Sometimes things that most people overlook are our biggest nightmares and for a reason.
Honestly, many other things could annoy you, but I’m sure your chair mat sliding on your carpet is the last thing you’d want to experience.
This post will walk you through nine easy ways to keep your chair mat from sliding on the carpet. So without further ado, let’s get started.
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Why Do Chair Mats Slide on Carpet?
The basic answer is that chair mats will always rest in the carpet piles’ position.
For example, if you are walking on your mat, the force you’ll apply on the mat will transfer through the carpeting. In other words, when you move, the mat moves along with you.
Usually, this is common with plush mats that have no rubber backing. They are generally soft that they can quickly transfer all the more to your carpeting, causing loathe.
But what are some of the ways to keep your chair mat from sliding on your carpet? Let’s look at some of the 9 ways you can minimize this from happening, shall we?
9 Easy Ways to Keep a Chair Mat From Sliding on Carpet
1. Use a Rubber Shelf Liner as Your Rug Pad
Many experts have recommended that you use rubber shelf liner rolls instead of giving yourself the burden of going for a pricier material. You can find some of these made from beautiful shelf liner papers, while others are made from non-skid rubbers.
However, according to most homeowner experts, the non-skid rubber material is the best when it comes to holding your chair mat from sliding on your carpet.
The best of all is that they can act as good alternatives to rug pads when quality levels are taken into consideration. However, these will be best suited for small rugs built from lightweight materials.
All you have to do is measure your rug (either its width or length), then cut a couple of strips to your desired size. Once you have laid all the cut strips on your floor, situate the rolled-up rug in one end and then unroll to minimize the chances of wrinkles.
While this remedy works perfectly for nearly every floor, it isn’t the best for hardwood floors. This comes as a disappointment to many, but it’s worth knowing to avoid using it on hardwood floors.
2. Use a Gripper or Claw Backing
If you want to go a bit deeper and find a solution to your carpet not getting rooted to its spot—rather than just finding a solution for your chair mat sliding on the rug, using a gripper or claw backing will be your best bet.
One thing for sure is that your mat will never grow roots, but at least, you should be worried about it gripping your floor and making it a hassle when you want to remove it. And that’s how claw backing or use of grippers comes into the picture.
The grippers’ or claws’ primary role is to dig down to your carpet pile and minimize the chances of your mat sliding on the carpet every time.
Sure, by doing this, you’ll still be transferring the force to the carpeting, but at least, you’ll be reinforcing the former to prevent it from slipping along the carpeting.
However, you must understand that not all grippings and claws are made of the same quality—there are some better than others. And as such, you may want to research the market before purchasing any of them—at least to be sure that you are getting the best quality.
3. Choose the Correct Tape
Most people ignore that choosing the right tape affects how you’ll keep your chair mat from slipping on your carpet, especially when you are on hardwood floors.
The worst of all is that some people don’t even take their time to research the market before purchasing a tape. This is why most will end up with a non-carpet tape.
Other people will end up buying carpet tapes but won’t take their time to check if the tape in question fits their floors, depending on what floor they have.
In short, take your time to research the market before you purchase any tape, as this will affect whether or not you’ll successfully keep your chair mat from slipping on the carpet.
That said, use double-sided carpet tapes to keep your chair mats from sliding on the carpet. Most homeowners who have used double-sided carpet tapes have not experienced any floor damage.
However, you’ll need to be a little bit wary about this tape, especially when using it on hand-knotted chair mats. In a nutshell, better to use this tape with cheaper hand-tufted rugs.
Again, you need to understand that adhesives aren’t the best for hardwood floors. However, you can still find the perfect match tape for hardwood floors if you search the market properly.
However, the good news is that there are high-quality tapes that will not leave adhesives on your carpet. The best of all is that you can easily remove them anytime you want without leaving any residue on your floor.
4. Use Non-Skid Underlays
I’ll not be surprised if any of the three methods I have discussed above isn’t your favorite—after all, people always want to choose from a variety.
Using non-skid underlays is one of the substitutes to the other three methods we have discussed above.
For excellent results, put some layers between the carpet and your mat to prevent the mat from sliding on the carpet if the pressure has been applied to it.
