Can Office Chairs Roll on Carpet?

Who does not feel comfortable rolling the chair smoothly while working? But, can a carpet create resistance to move your office chair effortlessly? 

Can office chairs roll on carpet? Office chairs can effortlessly roll on carpet, only when attached to the appropriate wheels. Sometimes higher amounts of friction between the chair wheel and carpet can make the rolling hard. However, attaching a proper wheel is required in order to roll your office chair on a carpet smoothly. 

In this article, I will let you know if office chairs are difficult to roll on the carpet and how it affects our work and heath. Later, I will also provide a few effective solutions for the smooth rolling of chairs on a carpet. 

Why Can’t Office Chair Roll-On Carpets?

1. Soft Caster’s Wheel

Carpets are mostly soft, and if the chair wheels are also soft, it will make the wheels hard to move. As a result, the free movement of wheels will be difficult.

2. Hard Caster’s Wheel

Hard caster’s wheels might also make moving chairs back and forth difficult. If the carpet has fibers or hair, hard casters can easily get twin-wheeled, get stuck with the carpet’s hairs. 

3. Friction

Friction prevents a caster’s smooth movement. When you try to pull a chair, the carpet might create resistance; if the carpet is made of any hard material. 

Your carpet needs to have a smooth surface that will reduce the level of friction and you will be able to move the chair effortlessly. 

Tips: The less rough a surface is, the less friction there is. So, remember to buy a smooth surface. 

4. Cheap, low-quality wheels or old wheel

If your office chair is equipped with cheap or low-quality wheels, it might ruin your carpet. Extensive movement of the chair might create small holes which cause further damage. 

If your chair’s wheel is very old and has crossed its expiration date, it might get ruin by the time. The caster’s wheel would get rough and create friction and, in turn, ruined your favorite carpet. 

Tips: Examine the condition of your chair’s wheel from time-to-time basis.  

How to Make Office Chair Roll on Carpet Smoothly?

While working in an office you might have to move a lot and you want an unproblematic movement of your chair. Pushing hard, just moving your chair while working can be stressful. Additionally, it will leave a bad impact on your body. 

So, let me tell you what to implement to ensure the smooth movement of the chair’s wheel on a carpet. 

1. Using a Chair Mat

Using a chair mat is necessary when it comes to protecting your carpet. Chair Mat is a cheap and easy solution to this problem. 

Chair Mat works as a shield to your carpet. It prevents hard wheels from ruining the carpet and improve the movement of soft wheels. Furthermore, it no longer matters, if the wheel is old or new, the chair’s wheel will not hamper the carpet.

You can read another article on Are Chair Mats Necessary, to get an overall idea about Chair Mat and its need.

Tips: For a thicker carpet use a thicker chair mat.

2. Buy Chair With Perfect Caster Wheels 

When you are to buy a chair, buy a chair that has wheels that will fit your carpet.

Since you would rather buy a caster rather than buying a chair. That is why this part is only when you are considering buying a new chair.

Now let me help you find the perfect chair that will roll smoothly on carpets.

  • When your office is carpeted, don’t buy an office chair with soft wheels.
  • If your carpet has hair or fiber in it, buy a chair that has ball casters. As no modern office chair comes with ball casters, it would be great to clean the carpet before your caster wheels are stuck with hairs.
  • When your carpet is smooth, go for hard, twin-wheel casters.

Tip: Office chairs often offer carpeted casters or hardwood casters, sometimes both; check the requirements before purchasing it.

3. Replace the Old Caster of your Office Chair according to your need

If your office chair has a soft wheel, replace it with polyurethane chair casters. It will make it easy to move the chair on a carpet.

When your chair is having difficulties rolling on a hairy carpet, you can replace them with a ball caster. It won’t get stuck and accelerate the movement.

Recommended Products

Now, let me recommend you products for each of the solutions separately.

Best Chair Mat For Carpet

My recommended Chair Mat for your Carpet is Amazon Basics Polycarbonate Chair Mat

If you have a medium or standard pile carpet, then polycarbonate chair mat is the way to go because it’s thin, doesn’t become indented, holds up much better, and can roll better.

The main benefit of this chair mat is that it’s shipped flat, so there is no need to flatten your chair mat. This chair mat has a gripper-back design which keeps it stable on standard or medium pile carpet.

With all the feature it provides, you can not ignore this chair mat. This chair mat currently costs  $47.51. You can check this mat in here.

Best Chair With Twin-Wheel Caster

I would recommend you to buy SIHOO Ergonomic Office Chair M57.

It will give you the ultimate long-lasting comfort. The design follows ergonomic design that is human oriented. You can work for hours without hampering your productivity.

The chair has a silenced smooth-rolling twin-wheeled caster that will smoothly roll on any surface.

The mesh backrest is breathable, so you won’t feel hot or sweaty while working. It is certified by BIFMA. 

It’s an inexpensive chair, currently costing $144.99. You can check the most updated price on Amazon.

Best Ball Caster For Your Chair

You will find various affordable ball casters in the market, but I recommend Titan’s hooded caster wheels.

Titan’s hooded caster wheels come with swivel stems which are crafted with quality materials. The ball is constructed using polypropylene. It can carry heavy weight and can be used for many years. 

It is great for all types of carpets with swivel features, which makes it easier to change directions quickly. 

TItan caster wheels currently cost $9.99. You will find Titan’s hooded caster wheels on Amazon.

Best Caster Wheels for Carpet or Hardwood Floors

You can check out the Lifelong Office Chair Wheel for your office chair. 

In a single package of Lifelong Office Chair Wheel, you will get 5 wheels; made of Polyethylene and Alloy Steel. 

It is suitable for heavy-duty work and goes perfectly with any carpet. 

This chair wheel will not smudge, damage, or scratch the carpet and no chair mat will be required. It will protect your carpet for a longer time, and chairs can be easily rolled on a carpet. 

LifeLong caster wheels currently cost $38.95.  I would highly recommend you to check it out on Amazon. 

Tip: Although I have mentioned two-wheeled or ball casters, I will highly encourage you to look at this one because this caster is universal and works with modern office chairs.

We have dedicated articles about office chair casters, if you are purchasing caster wheels for your office chair, I would recommend you to check this article “Are Office Chair Wheels Universal?â€

Do You Need To Protect The Carpet From The Office Chair?

You might wonder, Do office chairs ruin carpet? The answer is, office chairs can cause serious damage to your carpet, as a result, your carpet needs to be protected. 

Low-quality chair wheels can hamper carpet, mostly when they are broken. It can tear the carpet and destroy its appearance.

 Extensive use of chairs can create holes on carpet. This can further attract dirt and ruin the quality. If not regularly cleaned, it will lose its longevity.  

Sometimes it is mandatory to put a chair mat on to ensure your carpet protection. To know in detail, you can read the article on Do you Need a Chair Mat on the Carpet?

Asif Iqbal

Hi, I’m the co-owner of officechairtrends.com. I had spend hundreds of hours researching on Office Chairs. This is the site where I share everything I’ve learned about office chairs.