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The Best Chair Mats for Carpet to Use in Your Office

Corey Majeau

Did you know you can damage carpets with your workstation and desk chairs? Rolling chairs are easy and convenient. But they can cause damage to flooring from chair wheels. 

Investing in a suitable mat can prevent damage to your carpets or rugs caused by wheels and chair legs. This mat will prevent damage to the carpet beneath and facilitate the movement of your chair when moving back and forth.

1. Dimex Low Pile Carpet Office Mat – Editor's Choice

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  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 36 x 48 inches, 45 x 53 inches, 46 x 60 inches
  • Materials: PVC

2. OFM Office Chair Mat for Carpet

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  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 36 x 48 inches, 46 x 60 inches
  • Materials: PVC

3. Kuyal Desk Chair Mat

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  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 30 x 48 inches, 36 x 48 inches
  • Materials: PVC

4. Evolve Office Chair Mat

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  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 33 x 44 inches, 36 x 48 inches, 45 x 60 inches
  • Materials: PVC

5. Lorell Chair Mat

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  • Price Range: $60 – $70
  • Available Sizes: 36 inches, 50 inches, 60 inches
  • Materials: tempered glass

6. Sillamate Chair Mat

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  • Price Range: $50 – $60
  • Available Sizes: 36 x 48
  • Materials: PVC

7. Resilia Office Desk Chair Mat

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  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 30 x 48 inches, 36 x 48 inches, 43 x 53 inches, 46 x 60 inches, 46 x 72 inches, 46 x 96 inches, 48 x 48 inches
  • Materials: Vinyl

8. SHAREWIN Chair Mat

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  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 47 x 36 inches, 47 x 47 inches, 47 x 59 inches
  • Materials: PVC

What Is a Chair Mat for Carpet?

Protecting the floor isn’t something most of us think about when setting up a home office desk, but it’s an important consideration that shouldn’t be overlooked. The use of a chair mat is preferable for several reasons. The most important reason is that you want to protect your carpet from the wear and tear of your chair’s tracks or wheels. 

With a chair mat beneath your feet, you can glide effortlessly across a carpeted floor without scratching the surface. You won’t have to struggle against your chair to reach the far side of your desk or the other corner of your home office.

Do You Need a Chair Mat for Your Carpet?

If you don’t want to destroy your carpet or want to glide the chair effortlessly back and forth as you sit down and stand up, then you need a chair mat for your carpet. 

Carpet chair mats come in various varieties; choose the one that corresponds to the type of carpeting you have by reading the product label carefully. You will be quite disappointed if you buy a mat made for low pile carpets and try to put it on a strong shag. It will be challenging to maneuver the chair since the mat will get stuck on the carpet. 

Equally ineffective would be placing a heavier chair pad on a low-pile carpet. These products feature cleats on the bottom that can be very important depending on your carpet type. A chair mat that is too heavy will damage the carpet by crushing the carpet’s fibers.

Different Types of Chair Mats for Carpet

There are two main chair mat styles.

Workstation Mats

This category usually encompassed products designed for corner-style workstations. They have extended lip edges and rounded triangular chairs that permit dragging the chair closer to the workstation.

Lipped Mats

These rectangular mats are an extension on one of the edges so your chair can get closer to the workstation. 

How to Pick a Chair Mat for Your Carpet 

Not all chair mats are created equal. Consider these points before buying yours.

Materials

Chair mats are available in various materials, including PVC, rubber, plastic, glass, and others. But polycarbonate plastic works best on top of carpeting. 

It is a thermoplastic that is super resilient and pliable but also easy to shape. It doesn’t fold or bunch up under the weight of a chair’s wheels or legs and maintains its flat shape throughout use.

As a result of the compression that occurs beneath wheels and feet on the carpet, tempered glass chair mats are more likely to break, and rolling over rubber chair mats is more difficult. 

The polycarbonate plastic is flexible while still retaining the ability to easily roll or scoot a chair over it; these are good features for a chair mat to have when placed on the carpet.

Thickness

Mat thickness greatly affects how effectively your chair mat retains its form and holds up to repeated use. Look for mats that are three to five mm thick. This should make them strong enough to withstand the pressure applied by the weight of the chair and the user. 

Slimmer mats are available. But they might not be as good on carpets. These mats tend to sink or bunch up under a tire, making it difficult to roll over them. The carpet will be safe, but it may be difficult to apply.

Size

Carpet chair mats can be found in a wide range of sizes and forms to suit your needs. A larger mat is required to shield the carpet from any potential damage caused by a larger desk or table. 

