We spent 25 hours on research to review the top choices for this wiki. If you have ever used a wheeled office chair in a room with carpeting, you know how hard it can be to roll those casters around. Don't rip out the carpets and install hardwood floors in your cubicle, though. Not when a good carpet chair mat can help you maneuver that chair about with ease while at the same time protecting the flooring. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to support our work.
Choosing the best
chair mat for carpet - When looking to buy chair mats, consider things like surface, the size of workspace, and shape. Do you need a hard wood floor chair mat or a carpet chair mat? Perhaps you have a tile floor or even vinyl. The hardwood floor chair mats rest evenly on the floor and permit easy rolling around if you have a chair with wheels. Perhaps you have a plush carpet or standard pile in which case you could use a chair mat with cleats so that the mat stays put even when you are moving around in the chair.
Chair mats for thick carpet will be slightly different than those designed for low pile or even medium pile carpets. The office chair mat I bought for the carpeted room does leave some indentions on the carpet (I notice them when I pick it up to vacuum underneath) but after a while, they do go away. Most wood floor chair mats will also do just fine on floors with tile, vinyl, or linoleum. Shape - When it comes to shapes of chair floor mats, there are basically 3 types - lip, L-workstation, and rectangular or utility. The average desk setup can use the lip chair mats or even the rectangular option. Corner computer desks and L-workstations work best when you have the L-shaped workstation chair mat. Size - This is entirely dependent on how much space you need when mulling about your work area or desk. Some people "roll" all over while others stay in a smaller area. I like to roll around, often going back and forth from my computer to a bookshelf behind my desk. Chair mats come in a variety of sizes, so pick one that has the most space possible without intruding on the rest of the room or area surrounding the desk. Chair Mat Reviews - We found several websites with dozens of owner reviews - Epinions, Staples.com, Viewpoints.com, and of course Amazon.com. There's nothing better than reading up on a particular product and then reading what other consumers have to say about it. Find out what works and those products that fail the end user test. RECOMMENDED - We suggest shopping online at Amazon.com since they carry all the leading brands, offer excellent pricing, and post dozens of customer reviews for you to see.
The best office chair mat for carpet is the Floortex Cleartex Ultimat. The main reason for choosing the Floortex Ultimat for the best chair mat for carpet is due to its strength and durability. It comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes to meet your needs. This floor mat can be used on either carpet or hard surface floors (including hardwood floors) depending on the type of backing you choose – spikes for carpet or smooth for hardwood. See the comparison chart above to select the correct mat for your floor. If you have carpet flooring, you would need the model with grippers on the back and for hardwood floors, you need the mat with the smooth backing. This floor mat is completely transparent which means you can still see the floor underneath. This floor mat comes in several different styles including a rectangular shape with a lip, contoured, and cornered. The lip on the rectangularly shaped mat will extend under your desk to protect the area where your feet sit. The contoured and cornered floor mats are more stylish.
Some of the things we liked about this floor mat include:
High-quality material. This floor mat is made of high-quality polycarbonate material. It will not to crack, curl, or discolor over time.
Built to last. It will last years longer than a cheaper plastic floor mat. The polycarbonate mat is not susceptible to wear and tear like its plastic counterpart. It is very hard, but not brittle. The hardness of the material also makes for a good rolling surface on the carpet.
Supports a heavy weight person. It will support a heavier chair and/or heavier person. Even if you weigh 200 – 300+ lbs, the floor mat is strong enough to support this weight.
Durability. The floor mat is stronger and more durable. When rolling a chair across the mat you will not notice any indentations and the wheels glide easily across the surface.
Will not slip and slide. The mat has a rigid surface texture which keeps the wheels in place while sitting at your desk working. Since it takes a bit of effort to move your desk chair, you will not be sliding around on the mat. On the spiked carpet model, the grippers on the bottom are about a ⅛ inch long and are spaced about 1¼ inch apart from each other.
Transparent. This floor mat is almost completely clear. It looks very neat, organized and is not tacky like plastic mats. You will hardly know it’s there and can still enjoy your floor without the eyesore.
Odorless. The polycarbonate material it is made out of is odorless.
Shipping. The floor mat is shipped flat.
