Have you checked under your chair? Eeek! I have, and it’s not pretty. If you have hardwood floors and you have a plastic mat with spikes on the bottom, you are causing damage like this to your hardwood floors. This damage will have to be sanded out and will not be cheap. Damage from this office chair mat to these hardwood floors could have totally been avoided.

Here’s another one. This floor was abused for years…

by this ugly offender, which was a chair mat never meant for hard floors. Ouch.

Instead, these floors should look like this, just a foot away from the desk…

If you feel like you need a chair mat for a hard floor, consider these alternatives to those spiky monster chair mats meant for carpets.

Purchase a really low pile rug. This protects the floor, and gives you style at the same time. Just be sure to use a rug pad under it, or your pretty “chair mat” binding on the underside will eventually sand through your flooring finish. See this home office makeover here. 

This type of flooring is similar, but these beautiful carpet tiles from FLOR.com are all on piece, thin carpet and backing all-in-one, no pad needed. They come in patterns or solids, and can be used and cut into any shape. I love these for under chairs!

No pad. Here’s a thought. If you have a rolling chair, or a chair with pads on the feet, and you have hardwood or vinyl, how much damage are you actually doing to your floors? Probably none.

Indoor/outdoor rugs are super durable, usually low pile, and come in lots of shapes. This type of runner from Ikea used as a chair mat for hard floors is cost-effective, and will probably last forever.

I’ve purchased something like these bamboo chair mats for clients before, but honestly, they did not hold up very well. It wasn’t this brand or company, but I wouldn’t try them again, especially for the price.

If you insist on having a plastic chair mat for hard floors, be sure to get the mat that does not have the little nubby spikes on the bottom, like these chair mats from Amazon. Bonus points for getting it delivered right to your door, because they are a pain to carry home from the store.

Are you planning a home office makeover? Plan for this little detail, a chair mat for hard floors, to protect your investment.