Protecting Your Floors from Furniture

Hardwood flooring is popular, attractive, kind of expensive and therefore - very valuable. People don't spend hefty amounts of money to simply neglect their wood flooring at some point in the future. No, this would be like throwing your money up into the air on a windy day.

Unfortunately, while wood flooring is always a sound investment, there are plenty of potential sources of damage – high moisture levels, food and liquid spills, mould, rot, high traffic, children, pets, strong sunlight and God knows what else. One such potential source of damage, surprisingly, can be furniture unless you are smart and take preemptive measures.

How to Prevent Furniture from Marking Your Floor

One of the most annoying types of floor damage is scratches. Furniture can be one potential cause of such damage but is often overlooked. Chairs and tables are usually the most problematic. Equipping them with good pads is cheap and easy. There is no reason not to do it because every small bit help preserves your wooden floor. If not, why would you buy yourself expensive flooring only to have it look worn, scratched and embarrassing?

All 'moveable' pieces of furniture need clean pads fitted onto the bottom of the legs. To keep your floors in top-notch condition, we recommend applying floor protector pads to heavy items of furniture. Always remember to pick up furniture and not slide it across the floor. Floor guards enable you to move your appliances forward for servicing without gouging your floor.

If your new or old furniture is not equipped with soft leg pads, supply immediately before moving is required to avoid the need for floor sanding, sooner rather than later.

Types of Furniture Protection

Self-adhesive (peel and stick) pads. They are cheap and usually made out of rubber or felt. Keep in mind that their adhesion is relatively weak and they probably won’t last for as long as some of the alternatives. If you buy such pads, make sure to purchase thicker ones because they won’t peel off as quickly.

Tap-on pads. The fact that they are secured with either small screws or nails makes these pads very stable and hard to remove unintentionally. Depending on the type of floor you have, they can be made from different materials. One downside is that since the product is made from hard, solid material it is possible that they break and damage the floor.

Slip-on pads. Probably the perfect middle ground between the tap-on and the self-adhesive pads. They are made out of rubber or plastic and fit over the chair leg like some sort of socks. The bottom covering, though, can present a problem since even the rubber can leave scuffs and the plastic pads can outright wear the finish down. A slip-on pad with a thick felt covering is probably the best option.

Different Pads for Different Purposes

The proper choice of furniture pad will depend a lot on just how often you intend to move it. Of course, the less you movement there is, the better. Usually, felt pads are the best option, especially in kitchens where everything will change positions often.

Another thing worthy of note is that you don’t necessarily have to spend money to buy pads if you can make them yourself. You can improvise and use pretty much everything in your disposal like old carpet scraps, towels, leather or even punctured tennis balls.

No matter how you choose to preserve your hardwood flooring, remember one thing. Even small, symbolic protection is better than none! Every bit helps!