Best Office Chair Mat – Our Top 7 Picks

If you’re looking for the best office chair mats, we have just the perfect recommendations for you.

Your chair’s smooth-rolling caster wheels give you a free range of motion and even reduce the amount of effort required to glide the chair when you have to constantly move around on your desk. However, the frequent friction produced by these wheels ends up scratching or denting your hardwood, laminate, or vinyl floors. Your thick carpet suffers the same fate too. The carpet area where the wheels are constantly rolling may flatten out or become matted over time. Even worse, the amount of force required to glide the chair on a thick carpet increases your risk of back and leg pain.

Whether you’re looking to protect your hardwood floor or improve your chair’s mobility on a high pile carpet, a good chair mat is a must-have for your home or office. It protects your floor while giving you a safe working environment.

In this article, we discuss 7 best office mats that are perfect for office workers and those who work in home offices. But before that, let’s have a look at some of the most important things to look for when purchasing a chair mat.

Things to Consider Before Purchasing an Office Chair Mat

Floor Type

One of the most important things to consider is the type of flooring.

If you have hard floors like hardwood, laminate, or vinyl plank flooring, what you need is a chair mat with a smooth backing. There are plenty of chair mats for hardwood flooring to choose from.

For your carpeted floor, you need a carpet-friendly chair floor mat that has spikes or cleats on the underside. A regular smooth-surface chair mat will most likely slide on a medium pile or low pile carpet. The spikes help anchor the mat on the carpet to prevent sliding.

Construction Material

Office chair mats are commonly made of PVC or tempered glass materials. PVC chair mats are typically thin, lightweight, and very cheap. They are mostly designed for hard floors and low pile carpets, although some are also designed for use on high pile carpets.

These chair mats are made of tempered glass which is 5 times stronger than normal glass and two times stronger than car window glass.

These mats are incredibly strong and sturdy, heavy-duty, and can be quite expensive. But still cheaper than renewing the floor because of scratches. [1]

They are suitable for all types of floors and work really well on thick carpets. They are less prone to cracking and are perfect for heavy people and those using heavy chairs as they are built to support up to 1000lbs.

If you’re on a tight budget, a PVC mat is a much suitable choice. However, it won’t be as long–lasting as a glass mat. If money is no issue, this type of a mat will offer you the best value for your money.

Shape

Chair mats come in various shapes. There are rectangular or square options, mats with a lip, and even bulb-shaped mats.

Rectangular or square mats are suitable for all office layouts due to their versatility. A mat with lip has an extended edge that protects the floor under the desk when you push the chair inwards. Bulb-shaped chair mats on the other hand are suitable for L-shaped desks.

Choose the shape that best suits your needs or taste.

Thickness

It’s important that you choose a chair mat that is thick enough for your flooring.

Chair mats come in varying thicknesses. For example, those designed for hardwood floors are typically 1/8” thick. The thickness for carpet mats varies depending on the carpet thickness. A low pile carpet requires a mat with a thickness of up to 1/8” while medium pile carpets require those with a thickness of up to 3/16” . For a high pile carpet, choose a mat with a thickness of about 3/16” upwards.

And finally, consider the price. Like I stated earlier, PVC or vinyl mats are cheaper compared to glass chair mats. Choose one that best suits your budget.

Best Mats for Office Chairs (Our Top 7 Picks 2021)

1. Best Mat for Office Chair Overall – OFM ESS Collection Chair Mat with Lip

The OFM ESS comes in two types- hardwood floor mat and carpeted floor mat. The mat designed for carpets features molded cleats and studs all over the underside. Their purpose is to hold the mat securely in place on the carpet, plus they won’t cause any damage to your expensive carpet. It’s specifically built for small pile carpets up to ¼” thick.

The textured surface allows the office chair wheels to roll smoothly and effortlessly while preventing skidding. Its PVC construction makes it wear-resistant as well.

To reduce your risk of developing leg muscle fatigue and back pain, this mat is ergonomically designed by allowing effortless movement of the wheels.

All this in addition to protecting your floor against food or drink spills and foot traffic makes it an excellent choice for all types of hard floor surfaces and low pile carpeting.

This floor mat is available in two sizes- 36″ x 48″ and 36″ x 48″.

2. Best Chair Mat for Low Pile Carpet – Dimex Low Pile Carpet Chair Office Desk Chair Mat

Since it’s designed for a carpet, the mat has a cleated backing that helps grip the carpet to avoid slipping while the smooth upper surface allows for effortless chair mobility.

The mat features a lip that extends past the desk front edge to protect your floor from getting scratched by the caster wheels.

