Hardwood flooring in a home office – rolling chairs vs timber?
Hi all, I am finally moving out of the spare bedroom and converting our garden outbuilding into a proper full-time home office. I really want to install high-quality wood flooring Edinburgh styles to create a calm, professional environment, but I am worried about my heavy office chair. Will the rolling caster wheels completely destroy the finish of real hardwood over time, or is engineered wood tough enough to handle it? Should I look for a specific type of protective mat, or is there a particular timber finish that can take the constant rolling pressure without wearing down to the bare wood?
Comments
Congrats on the new office space! I’ve been working from home for four years now on an engineered oak floor we bought from http://www.hoffparquet.co.uk/ and it still looks brilliant. The key is two fold: first, swap out the standard hard plastic wheels on your office chair for soft rubber "rollerblade style" casters (you can get them on Amazon for a tenner). Second, go for a brushed, tough oiled finish rather than a shiny lacquer. The oiled surface handles the pressure beautifully, and if a specific spot under your desk ever starts looking a bit dry after a year or two, you can just wipe a tiny bit of maintenance oil over it without having to sand the whole room down.
Swapping out the chair wheels is a genius and cheap fix, thanks a million for the practical advice and the link!