Chair Mats Buying Guide

Chair mats are an important part of any home office. They protect your floors and reduce back pain caused by wheeling around on office chairs.

Matshop chair mats are durable: they are built to last. That’s why all our heavy-duty chair mats come with an industry-leading 12-year warranty.

To make your life easier, we deliver all our mats flat. Flat mats are ready to go, saving you the hassle of unrolling your mat before using(which you will know all about if you have ever tried to save money buying a cheaper chair mat).

 

In this Guide

1| Choosing for your floor type

    1.1 Carpet

    1.2 Hard floor

2| Choosing a material

3| Sizing

    3.1 Standard sizing

    3.2 Custom sizing

4| Shape

    4.1 Keyhole

    4.2 Square

5 | Maintenance

6| Additional features

    6.1 Office chair mats

    6.2 Gaming chair mats

    6.3 Bevelled edges

7| Product recommendations

    7.1 Residential low and medium pile carpets

    7.2 Residential high pile carpets

    7.3 Commercial buildings with carpet

    7.4 Residential hard floors

    7.5 Commercial hard floors

8| Ordering process

 

1| Choosing for your floor type

The most important aspect of your new chair mat is its underside. Chair mats for carpet have small grippers studding the underside that grip into the pile of your carpet to stop it from sliding around.

Hard floors have smooth surfaces on both sides.

 

Chair mat for carpet

1.1 Carpet

The length of your chair mat grippers depends on the thickness of the surface (pile) of your carpet. It also depends on whether your carpet is laid directly onto the floor below or over an underlay.

99.9% of carpets in residences are laid onto an underlay, so if you aren’t sure then you can assume yours is too. Office carpets sometimes do not have underlay, in which case chair mats with shorter grippers are better.

If your carpet has a very thick pile, you might see some movement even with the grippers. The main reason for this is that to accommodate the length of very luxurious fluffy carpets, the grippers would have to be dangerously long.

For information about keeping your chair mat in place on a very high pile carpet, check out this article on how to stop mats from sliding around.

 

How to measure your carpet

 

1.2 Hard floor

Hard floor chair mats are more straightforward to select as they all have smooth undersides.

Despite sounding like they might slip around on an equally smooth floor, all Matshop chair mats for hard floors have a non-slip base to protect your floors (and your sanity) by holding it in place.

There is an additional style of chair mat available for use on hard floors, and those have carpeted surfaces. These chair mats are made from the same materials as our absorbent entrance mats, giving them the added feature of absorbency.

Carpet-surfaced chair mats are only suitable for hard floors because of their non-slip rubber backing that would move around on carpets. They are perfect for anyone likely to eat and drink at their desk.

 

PVC chair mat for hard floor

 

2| Choosing a material

Choose from clear PVC or a carpet-surfaced chair mat with rubber backing.

All our PVC mats are made without plasticisers, so there is no unpleasant smell that you often find with cheaper chair mats. They are translucent, to blend in with the style of your room, and made from a sturdy but flexible material that will not bend under the weight of your chair.

Carpet-surfaced chair mats are coloured – choose from black or charcoal surfaces – and backed with rubber. This creates an absorbent, non slip, low-profile mat that is perfect for keeping your floor clean and dry while also protecting it from caster damage.

 

Chair mat with carpet surface

 

3| Sizing

Depending on your application, you can choose between a range of standard sizes.

If there are no custom sizes to suit your needs, we also offer the only custom-sized chair mats in Australia. Get in touch with your measurements for a custom quote or reach out to one of the team to ask about a measuring service.

3.1 Standard sizing

Standard sizes are as below:

• 910mm x 1200mm
• 1130mm x 1340mm
• 1150mm x 1350mm
• 1160mm x 1510mm

3.2 Custom sizing

Matshop is proud to offer the only custom-sized chair mats in Australia. If you want to cover a large area – or even an entire room –our custom size options are perfect.

We have custom-size chair mats in a variety of widths, just tell us your desired length and we will cut to size and finish the edges for a perfect chair mat in any size.

