What is the technical name of this thing?

[oddstray]

Those sound a bit pricey. Staples has them starting at $30. Office depot starts at $35.

[Steven1982]

I have had a HARD, CLEAR plastic mat for years and want to buy another - no matter what the price. Can someone help me (not a soft, bendable plastic like you get at Staples)?

[jaypee]

Plastic Chair Mats and Office Floor Mats at Office Depot OfficeMax

http://www.amazon.com/b?node=1069146

[irman]

Careful with buying those Chair Mats/Carpet Protectors.
When they are too soft, and the carpet underneath is not low pile, you can get huge dimples in the plastic, which makes it difficult to move the chair !!

[Tek_Freek]

I like the laminate flooring idea. Very sturdy I would think, and the variety of patterns is large. Flexibility would be my biggest concern.

[nezlie]

Check em out here. Good prices.

chair mat for carpet | eBay

[CtrlEsc]

Pile carpet and plastic mat usually ends up with dimples (as another person stated) that leaves you struggling to move about. It's kind of like being stuck in the mud with your car.

I bought a sheet of plywood and laid laminate flooring over top of that. You have to put some kind of edging down with it to keep the boards from moving about. When you push with your feet, the board will slide if it's not glued, tacked down, or edged.

I have had the laminate floor down for two years and have had to replace several pieces as they have aged. Hard plastic chair wheels really tear up the seams where they meet. It's not perfect, but it is easy to roll on and looks nice. Make it larger than you think it needs to be, because rolling off the edge is no fun.


If you find a sale on laminate flooring, you can usually get the plywood and two cases of flooring for less than the cost of a mat. Then you'll have extra pieces to repair the floor with.