If you’re ever wondered how to keep a rocking chair from scratching wood floor you’re not alone – but don’t worry – there’s plenty of methods you can use to prevent this from happening.
Our personal choice is to use strips of self-adhesive velcro that you can cut into shape to fit on the curved legs of your rocking chair to provide a barrier between the chair and your floor.
Keep reading to learn more about why this is the best way to protect your wood floor from a rocking chair, and also what other methods you can use.
Why Do Rocking Chairs Scratch Wood Floors?
Before we jump into the methods, it’s important to know why a rocking chair can actually scratch a wood floor to fully understand why the methods below work.
Rocking chairs are prone to scratching wooden floors even more so than other furniture such as chairs and sofas. This is because rocking chairs move frequently when they are used, unlike stationary pieces of furniture that only move when they are accidentally pushed.
The constant rocking action causes more friction between the floor and the chair which results in a higher likelihood of scratches occurring. It becomes even more likely when the bottom of the rocking chair becomes worn and damaged as pieces of damaged wood will be scraping the floor on each rocking motion.
What Type Of Rocking Chairs Don’t Damage Wood Floors?
Not all rocking chairs are built the same, however, and they won’t all cause damage to your wooden floor in the same way (or at all!).
Traditional rocking chairs with a wooden arch will all be likely to damage your wooden floor for the reasons mentioned above, but there is a certain type that has a much less likely chance to cause scratches. This type is known as a glider rocking chair and uses a complex mechanism to rock the chair without moving the base at all.
Essentially a glider rocking chair keeps its base stationary like a regular armchair but still provides a rocking motion. As the traditional rocking motion is no longer present the chances of this type of chair damaging your wood floor reduces to just that of a normal chair with a slightly wider base due to the design.
Top 5 Methods To Keep A Rocking Chair From Scratching Wood Floor
Despite self-adhesive velcro stripes being our go-to method for keeping a rocking chair from scratching a wood floor, we’ve included some other useful methods that might be more applicable to your situation. Let’s jump right in.
1. Self-Adhesive Velcro Strips
Self-adhesive velcro strips are our number one choice because you can easily cut them into shape and stick them directly to the bottom of your rocking chair.
The fact that they can be stuck on to the chair so easily means that it is no hassle at all to ensure you have the right amount of material, whereas other strips that stay on the floor can be difficult to measure up.
Velcro will also keep your floor from being scratched while not scratching it itself, as the soft section will be facing directly downwards.
2. Felt Strips
Felt strips are another great option as they will not cause any damage to a wood floor. It’s also very cheap to buy, which makes it a great alternative if you are on a budget.
The only downside with felt is that it is quite difficult to secure to your floor and it can break down relatively easily under the weight of a chair, but this depends on what quality of felt you buy. We recommend always going for the most durable felt you can find if you have the option.
Due to the affordability, it’s really easy to simply buy a replacement as well, which is an added bonus.
3. Change The Type Of Rocking Chair
We hinted at this one earlier but certain types of rocking chairs, i.e. glider rocking chairs, will only damage a wooden floor the same way a regular armchair would with a slightly larger base.
This option is clearly the most expensive, but if you are in the market to replace your rocking chair and are hesitant to get another due to damage then this is the way forwards.
4. Make Use Of Rugs
Rugs are an amazing option if you want to not only protect your floor but also update your room to make it look fresh, just be sure to utilise the right backing material or a rug pad to prevent any complications.
We recommend areas rugs that can be complemented with a sofa or perhaps another chair to give your room a cosy feeling, but the choice is yours. The downside here is that rugs are not the cheapest thing in the world to buy, but they are definitely an option if you want to upgrade your room.
5. Rubber Strips
Rubber strips work in the same way as felt strips in that they aren’t secured to your rocking chair but rather the floor below.
Rubber is highly durable and will definitely give your floor that much-needed protection against scratches, and it’s pretty cheap too. The only issue with rubber is that it can cause marks to wood floors itself, which is why this is at the bottom of our list.
In the short term rubber is a great material to consider using though, but you might run into issues in the longer term.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you have any other questions please contact us here, and don’t forget that velcro strips are the best option when it comes to keeping your wooden floor safe from a rocking chair.
If you are contemplating replacing or buying a rocking chair for a wooden floor, then a glider rocking chair design could be the right choice.