How To Keep Chair Mats From Sliding On Carpet: Tips And Tricks That Work

Working in your home office is more convenient with an office chair that lets you move—or roll—from one corner to another.

However, such convenience is disrupted when your office mat keeps moving too. This happens especially on carpeted floors.

So how to keep chair mat from sliding on carpet? You have come to the right place. We are here to help. Keep on reading.

Mats And Carpets

Chairs, especially those with wheels rolling around with your whole weight on them, are notorious for causing damage on hardwood floors. These damages include scratches and other marks and indentations.

Putting on a carpet helps you shield your floor from such damages while protecting your feet from the cold. However, using a rolling office chair on the carpet might still be a challenge.

It won’t slide or roll as smoothly, hence giving you a little discomfort while you are working on tasks. Rolling on a carpet all day may cause leg strain and back pains.

Chair mats are designed to aid a smooth movement within your workspace. Do you know it would take you 80% less effort to use your office chair with a mat?

But then again, a chair mat has a great tendency of sliding on your carpeted floor.

How To Keep Mats In Place

There are chair mats specially designed for carpeting available in the market. The types of chair mats for carpeting are based on the types of carpet with which they should be used.

So when shopping for one, look at the labels carefully. Keep in mind the type of carpet you have in your home. A high pile carpet has tall and loose fibers, while a low pile carpet has shorter fibers and tighter loops.

Buy chair mats for low pile carpet if that’s what you have at home. Similarly, buy a high pile carpet if you have a heavy shag in your workspace.

If you cannot find chair mats for carpeting, you may buy a mat with a non-slip rubber backing. However, this type of mat does not entirely eliminate movement, especially on your high pile carpet.

Another option is a chair mat with gripper or cleated backing. This type of backing helps the mat grip on the carpet to prevent it from moving and creeping. However, it is still not ideal for use for a high pile carpet.

There are other things that you can do to keep your mats in place. These methods will also work if you are wondering how to keep foam mats from sliding on carpet.

Use A Gripper Pad

If you are saving on money and are not willing to buy a new mat, you can use a gripper pad to do the trick.

Purchase a rug-to-carpet gripper pad with adhesive on one side. These pads typically come in sheets. Buy one that will fit the size of your mat or a bigger one that you can cut according to your mat’s size.
Lay a sheet of gripper pad on the floor.
Place the mat on top of the pad to use it as your template.
Then, cut the pad around the mat.
Remove the mat.
Cut off an inch on each edge of the gripper pad.
Lay flat the gripper pad on the floor with its sticky side facing up.
Place the mat on the pad, making sure that it is centered.
Press gently to make sure that they hold together.

Use A Gripper Tape

As mentioned earlier, gripper pads come in sheets with particularly small sizes. If you have a larger chair mat, you may consider using a rug-to-carpet gripper tape or an all-surface rug gripper tape.

Take your chair mat, and turn it over with the backside facing up.
Take your gripper tape, and roll it out to the length of your mat.
Cut the tape two inches shorter than the length of your mat.
Place the tape on the mat with its sticky side against the backside. The tape should be at the center of the mat. Observe one-inch spacing on both ends.
Gently press the tape against the mat.
Cut another piece of gripper tape with the same length. Then, place it along the opposite edge of the mat with the same one-inch spacing.
Now it’s time to position it on your carpet with the right side facing up.

Conclusion

How to keep chair mat from sliding on carpet is easy, especially when you know the type of carpet you are dealing with. Make sure that your workspace is comfortable and conducive for efficient multitasking.