Will these ball bearing sliders damage my floors?

June 30, 2024 12:16 PM

If I put these ball-bearing sliders on my dining room chairs (and then sit on the chairs and slide them in and out from the table) will I cause grooves/ruts/scratches in my hardwood floors? Other comments on these sliders welcome.
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Over any length of time, I'm going to have to say yes. Metal is harder than wood. sliding the chair out from a table while sitting on it will also add the weight of the sitting person to the metal/wood force.
posted by Windopaene at 12:23 PM on June 30, 2024 [4 favorites]

Yes, metal ball bearings will destroy wood floors over time. A better option are hammer-on or self adhesive felt sliders, which are softer than your floor. They are also sold as "glides" or floor protectors.
posted by arcolz at 12:27 PM on June 30, 2024 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Ok thanks...yes they already have felt..I was hoping for something slides because the chair legs aren't always sliding with the chairs which means at some point soon the chair legs are going to buckle. I thought this might be the solution but I guess not.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:41 PM on June 30, 2024

There are Teflon glides also. You didn't say what type of chairs you have. Would this style work? I've used them on tile. Perhaps someone here has used them on wood?
posted by BlueHorse at 1:40 PM on June 30, 2024

If the felt sliders aren't sliding any more and have been on the chairs for a while, they may need to be replaced. Over time they get squished down and packed with dirt or grit that makes them less slide-y and more scrape-y.
posted by arcolz at 2:55 PM on June 30, 2024 [2 favorites]

I haven’t actually used these so grain of salt, but we were thinking of getting chair socks for our dining room chairs. They can look pretty cute and will almost certainly wear out and need to be replaced, but might do the trick with minimal effort?
posted by caitcadieux at 5:37 PM on June 30, 2024

We had the chair socks for a while. We liked them. Sadly, one of our dogs loved them...

We just buy the pads at Fred Meyer and replace them when they get gnarly or disappear or won't stick anymore.
posted by Windopaene at 9:55 PM on June 30, 2024