Protecting Floors From Furniture Legs

Leo Zhang
|
5+ years of experience
furniture legs

Protecting Floors From Furniture Legs

Many of us have experienced leaving a mark on the floor after recklessly sliding chairs along a wood floor. This can happen when we move from one house to another or simply from our daily habits. Furniture legs may seem to be negligible threats to the floor, but can consistently leave scratches over months and years that ultimately damage the surfaces of the flooring. This article will dive into strategies of floor protection from all furniture that will keep the timber in every room of the house scratch-free and full of beauty.

Types of Wood Floors

Before we dive into management strategies, let’s take a look at how the different types of floor choices will respond to a furniture leg. Because synthetic floorboards like hybrid and laminate are generally more resistant to scratches, we will look at the vulnerabilities of real wood floors.

Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are essentially solid pieces of timber that make up the whole flooring. This consists of only two layers:

  • Polyurethane Coatings and Finish: The surface coating which hardens the surface and adds a shine.
  • Solid Timber: The wood that makes up the board.

Hardwood flooring is reputable for a luxury aesthetic and feel provided by the natural timber material. However, compared to synthetic floor designs, this natural composition makes the board a little more susceptible to scratches and other damages. Unless they have furniture pads, furniture can constantly wear away the surface of even the best hardwood floors with time.

furniture on hardwood

Engineered Floors

Engineered timber floors are constructed from a real timber surface, bonded to a plywood base. They consist of three layers:

  • Polyurethane Surface: The same protective coating which you would find on solid timber flooring.
  • Real Timber Veneer: The upper section of the board that is comprised of solid wood. This is also known as the ‘lamella’.
  • Layered Plywood Core: The lower section of the board that serves as the bulk of the floor and provides strength and stability.

Unlike hardwood floors, engineered floorboards are not 100% real timber. However, because furniture legs are still in contact with the softness of the real wood surface of the flooring, pads are still needed to prevent the damage of table or chair legs on the floor.

furniture on timber

Bamboo Floors

Bamboo floors can be either solid strand-woven bamboo or engineered bamboo, except the main wood used is, of course, bamboo. However, bamboo is the hardest natural material used in floors, making it less likely to damage surfaces. The downside to using bamboo is that its density makes it severely susceptible to moisture, making it an unwise choice to apply in beachside or tropical properties with higher humidity.

furniture on bamboo

Habits to Protect Floors from Furniture

We can all be guilty of bad habits that can scratch our floors. It’s important to make sure we do our best to tend to the vulnerabilities of our floors to the best of our abilities to avoid having to repair our floors.

For Moving In & Out

Careless transport of furniture can have a negative effect on the floor of a room. It is important to use carts and trolleys with soft wheels to move furniture around a site to achieve the lowest number of accidental scratches. It may be beneficial to search for a professional moving service to ensure the best transport of furniture. They can deal with even the most awkward shape and size of any furniture in store. The benefits of such outsourcing will be felt in skillful strategies that protect your floors and preserve the price and value of the property.

For Daily Habits

We have all experienced the hungry rush onto the dining table as we carelessly slide the chair to enter the feast. Such recklessness can cause a range of damage to both the furniture and floor. It is important to do your best to carefully move things around to protect the floor, even if they already have furniture pads. It will be very beneficial to the property to have habits that prevent further harm from the furniture.

For Empty Properties

For investment properties or holiday houses, furniture may be left motionless for long periods of time. Although they aren’t moving, they can still leave marks on the floor because of their consistent weight on it. This happens when you have extremely heavy furniture with thin legs, such as a grand piano, on softer timber, like oak. For this reason, it is important to store most furniture in a site with scratch and indent resistant flooring and only leave the light pieces of furniture on the wood flooring. Fortunately, this can be avoided by placing stationary furniture on floor mats to protect the floor from long-term damage. 

Furniture Pads

Furniture pads, also known as felt pads, are the best way to ensure that your floorboard stays free from unnecessary damage. With a simple online search, you can find the best pads that can easily be cut and stuck onto the bottom of furniture legs via an adhesive. Felt pads can be found at your local grocery or office shop. It is important to ensure that the pad is attached in a way that prevents sharp edges from making contact with the floor. 

empty house


Frequently Asked Questions

Pads are made of a very soft material, making it safe to slide along hardwood floorboards. There is minimal risk of scratching when using padding, making it a suitable method of surface protection. In fact, using this material is one of the best ways to keep your floor damage free.

Any soft material can work as an alternative. The easiest and most feasible way is to lay a rug in specific areas with heavy furniture. This can even improve the aesthetic of an area as an example.

For more quick options, materials like towels or cloth can be cut in the shape of the foot of the object to keep the floorboard surfaces imprint free.

The easiest way is to use plastic mats. They will provide a soft intermediate layer between the chairs or tables and the flooring to keep the wood imprint free. Also, because they can be steamed or vacuumed easily, the wood will accumulate less stains, maintaining the fresh aesthetic of your property. However, if these ruin the aesthetic of your interior design, you can apply felt padding to the bottom of all chair and table legs that provide extra cushioning for the floor.

Laminate flooring is given hardness by its aluminium-oxide wear layer and high-density floorboard (HDF), making it very hard to indent. It is easy to keep surfaces free of scratches, but it is always important to employ precautions. Although not many corners and edges can cut even the thinnest of laminate surfaces, it is important to apply furniture padding and handle them with care.

The best way to protect floors from tables is by applying felt padding to furniture legs. Laying rugs will provide a soft layer between the leg and the soft wood of the floor to keep the wood damage free. Felt pads can be applied to the bottom of furniture via an adhesive that provides a soft surface for wherever the object slides to.

Interested in more information?

Get a FREE consultation immediately, Free on-site consultation and quote. No-obligation and Receive a callback within 24 hours.

We won’t be beaten on price! Fill out for a quote

Fill out this this form to request a sample

DOWNLOAD "COMPLETE GUIDE TO CHOOSING A FLOOR"

How do I choose a floor? We put together a 20 page complete guide to choosing flooring. Enter your details to receive the E-book via email:

Have all your questions answered and
arrange a free on-site quotation.

FloorVenue services all of New South Wales