Custom sizing comes in the following widths:

• 1200mm
• 1500mm

 

4| Shape

Chair mats come in 3 shape options: keyhole, square and rectangle.

4.1 Keyhole

The most popular standard shape is the keyhole chair mat. It has 3straight edges and a narrower protruding edge on one side. The keyhole shape is great for single desks as the keyhole edge slots under the desk perfectly.

Keyhole shape

4.2 Square

Square (or rectangle) shapes are also great for standard single desk setups.

Square shape

 

5| Maintainance

Cleaning your chair mat is straightforward, but the best technique depends on which material you go for. PVC chair mats have a smooth surface that can be cleaned with a quick wipe, whereas carpet-surfaced mats are best cleaned with a vacuum.

PVC chair mat with a wipeable surface

 

6| Additional features

6.1 Office chair mats

Office workers use their chair mats for 8+ hours every day, so they must be durable and unobtrusive.

Many commercial office managers choose to cover the entire office floor because it looks inconspicuous and removes any possibility of multiple mats sliding around.

6.2 Gaming chair mats

Like office workers, gamers use their chairs for extended periods but are also likely to eat and drink at their computers.

Absorbent carpet-surfaced chair mats are great as they keep the floor clean and dry from spills. The coloured surfaces also suit bedrooms and home offices more than it does a corporate office.

Gaming chairs tend to be more expensive than standard office chairs, as they are usually bought individually. They sometimes also feature head and neck support for extended periods of comfort while gaming.

We rarely receive custom-sized or high-volume gaming chair mat orders, but if you are looking to bulk order gaming chair mats please reach out to the team.

6.3 Bevelled edges

All our chair mats come with bevelled edges to make rolling over their surface effortless. Bevels are slight ramps that allow a seamless transition between the floor and the mat’s surface.

 

7| Product Recommendations

To help you choose the best chair mat for your application, here are some general recommendations. For a personalised recommendation,custom-sized chair mat quote or information about any of our products, get in touch with the team.

7.1 Residential low and medium pile carpets

For low and medium pile carpets, you want a chair mat with short grippers. Most residential orders we receive are for individual mats, and many home offices want the smallest mat possible.

The keyhole shape is also great for single office setups as they tuck into the foot space of the desk perfectly.

For residences with low and medium pile carpets, the best option is:

Heavy Duty Chair Mat for Carpet Without Underlay910 x 1200mm keyhole shape 12 Year Warranty

7.2 Residential high pile carpets

Residences with high pile carpets need something with longer grippers, but often still want a smaller-sized mat. The keyhole shape is perfect here too.

For residences with high pile carpets, the best option is:

Heavy Duty Chair Mat for Carpet With Underlay910 x 1200mm keyhole shape 12 Year Warranty

7.3 Residential high pile carpets

Commercial buildings often have no underlay and very short pile. That makes very short grippers essential, or the mat would not lay flat.

Offices also sometimes want to cover large areas with transparent chair mats to keep the style of the room and avoid multiple mats making the floor look untidy.

For commercial buildings with carpet, the best option is:

Heavy Duty Custom Size Chair Mat for Carpets without underlay 1500mm wide

7.4 Residential hard floors

Hard floors need smooth-surfaced chair mats with a non slip underside to protect the floors without moving with your chair. Again, we are suggesting the smallest size for residences but these are only rough guidelines!

For residential hard floors, the best option is:

Heavy Duty Chair Mat for Hard Floors 910 x 1200mm keyhole shape 12 Year Warranty

7.5 Commercial hard floors

For offices and commercial buildings with hard floors, you might want to consider custom-sized matting to cover the whole floor. This offers extra protection from multiple chairs rolling around various areas of a room.

Again, no grippers are necessary so chair mats that are smooth on both sides are perfect.

For commercial hard floors, the best option is:

Heavy Duty Custom Size Chair Mat for Hard Floors1200mm wide

 

8| Ordering process

Hopefully, this guide has helped you decide which chair mats suit your needs the most. To get your order started, you can contact the team directly or order online.

• Phone: 1300 628 746
• Email: [email protected]
• Online: https://matshop.com.au/chair-mats