And because this is one of the most economical ways of keeping your chair mats from sliding on the carpet, it should be your best bet if you are on a limited budget.
However, please note that the non-skid underlay is usually sticky. And while the sticky part is only on the side that’s meant to stick in a place, ensure that you put them in a position that wouldn’t affect your carpeting.
Additionally, you’ll need to ensure that you cut your non-skid underlay so that it doesn’t surpass the mat once it is stuck to it.
Finally, take caution not to trip over your non-skid underlay. In other words, ensure that the underlay is some inches shorter than your chair mat.
5. Aim for Good Quality
While I might not need to remind you of this because the chances are that you already know that you should always aim for top quality when purchasing anything.
The truth is that inexpensive, thin and insubstantial mats will always disappoint you in the long run. They could even pile up your budget more than you ever imagined.
So what are the best quality mats I should be looking for?
That can be a huge debate because even quality is perceived differently by many. The best answer is that thicker materials are better because they don’t wear easily and can create more friction minimizing the chances of it sliding on the carpet.
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6. Get the Right Mat
We just talked about quality in the previous point, but what about getting the right mat for your chair? Isn’t that the same thing as quality?
No, getting the right mat is different from getting the best quality in the market. While considering these, both can be the most brilliant ideas; you need to know the difference.
For example, if you are a workout enthusiast, you should be getting a workout mat and not a throw mat. And the same applies to when you need a mat for your chair.
Another example—if you want a mat where your visitors can leave their shoes, you’ll need a different kind of mat. That is what choosing the right mat means—getting the mat that’s intended for its purpose.
In a nutshell, make sure that you are getting a mat intended for its purpose. Judging from our examples above, you can understand what getting the right mat means.
7. Use Felt Rug Pads
If I were you, I would be much more concerned about the health of both my floor and the chair mat. If we are on the same page, then felt rug pads would be your best solution if you are serious about keeping your chair mat from sliding on the carpet.
The advantage of felt rug pads is that they are made from recycled plastics, so rest assured, they are more eco-friendly than any other rug pad you’d find in the market today.
Felt rugs are a combination of rubber and felt together as a result of heating both together. With this process, rest assured you’ll get a non-slip pad that will prevent your chair mat from slipping on the carpet.
While the primary purpose of felt rugs is to prevent chair mats from slipping on the carpet, these rugs also offer comfort.
Finally, it’s important to note that felt rugs are usually perfect for larger chair mats with furniture placed on their tops. This is because the felt pads’ nature helps minimize premature pile wears always resulting from foot traffic.
8. Obscure Your Carpeting
While this option is the simplest, many people would not love to obscure their carpeting, and that’s completely fine. It’s just one of the remedies on this list after all—so there’s nothing to fret about. Additionally, you’d not want to have anything on the mat, which could lead to a trip.
Obscuring your carpet can also help minimize the chances of a chair mat sliding on the carpet. However, as you have noted above, this remedy is one with some limitations you’d want to take a close look at before jumping into the bandwagon.
9. The DIY Option
When you still have your mat in the box where it came with it, cut a hole in the middle of that box (at the top). Ensure that the hole can accommodate the size of the hairdryer.
Next, put the dryer end in such a way that warm air is allowed in, then turn on the hairdryer. Now place your dryer to let warm air blow towards the center of the mat.
You’ll need to check frequently to see if the mat is warming or not—you need to check this every five minutes. However, ensure that the time taken to heat the interior core doesn’t exceed 20 minutes.
Once your core is warm enough, the next step is to take out the box’s mat and place it on the floor. Once that is done, begin heating the rest of the mat—starting with the already warm part of the mat.
You’ll need to move your hairdryer back and forth to ensure that all sections are warm and that they have started to relax.
Please repeat this process until the entire section of the mat is relaxed. Having an additional weight on top of the mat could help speed up things.
Please note—this remedy is best suited for thicker mats and the area you live in must always be cool.
Bottom Line
If it’s been haunting you for quite some time, it doesn’t have to anymore with these nine tips. Please note that all these hacks will work, but not a guarantee that you’ll love each of them.
As such, I encourage you to try all the hacks and see what works for you. Rinse and repeat your best hack and stick to it. If you have any more questions about chair mats and carpeting, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to reply as soon as possible.