A mat measuring 36 inches deep by 48 inches broad is usually adequate for a standard desk and chair configuration. Miniature versions are available for use with narrow desks, while full-size ones may accommodate a wider table.

Bottom Side

A mat’s smooth underside ensures flawless flatness when placed on a hard floor. Carpet mats are an exception to this rule.

A chair mat with studs underneath is ideal for use on the carpet. These studs perform like tiny cleats, keeping the mat firmly in place. When you move your chair, the mat won’t move because of the studs. They’re essential if you want your chair mat to work properly on a rough floor.

Carpet Type

There is a wide variety of pile heights available for carpets and area rugs. This refers to the amount of fluffiness that the carpet has. Carpets with a high pile height are dense and velvety, whereas carpets with a low pile height are more streamlined and resilient. 

Because carpet mats have teeny-tiny studs embedded in the base to provide traction on the surface of the carpet, you have to account for the pile height.

You also need a shorter mat if you have a low-pile carpet. High-pile mats are designed with longer studs for better stability. 

You might be interested in: Best Home Office Chairs

The 8 Best Chair Mats for Carpet 

I chose these eight chair mats for carpet based on their user ratings, overall quality, and availability.

1. Dimex Low Pile Carpet Office Mat – Editor's Choice

Highlights

  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 36 x 48 inches, 45 x 53 inches, 46 x 60 inches
  • Materials: PVC

Pros

  • Transparent design.
  • Nonslip backing.
  • Easy to clean.

Cons

  • Prone to chair dents.

One of the bestselling products in this category is the Dimex chair. It’s an outstanding mat that doesn’t slide off the carpet, is transparent so you can see the rug underneath, and is easy to clean. It would be great for your home office if you want a discreet design that doesn’t conceal that beautiful carpet you love to see.

Use Dimex Chair Mats to preserve the quality appearance of your carpet. It was specifically built with a classic lip to protect your flooring. The cleated back prevents the mat from sliding on carpets, while the smooth top makes moving chairs around a breeze. The mat’s 36″ x 48″ dimensions make it suitable for use with compact and standard office chairs.

Your chair mat will blend in with the floor beneath it, thanks to the industry’s highest level of clarity. This mat has been certified as Greenguard by the Environmental Working Group and is composed of plastic free of harmful substances like BPA and Phthalates.

2. OFM Office Chair Mat for Carpet – Runner Up

Highlights

  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 36 x 48 inches, 46 x 60 inches
  • Materials: PVC

Pros

  • Good coverage.
  • Two size options.
  • Nonslip design.

Cons

  • Doesn’t work on high pile carpets.

If you’re looking for low-cost floor protection, I recommend checking out OFM’s chair mat. This PVC mat has a lip and is available in two huge sizes: 36″ x 48″ and 46″ x 60″, the latter being suitable for covering even the largest seats and workspaces.

For added safety, this mat has a lip that can be placed beneath a desk. It has long-lasting studs that firmly anchor the mat to carpeted floors, preventing the mat from shifting from under a chair. This mat has a nonslip surface on top, so it’s safer and easier to walk on in terms of ergonomics.

3. Kuyal Desk Chair Mat – Best for Pet Households

Highlights

  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 30 x 48 inches, 36 x 48 inches
  • Materials: PVC

Pros

  • Made with non-toxic materials.
  • Available in a hard floor-compatible version.
  • Easy to clean.

Cons

  • Not very resistant.

If you don’t take precautions while purchasing plastics and engineered materials, you could bring harmful substances into your house. How many little ones and dogs do you have scurrying about your house? So, if you want an eco-friendly chair mat, I recommend this excellent option from Kuyal.

This clear alternative does not include harmful substances like BPA, phthalates, or the more common tin, cadmium, or lead. It’s a comfortable and environmentally friendly way to keep your carpets and floors safe. The mat’s anti-slip covering is top-notch; it prevents the mat from slipping even when spinning and rolling around in your chair.

The increased mobility and flexibility made possible by the ergonomic layout demonstrate careful design. It lessens the pressure on your legs and spine by increasing your range of motion and flexibility.

4. Evolve Office Chair Mat – Best for Low-Pile Carpets

Highlights

  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 33 x 44 inches, 36 x 48 inches, 45 x 60 inches
  • Materials: PVC

Pros

  • Multiple size options.
  • GreenGuard certified.
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • Bad for high-pile carpets.

It can be super expensive to fix or replace a floor. To preserve the integrity of your flooring over time, it is recommended that you invest in a high-quality Evolve Chair Mat under your office chair. The front lip of the 33″ x 44″ mat is a tapering 22.5″ wide by 8.2″ deep.

