Durable chair mat?

December 15, 2018 4:44 AM

Looking for a durable chair mat that is made for heavy use.

My husband works from home most days, at his computer. We usually buy something similar to this from Amazon to protect the carpet underneath his office chair, but they inevitably start cracking and breaking within 6-8 months. We've bought a couple different brands and they all have met the same fate. Is there a brand of chair mat that you've found to be more durable?

posted by cozenedindigo to Shopping (4 answers total)

We've had exactly the same experience. A thicker (>¼") mat that doesn't bend worked for us. We even at one time considered using a piece of hardwood flooring cut to size, but never followed through.
posted by davcoo at 5:49 AM on December 15, 2018

I always figured that glass mats would solve the problem, but I've not been willing to spend $200 to find out. Perhaps someone else has experience with the glass mats?
posted by DrGail at 7:48 AM on December 15, 2018

We have a version of this one that works well and looks good. If you are putting it on carpet thicker than 1/4 inch or with a carpet pad underneath, I would cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood and put it under the pad. Maybe even just glue them together.
posted by beagle at 10:18 AM on December 15, 2018

I had the same problem with all of the cheaper mats I've used. Unfortunately, just about any mat that works for thick carpeting without breaking is going to be expensive. This chair mat is the first plastic mat that's worked on my apartment's relatively thick and padded carpet for me; it's still vinyl and it indents a little where the castors rest, but it hasn't broken yet after nearly 3 years of use, and this after a long string of increasingly expensive failed mats, including a polycarbonate mat that started cracking after less than a year.
posted by Aleyn at 11:18 AM on December 15, 2018