Castors and wheels are arguably one of the most useful inventions when it comes to improving the mobility of a product. However, selecting the wrong castor can cause you more trouble than it’s worth and could leave you feeling deflated. It is important to select the right castor for your application and flooring type, whether that be carpet, hardwood or concrete flooring.
In more recent times, hardwood floors have made a comeback in both homes and offices, probably due to their easy maintenance, their sustainability and their aesthetic appeal. While these benefits appeal to many people, hardwood floors don’t come without their issues; namely they are not resistant to scratches, scrapes and scuffs. Knowing which castor or wheel to use on hardwood floors will help preserve your floor for many years to come, saving you time and money. Read on to better understand what castors suit hardwood flooring and which ones you need to avoid at all costs!
Selecting the right castors for your floor
Before you can begin to select the right castor for your application and floor type, you need to consider the following principles:
- Weight of the product – whether it’s an office chair, a hospital bed or a shopping trolley, you need to know how much the object weighs on its own, as well as how much it’ll weigh when it’s in use. This will enable you to accurately select a castor with the right tread to protect your floor type.
- Determine the resilience of the floor type – how resilient a floor is depends on the quality of the flooring and the coating.
- Budget – consider investing in the best castor for the job rather than the cheapest to achieve the best protection for your flooring and avoid having to replace it sooner than needed.
What type of castor is best for hardwood floors?
The floor type influences the choice of castor, but the basic principal is for hard floors use a soft tread castor.
Light applications, such as office chairs or mobile whiteboards
When you purchase a new office chair, they sometimes come with nylon or polypropylene tread castors (hard plastic) instead of soft, rubber treads. In some cases, small nylon castors can do the job. Office chairs are usually fairly light, even when occupied and wood flooring is often polished meaning the castors glide across it with little abrasion.
However, here at TENTE we would always recommend a rubber tread for such applications. Rubber is probably one of the most well-known treads and here at TENTE, we offer our own specially made TENTEprene, which is a synthetic rubber material. TENTEprene provides noise-free movement across the surface, has the highest push and pull force, provides a cushioned ride and above all, protects your hardwood floor from any damage. The perfect solution to making your application mobile whilst keeping your hardwood floor looking like new.
Possible TENTE ranges to consider:
– Linea
– Lumina
– Stylea
Heavier applications, such as desks or office trollies
For heavier applications we would still recommend a rubber tread, but you would need to consider a different range and wheel diameter to cope with the increased weight loading. This would enable you to protect your floor whilst still enjoying the same benefits of noise-free movement and a cushioned ride.
Possible TENTE ranges to consider:
– Linea
– Levina
What types of castor to avoid for hardwood floors?
Hardwood floors vary in degree and some are more durable making them better suited for everyday wear and tear. Some hardwoods are hard enough to resist scratches and dimples from wearing high heels for example, whereas other are so soft that the tiniest thing could cause an imperfection. Having said this, there are still some tread types that we would advise against using on hardwood floors.
Metal wheels, such as cast iron or forged steel will over time carve into the wood and leave a track. For this reason, we strongly advise you to avoid this option.
Hard plastic treads, such as nylon or polypropylene, are sometimes used as a budget option, but we would recommend against using such treads as they are generally noisy when moving and can often mark the wooden flooring with scratches and groves over time.
Castors and wheels always need to be matched precisely to your particular situation and all of the relevant influencing factors need to be considered. If you are still unsure which tread type matches your hardwood floor, TENTE is here to support you and offer the right solution for you. With many years of experience and knowledgeable staff to hand, please don’t hesitate to give us call – 01733 578111.
