Finding Casters for Carpeted Flooring
Casters for carpeted flooring are typically for office spaces with chair casters or furniture casters. Most people don’t consider which casters are best or what type of flooring they have installed before them.
One of the biggest issues you may find is frustration and inconvenience from a furniture caster that simply doesn’t roll well on the floor, or even discover that incorrect casters for furniture, when used with carpeting, can cause expensive damage.
We have a range of carpet casters that will meet your needs, whether you’re looking for style, load capacity, or ergonomic casters, to make chairs more comfortable and maneuverable for people.
Best Carpet Casters
When looking for carpet casters, one of the important things to consider is how thick or long your carpet is. Most offices will have short carpets made of thin squares, while many homes will have thicker and longer carpets with an underlay that your furniture casters will need to roll across.
Carpet Casters Width
Different casters will work better on different carpet thicknesses, but one important thing is to keep the thickness of your carpet caster wheels on the thin side, as thicker casters have more difficulty as the carpet becomes longer.
The alternative view of carpet casters width is that the heavier the furniture is, the thicker or wider your carpet casters can become to handle the heavier load capacity.
So, you’ll need to determine whether load or maneuverability is more important, especially if you have a longer carpet.
Carpet Casters Diameter
The diameter of your carpet casters will make rolling much easier as the larger diameter carpet casters cover more ground with less force required. This can be especially important for heavier furniture or even on office chairs that needs to be maneuvered around to different areas or desks.
One issue you’ll face with large diameter casters is that the center of gravity is raised, resulting in the toppling of the furniture. If there are specific height requirements, such as under a desk, table, or in an alcove, the large diameter casters may not be suitable.
Double Or Twin Casters
Typically, double or twin casters are a cheaper alternative while having reasonable mobility. However, the weight capacity will be lower, sometimes with a maximum of 250 lbs, and trapping hair and other debris will be a bigger problem, leading to limiting movement until you clean the caster wheels.
Polyurethane Casters
Polyurethane casters are excellent options as casters for furniture on carpets. They provide a hard material that supports a large amount of weight, easily rolls and maneuvers on carpet, and won’t leave streaks on the carpet as you move around.
You’ll also find that polyurethane casters work well as carpet casters by protecting your carpet from wear and tear those other materials can cause.
A huge benefit of polyurethane casters for your furniture and office chairs is that they’re extremely quiet, whether on carpet, hardwood floors, tiles, or even concrete. So, if noise is a significant factor in your choice, then polyurethane should be the option you pick for your furniture casters.
Hard Nylon Casters
Hard nylon casters are a great choice as carpet casters on short office carpets, but you may need to boost the diameter of the wheels you pick as the carpet becomes longer.
You’ll find that typical hard nylon casters will be affordable, won’t damage your short carpet, and can be used on reasonably heavy equipment, but they may be more suitable for office chairs than heavy equipment.
Nylon Twin Wheel Casters
Nylon twin casters or double wheel casters are a cheaper alternative that can be used for light-duty, especially on office chairs that don’t require significant load capacity or will be used for short periods only.
The initial cost savings are the biggest benefit, but over time these wheels can fail sooner than other available casters for furniture.
Food for Thought
While the width, diameter, and other aspects of your carpet casters can be picked to suit your environment. One very important factor is the material used for furniture casters; some material is simply not suitable for carpet and should be left to hardwood and tile flooring.
If you don’t have an option, and do end up with an unsuitable material, or you need to switch between carpet and other floorings, we suggest moveable plastic mats that can be laid over the top of your carpet to protect and make movement easier.
One of the best places that a plastic mat can help with your casters is on chairs that only need a small area of movement; this will make moving in your chair easier and protect the carpet or other flooring from incompatible furniture casters.
Rubber Casters
Rubber casters are not always suitable as furniture casters on carpet as many tend to dig into the carpet, which can either cause rips, movement, or simply make moving furniture or yourself on a chair around much more challenging.
If you do have rubber casters on equipment that either isn’t moved often or is on ultra-thin carpet, it may work for your use, and you shouldn’t need to replace the furniture casters.
Metal Casters
Metal casters may be required for long or thick carpeting that other materials will get stuck easily moving around on. However, in most office situations, the carpet is not long, and metal casters can cause significant damage to the typical type of office carpet available.
Soft Nylon Casters
Soft nylon casters may be suitable for light use on carpet but are typically designed for hard floor surfaces. The weight capacity of softer nylon casters is limited, making them potentially unsuitable for larger individuals in chairs or for supporting heavier equipment. For such needs, heavy-duty casters are more appropriate.
Soft nylon can break or chip, which will often result in snagging the carpet and causing damage