Its PVC construction allows it to stand against everyday wear and tear. It would crack or shatter, unlike some other low-quality PVC mats. It’s also BPA and phthalate-free

This particular mat measures 36″ x 48″ which is a suitable size for small and medium-sized office chairs. If you have a larger chair, you can pick the larger sizes including 45″ x 53″ and 46″ x 60″.

The pricing is reasonable and its 3 sizes make it suitable for different chair sizes.

3. Best Chair Mat for Hardwood Floors – AiBOB Office Desk Chair Mat

The mat is strong and durable enough to protect your beautiful flooring against wear and tear from caster wheels, spills, dust, dents, scuffs, and any other damage that may be caused by office caster wheels. It’s ideal for laminate, vinyl, tile, concrete, and linoleum floors as well.

The mat is constructed with a high-quality polyurethane material that won’t crack, shatter, or curl at the edges. Installation is easy. Simply unroll the mat and lay it flat.

I’ve seen a few complaints about a strong plastic-like odor emanating from the mat. This is known as “off-gassing” and will typically go away after a short period. To hasten the process, lay the mat outside in the direct sun or simply open the windows to allow the gas to escape.

Otherwise, this is a great floor protector mat for your hardwood floors and the good news is that it’s really cheap.

4. Best Glass Chair Mat- Floortex Glaciermat Executive Tempered Glass Chair Mat

This chair mat is constructed with crystal clear tempered glass that blends in perfectly with your hardwood floor, carpet, or any other type of floor. Unlike PVC mats, this mat can be used on hard floors like hardwood, laminate, vinyl, linoleum, and concrete floors, and all carpet types (low pile, medium pile, and high pile carpets).

Since it’s a heavy-duty and durable chair mat, it lays flat on the carpet and doesn’t crack, shatter or break easily. It also won’t sink, dent, curl at the edges, buckle, or discolor. It also features smooth round edges that won’t scratch, curl, or catch your flooring. It’s perfectly safe to use.

The tempered glass chair mat provides superior protection to your floor or carpet against everyday wear and tear, spills, and dust. It’s long-lasting so you’re looking at many years of superior protection. Its smooth crystal-clear surface also allows your chair to glide effortlessly on wood floor surfaces as well as thick carpets, reducing your risk of leg muscle pain and back pain.

Installation is super easy, although, at a weight of 35 lbs, the mat is quite heavy. It lays flat and its 36″ x 48″ dimensions make it suitable for small and medium-sized office chairs.

It doesn’t come cheap though. But for the excellent quality, the price is totally reasonable.

5. Best Budget Office Chair Mat – Kuyal Clear Chair Mat Office Home Floor Protector Mat

The mat is super smooth on one side and grinding on the other. The manufacturer recommends placing the smooth side with an anti-slide coating facing down to allow the mat to stay in place and the grinding side up to increase the mobility of your chair wheels.

The PVC office chair is ergonomically designed to allow ease of movement which helps prevent strain that often results in back pain and pain in your leg muscles. It basically allows you to move freely around your desk.

The PVC construction makes it long-lasting and since it’s made with safe materials, this mat lets you enjoy a healthy indoor environment.

It comes in various sizes and shapes including 30″ X 48″, 36″ X 48″ Rectangle, 48″ X 48″ Square, and 48″ X 59″ Rectangle.

6. Best Large Office Chair Mat – SALLOUS Chair Mat for Hard Floor

The smooth fabric top side allows your chair to glide smoothly while the non-slip underside prevents skidding.

The chair is designed for all types of hard floors including hardwood, laminate, vinyl, linoleum, tile, concrete, and bamboo floors.

It comes in varying large sizes so if you need to protect a larger area, the SALLOUS chair mat is an excellent choice.

It’s not designed for carpet though.

7. Best All Floor Office Chair Mat – MuArts Store Crystal Clear Hard Chair Mat

The mat is constructed with Plexiglass, a lightweight shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It’s a much cheaper alternative to tempered glass mats as well. It’s thick and sturdy enough so it won’t slide on hard floor surfaces and its smooth surface allows chair wheels to glide smoothly and effortlessly.

The mat is transparent and will give your office space an elegant appearance while blending in perfectly with your home office décor.

It comes in various sizes and is backed by a 1-Year warranty and lifetime technical support from the company.

The mat is not suitable for carpet

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out more accessories for your office chair.

Best Mats for Office Chair – Bottom Line

Office chair floor mats offer the best protection for your home office floor and carpet. They come in different shapes, sizes, and prices.

You should also consider using one if you’re standing on a balance board to protect your floors from scratches.

Go ahead and pick the best pick for your home or office and prolong the life of your floor or carpet

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