you from spending on refinishing existing surfaces by preventing damages.
10 Factors to Consider Before Buying Chair Mats
As you intend to buy the best chair mat to safeguard your floors, here are some considerations in your shopping:
1. The Thickness of the Chair Mat
Can you judge that it is really important to select a chair mat that is thick enough to safeguard your floors? When you choose a thin mat just because it is cost-effective, it can crack within a few weeks of usage. A thick mat can provide an additional level of support, protection, and comfort.
2. Consider the Type of Floor in Your Home
The type of floor you have in your property is an essential consideration when you shop for a chair mat. In general, you will come across mats designed for carpeted surfaces and hard surfaces. Examples of hard surfaces are linoleum, concrete, hardwood flooring, marble, and tile flooring. Carpeted surfaces include areas with oriental mats and area rugs apart from traditional carpets.
If you do not have a hard floor in your place, do not choose a mat designed for carpets. The reason is that mats designed for carpets will have cleated backs for preventing slips. These cleated backs can damage your hard flooring without carpets.
Mats designed for hard surfaces will have a smooth backing that will not damage or scratch the floor. When it comes to chair mat for carpet floors, you will come across types like high-pile, medium-pile, and low-pile carpet mats.
3. Consider the Shape of the Mat
You should decide on the shape of the mat based on how you have stored the other furniture in your home. Nowadays, Chair mats come in different shapes to suit almost any type of setting. You might have heard about standard lip size. This is nothing but a square shape that is extended only at a specific side. For instance, when you work on a computer, you can get near the system on the extended side for easy access. The other shapes you will come across are L-shape, oval, triangular, square, round, and rectangular shape.
4. Consider the Type of Edge
When it comes to the type of edge in chair mat, you will come across variants with a straight edge and even you will come across variants with a beveled edge. Many people like the beveled edge mats, while some people wish that they should get only mats with straight edges. So, you can choose one based on your personal preferences.
5. Look at the Certifications
You might be wondering where comes certifications when it comes to chair mats. But, as you are looking for the best chair mat, you can consider buying a mat with certifications. Let us gather some details about the certifications available:
- cUL Listed products will have this mark given after evaluation by the USA and Canadian Safety requirements.
- The CE marking is yet another certification that denotes the compliance of the product with environmental, safety, and health protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area. Even, this mark can be found in products sold and produced in countries outside this zone.
- ANSI/BIFMA M7.1 Standard Test Method is intended to identify volatile organic compound emissions from office seating and furniture under product usage and environmental conditions found in office buildings. Even, chair mats come with this certification to ensure their suitability.
- Projects that pursue LEED Certification get points for different green building strategies across different categories on the basis of the points achieved. LEED certification rating varies in four levels. They are platinum, gold, silver, and certified.
- CSA standard certification shows that a product has been independently tested and certified to meet the recognized standards for performance or safety.
These are a few examples for certifications as you will come across other certifications as well that indicate that you are buying the best chair mat.
6. Consider the Pattern
You will be interested in ensuring that the pattern of the mat meets with the other interiors in your home. Some of the patterns that you will find when shopping for a chair mat include animal print, striped, floral/flower, geometric, and solid color pattern. You can choose one based on your personal preferences.
7. Choose the Chair Mat in the Right Size
To make sure that you choose the best chair mat considering the size, you should measure the roll area by evaluating the furthest points your chair will roll. In addition to the right size, you should combine it with the right shape that will fit your requirements. Chair mats come in different width and lengths. So, before you begin your shopping, completely measure the surface in your home, and accordingly choose one.
8. Consider the Material
You might be thinking that all chair mats are made using the same material. But, different materials are used by manufacturers of these mats to make sure that the chair mat requirement of every user is rightly met. Here are some material options you will come across:
- Tempered Glass: This is a super-strong and long-lasting material. The good thing about tempered glass that we use in your mobile phone screens is that it is 5 times stronger than regular glass. If you are looking for the smoothest glide and sophisticated look, you can consider a mat made using tempered glass as the best chair mat.
- Polycarbonate: If you are looking for durability as an essential consideration, you can consider buying a chair mat made using polycarbonate.
- PVC: In general, people fear plastic materials because of harmful substances like phthalate plastic. But, some manufacturers create PVC chair mats after removing harmful substances. So, if you are looking for the best-performing and best-value mat, you can consider selecting PVC mats.
- Ecotex: Ecotex as the name implies is an eco-friendly material. It is recyclable. Not all manufacturers make chair mats using this material. But, it is made using 25% renewable energy that makes it an environmental-friendly option.
9. How About Buying a Mat with Antimicrobial Technology?
You know that similar to carpets, chair mats can also get dirty with daily use. So, if you could get a mat with anti-microbial technology, you can ensure the safety of your family members, particularly kids, isn’t it? You can find mats that follow anti-microbial technology to prevent the growth of harmful pathogens and microbes that can create odors, stains and cross-contamination. In turn, you can ensure the safety of your elderly and youngest member of your family.
10. Are Anti-slippery Mats Essential?
When the flooring in your home is highly polished and glossed, it can be slippery as you know. When you have not used carpets in your flooring, you should check whether the mat assures the anti-slippery feature. This is something essential not just for your safety when sitting in the chair, but also when walking around. Again, this is a must-have safety feature if you have kids and elderly people in your family to avoid slips.
Conclusion
A chair mat is an excellent option irrespective of whether you have safeguarded your flooring with carpets or not. Selecting the best chair mat can secure your investment on floors from the wear and tear caused by chairs and other furniture in your home. You can consider the factors mentioned above to ensure that you conclude with the right chair mat that not just protects your flooring, but also you and your family members in many ways. Make the best selection and reap the benefits!
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