A rolling office chair may help you reach one end of the cubicle to the other. However, it is not efficient when the chair starts rolling when sitting.
Unwanted rolling of an office chair can also lead to back and knee strain because you are constantly trying to keep the chair in place to avoid it from moving. Perhaps, employees who aren’t comfortable in their chairs will have less productivity at work.
Also, this arises when the casters have become nonfunctional, or the floor is slippery.
In this article, we will discuss the reasons for the chair to roll and different ways to stop it.
Why Does the Office Chair Roll?
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The reason for your office chair to roll is because the wheels have lost their functionality or the floor is slippery.
Other reasons for chair rolling include:
- The floor is noticeable or slightly tilted.
- The floor is smooth or slippery (hardwood, linoleum, tile, non carpeted floors).
- Big wheels or wrong casters.
How to Prevent Office Chair Wheels from Rolling?
We now know the possible reasons why the office chair rolls.
So, let’s find out how to reduce or prevent the desk chair from rolling.
Remove Casters/ Buy New Casters
If you want to stop your desk chair from rolling, remove the wheels. You can replace the old worn-out casters with new rubber brake wheels or gliders.
NOTE: Avoid nylon and plastic casters as they will chip and scratch the hardwood and other floorings.
Don’t want to invest in new casters?
Then you can go for FELT PADS. These are adhesive back floor protectors used for furniture legs such as tables, beds, sofa chairs, etc.
Put the felt pads under each position where the casters are removed. And here you go sans caster chair that prevents the chair from rolling.
TIP: Do not use chair mats or carpets on hardwood flooring.
Foot Rest
Using a footrest in a home or office work setup is partially effective. Although it helps stop the office chair from rolling, there’s a tendency to move the desk chair around while working unconsciously,
Sounds funny, yes.
“Resting feet at 90° to the floor or footrest reduce back and knee stress,“. says Marc Turina, a Pittsburgh physical therapist.
Also, you can use it at a standing desk to relieve the feet from continuous standing.
Chair Mat
As mentioned above, the only reason for your office to roll around is either a smooth, slippery floor or loose casters.
Hence, to keep the chair from moving, place a chair mat beneath it. Basically, there are three types of chair mats available: Polycarbonate, Tempered glass, Vinyl, or PVC mats. According to users, Polycarbonate mats are best to keep the chairs from rolling.
TIP: If you are using a chair mat over a fluffy carpet, it can cause the chair to sink. Therefore, use studded mats, which give an extra lift to the chair, thereby minimizing the sinking of the desk chair.
Yoga Mats
This is a budget-friendly option to keep the desk chair from rolling. Not only can you use them for workouts but also use them as chair mats.
A thick yoga mat can be placed under the desk chair. However, there are high chances of the chair wobbling. This is because yoga mats have no grip and are made from light foam. Also, this can cause severe back issues if used in the long term.
Caster Cups/ Stoppers
Caster cups/rollers and stoppers are available in wooden, glass, rubber, plastic frames, heavy-duty vinyl, or solid silicon.
Unlike furniture like sofas and beds, which need not be moved, the office chair works otherwise. Therefore, caster cups can cause a hindrance when you need to move the chair around.
Similarly, caster stoppers are available in square and round shapes. They are made from heavy-duty polyvinyl material or plastic.
TIP: Make sure to choose the right size casters for your office chair.
What to do if the casters available are not for your office chair? However, there are varieties of office chairs, and it’s difficult to find an appropriate one
If this is the case, you can get the casters custom-made from the store where you purchased the desk chair or any furniture store.
Brake and Locking Casters
If your office chair casters do not have the braking system, I suggest swapping to this option.
Not only can they be used for smooth floors, but they also work well on uneven ground. Moreover, they are rubber coated, so do not scratch the floor.
These are hands-free brake casters. This means the brakes are set up only when you sit on the desk chair, which prevents the chair from unnecessary movement.
Is your floor slanting or uneven?
If YES,
Then you can go for these sit- brake casters.
These wheels are controlled by a metal bar. Using your foot, press the bar to activate the wheel’s brake system. Likewise, to deactivate, and release the metal bar (locker lever), pull up the metal bar with your feet.
Area Rug
Area Rug or Chair Mats?
Confused? Well,
Area rugs are different from chair mats. What sets them apart is that area rugs are made of thick fabric material and are soft. Also, cover the whole floor, unlike chair mats. Wherein chair mats are made of PVC plastic and rubber. They are hard thin plastic mats.
You can place a 2×3′ rug under the chair to keep it from moving (it Covers only the chair area). This will help to reduce the chair movement at the same time allowing you to move when needed.
Similarly, you can place a 4×6′ area rug under the desk. Not only does it cover the chair area, but it also extends under the desk.
TIP: Do not use a kitchen floor rug as it will fold and topple the desk chair over.
To prevent the rug from folding or moving, add gripper pads. They are also called rug stoppers. Paste them underneath the rug on all four corners and attach the rug to the floor.
This way, the rug will stick to the floor and prevent the chair from rolling.
Foam Block
A simple hack to stop the desk chair from rolling is to place a block of foam under the casters. Different types of foams of varying sizes are available in the market.
Firstly, using a measuring tape measures the distance between the floor and the desk chair base. Secondly, cut a square piece of dense foam and place it under the chair base. It will raise the chair, preventing movement of the chair. However, the foam should not compress when you sit on the chair.
In this way, it will prevent the chair from spinning or rolling.
Rope
Wrap a rope around the center post of the chair to the desk legs. This method will keep your desk chair in place. However, you will not be able to move the chair around.
Therefore, using a rope is a far-fetched option.
Furthermore, a rope or strap can be used for a short period.
A negative point of this is that it restricts movement; hence, it can be irritating and may reduce work productivity.
Pedal Mount
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The Pedal Mount PEIN available on Amazon is a great option to stop your office chair wheels from skidding. It helps to keep the chair in place. Moreover, it helps in pedal adjustment.
The chair fits in the two extending arms. The pedals at the front of the mount are for foot placement. What more? When office and exercise work simultaneously. This pedal mount is also suitable for sim racing.
Gripper pads and anti-skid pads
Nowadays, anti-skid pads and gripper pads are available in the market. Just paste them on the flooring where the chair caster wheels are placed. Also, they are less expensive, so it would be better if you purchased the whole box instead of a few.
Note: The gripper pads work well with tile floors as well as carpeted floors. However, the pad adhesives and grippers may damage the carpet thread.
Paper
This is the easiest way to stop your office chair from rolling. However, the sharp edges of the crumpled paper can scratch the floor. Thus, leaving ugly marks on the floor. You can crumble paper bits or tissue and jam them in the caster’s wheels.
