Monday 9 June 2014

The Best Ways To Keep Furniture In Position To Prevent Floor Damage




What are the best ways to keep furniture from sliding in your living room?

Take a look at these popular options.

Firstly, untreated rubber grip pads, which are very highly rated, and can be cut into the required shapes and sizes.


Secondly,  these screw on (or adhesive) feet have a special white 'O-ring' which grips and protects.


For prevention of scuffs and scrapes, you may be more interested in these furniture socks, or padded protectors which cut down on scraping noises. You can purchase specialized 'silencers' to stop awful chair leg scraping, or rubberized socks which protect floors.



These are perfect for living room and kitchen furniture.

Damage Prevention

For those who are mostly concerned about damage to floors, you may also be interested in these ideas:
 

 
Simple tips

  • Look underneath your furniture for any signs of splintering or sharp edges on furniture legs. Sand them down. 
  • Avoid wearing high heels inside. I've heard of high heels being referred to as a wooden floors "worst enemy". Certain sports shoes can also cause damage.
  • Abrasive dirt and grit can scuff and dig into your floor's finish, meaning you shouldn't get too lazy with vacuuming/sweeping.
  • Excessive exposure to sunlight can cause changes in your wood's color. This can be influenced by moving large rugs and furniture regularly to encourage a more uniform change in color.
  • Be careful with your vacuum, use a brush attachment where possible and vacuums with beater bars should be avoided.
  • Keep your dog's nails trimmed. Not only will this keep your floors in better condition, but you also won't have to listen to your dogs nails tapping every time they walk around the house. This can be especially annoying at night if your dog sleeps indoors.

Moving heavy cabinets and appliances

We all know how hard it can be to move large and heavy items, such as washers and wall units, without banging and scraping them on walls and floors.


The lifting straps above can make the job far easier, and will save damage to your floors, and possibly your back, hands, wrists etc. Large items end up hurting your hands and back, meaning you can be forced to choose between your back and your floors, resulting in attempts to drag them across floors. Dragging these objects is easier, but can cause serious scrapes and dents to flooring, and can dent walls and doors.


Hard Plastic Casters (furniture wheels)

It is also good to be aware of the potential for damage to be done by furniture wheels made from hard plastics.


Not only can the wheel itself cause scrapes, but pieces of grit and debris can become wedged in the plastic, causing damage as the furniture rolls. This is obviously not a good idea for valuable floors. Unstable beds and furniture can be a source of irritation. 

I just got a little off track...


The original topic - Grip! Stop sliding! 

I recommend reading my blog post on the most popular and effective gripper pads as it discusses the most highly reviewed pads for grip and protection.

Whilst other types of flooring such a laminate aren't as valuable, and generally aren't given the same level of care as hardwood, it becomes a problem when damaged as it cannot be repaired. You're basically stuck with the damage until it's replaced. Therefore, it can still be worth spending a few bucks to provide a little protection, even when your floors aren't considered to be a valuable investment.