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Do Office Chairs Damage Tile?

As many offices are designed with beautiful and expensive tile flooring, many ask: do office chairs damage tile? This is an important matter because interior office designs can cost a lot of money. No one would like to see their expensive tile floors scratched and ruined now, would they?

Do office chairs damage tile? This depends on the office chair’s wheels. Office chairs with wheels made of hard plastic can scratch and damage tile floors. It may not roll smoothly as well due to friction and scraping. However, roller-blade style wheels are safe and will not damage the tile. 

With that said, there are many important things to consider regarding office chairs and tile flooring, especially the office chair wheels themselves. In this post, we will answer your questions, including do you need a chair mat for the tile and how to keep your chair from scratching the tile floor. Let’s get it started.

We hope you love our tips & how-tos. Office Solution Pro is supported by its readers. This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Do Office Chairs Damage Tile?

The Berkeley Lab summarized this matter brilliantly, stating that if rolling chairs have the wrong type of casters, it can damage the floor, including asbestos tiles. Hard casters on a hard floor can also cause ‘skating’ of the chair as a person sits down. Not only is this unpleasant, but it can potentially cause the chair to tip over.

Do You Need a Chair Mat for Tile?

Did you know that most flooring manufacturers will void their warranties unless you use chair mats? This is because chair mats are designed to protect flooring surfaces, especially tiles. Because most office chairs employ hard plastic wheels, a chair mat can protect the tile from unwanted scratches.

In addition to protection, a chair mat can make your office chair move around much easier. Not to mention, the smooth glide that a chair mat provides is an amazing feeling in and of itself. If your office chair has plastic wheels and you want to experience a smooth glide, you can consider buying a chair mat.

It’s important to note, however, that you don’t need a chair mat for your office chairs to function properly. While using a chair mat is a viable option to protect your tile flooring, it’s not the best way to do so in our opinion. In the next section, we will discuss some of the best ways you can do to prevent your office chair from damaging the tiles.

How Do I Keep My Chair from Scratching My Tile Floor?

Now that we’ve talked about chair mats and tile flooring, let’s look at some of the simple tips you can do other than that. These three tips are as simple as they can be. Here are the best things you can do now to keep your office chair from scratching the tile floor, ranked from easiest to hardest:

1. Change your office chair wheels

The best thing you can do to keep your office chair from scratching the tile floor is to change the wheels. In our opinion, this is the best option. Moreover, there are excellent roller-blade style wheels that are guaranteed to protect your tile, and are very affordable as well. They are sure to protect your tiles from scratches.

Throughout our website, we have been preaching about the benefits of using roller-blade-style caster wheels for your office chair. Not only are they safe for ALL types of flooring, but they can make your overall sitting experience blissful. Being able to glide effortlessly is a wonderful feeling. 

If you want to buy and replace your office chair wheels, we highly recommend buying from this brand (link to Amazon). Not only are they universally fitted for most office chairs, but they are encased with soft, polyurethane material that are guaranteed not to scratch or leave marks on any surface, especially tiles.

PRO TIP: If you need help on how to remove caster wheels, be sure to give our simple guide a quick read. Everything you need to know about the process is laid out for you. The entire procedure is a walk in the park. Next thing you know, you’ll be smoothly gliding around in your new office chair wheels!

2. Use a chair mat for tile

As we’ve mentioned in the previous section, placing a chair mat under the wheels of your office chair can help protect your tile flooring. Best of all, most chair mats are transparent by design. This means that the mat will not interfere with the color tone or change the color of your office design setup.

To help you make the best buying decision, we’ve tested several mats to find the best. We found one made with 100% polycarbonate material (link to Amazon). This ensures that the office chair wheels won’t sink into the mat or floor. It’s made with a super tough surface and is over 3mm thick so it won’t break or curl.

3. Buy a new office chair

Finally, you can buy a new office chair altogether. We mentioned this option last because buying a new office chair involves spending more money than the first two options. Nonetheless, if your chair is broken down and needs to be replaced, this is a great opportunity to select the best ergonomic office chair.

Use this time to assess your overall sitting experience of your chair. Are you feeling body pain while sitting? Is the chair making you less productive? If so, use this as an opportunity to choose a better chair that can last a long time. Many office chairs are now fitted with excellent wheels that are safe for your tile.

PRO TIP: If you are specifically looking for an office chair that is guaranteed to be friendly to your floor, you should check out our review of the best office chair for carpet and hardwood floors. All the chairs on our list are safe for all floor types, including tile. Plus, you’ll be getting bonuses with each purchase. Be sure to read it.

Final Verdict

And there you go, the article to the question: do office chairs damage tile? At the end of the day, you can apply simple yet smart tips to protect your office investments in the best way possible. By choosing the right office chair wheels, you can be sure to work in better comfort, all the while protecting your tile flooring. 🙂

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