With their rounded back corners, the mat makes better use of the space available to those in 5-star wheelbase chairs. With an unmatched level of clarity, Evolve mats are made to disappear into low-pile carpet flooring. Because of its compact size, I think this would be perfect even as a mat for your vanity chair or underneath the chair in your kid’s room.

5. Lorell Chair Mat – Best Tempered Glass Mat

Highlights

  • Price Range: $60 – $70
  • Available Sizes: 36 inches, 50 inches, 60 inches
  • Materials: tempered glass

Pros

  • High weight capacity.
  • Matches all kinds of flooring.
  • Fully transparent.

Cons

  • Heavier than other mats

The glass mat could shatter underfoot because carpets and rugs compress when walked upon. However, this Lorell alternative is constructed from sturdy tempered glass that measures 6.36 mm in thickness and can support up to 1,000 pounds. The design allows it to function properly on any floor, be it hardwood, tile, or carpet of any pile height.

I love this mat because it can protect your flooring from scratches, and its clear construction will let your floors take center stage. While three different sizes are available, this model is only available in a square form factor, which may not be great for some people. Plus, it has this sophisticated look to it.

6. Sillamate Chair Mat – Best Value

Highlights

  • Price Range: $50 – $60
  • Available Sizes: 36 x 48
  • Materials: PVC

Pros

  • Made with recycled materials.
  • Includes two mats.
  • Nonslip bottom.

Cons

  • Questionable long-term durability.

If you looked at the price, you’re probably wondering why I chose this mat as the best value product for today, considering that other products on this list were cheaper. That’s because, for the price listed, you get a set of two identical chair mats for carpets. They are both made from PVC and measure 36 x 48 inches.

This would be a great buy if you need two products or would like to have a spare chair mat lying around (considering that PVC mats are the most durable option on the market).

Another thing I love about these mats is that they are eco-friendly and manufactured entirely from recycled material. Considering the tremendous problems plastic production causes, we need more products like these.

7. Resilia Office Desk Chair Mat – Most Size Options

Highlights

  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 30 x 48 inches, 36 x 48 inches, 43 x 53 inches, 46 x 60 inches, 46 x 72 inches, 46 x 96 inches, 48 x 48 inches
  • Materials: Vinyl

Pros

  • Waterproof design.
  • Easy to clean.
  • Multiple size options.

Cons

  • Prone to dents.

I think it’s very annoying when you want a larger chair mat for your carpet and the only option you can get is 36 x 48 inches. That is why I appreciate this brand; you can get a 46 x 96-inch mat if that’s what you need. But that’s not all that recommends this mat.

The vinyl surface seems to be pretty resilient. While chair dents appear, they are more durable to wear and tear than others. Cleaning the mat’s surface is as easy as wiping it with a cloth. I’m not convinced much with that anti-slip bottom because it doesn’t feel prominent enough to stick to the carpet.

8. SHAREWIN Chair Mat – Customer Choice

Highlights

  • Price Range: $30 – $40
  • Available Sizes: 47 x 36 inches, 47 x 47 inches, 47 x 59 inches
  • Materials: PVC

Pros

  • Multiple size options.
  • Easy to clean.
  • Anti-slip bottom.

Cons

  • Strong off-gassing.

If you like buying products with many positive reviews and tested by thousands and thousands of customers before you, the SHAREWIN chair mat for carpet should be your go-to. Like many other products in this round-up, this one sports a PVC construction that is semitransparent, allowing the rug underneath to show.

It doesn’t have a lot of features that stand out when you compare it with the others but people like it because it’s priced correctly and does what it’s supposed to do. It features an anti-slip bottom to keep the mat in place while you’re moving your chair back and forth.

The plasticky-like surface is very easy to clean, which is always a bonus considering that mats in general are not low-maintenance. Since the mat is all rolled up and shipped to you, place weights at all four corners to help flatten it out.

Bottom Line

A chair mat isn’t required, but it can be helpful at the office because it protects the floor and makes it simpler to move your chair about. And they aren’t good just for protecting carpets! Hardwood floors are ideal for rolling your chair on because of their level surface. A mat can shield the floor from the chair’s legs, preventing dents or scratches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of a chair mat on the carpet?

There are many alternatives to substitute a chair mat on the carpet, including felt pads for the chair’s feet, a granite cutout, polyurethane wheels, a sheet of MDF or plywood, or another rug.

Are chair mats worth it?

Chair mats are worth it because they protect the carpet flooring and prolong the lifespan of your beautiful rugs.

Can you have a rolling chair on the carpet?

Inadequately constructed office chairs with wheels can cause significant damage to carpeting, especially if the wheels break and are likely to snag the carpet.