The common variety office chair on castors could be described as the mortal enemy of the sealed vinyl floor. The problem stems from their design with generally 6 independent roller castors giving its user the ability to move effortlessly in virtually any direction.
The problem encountered from a cleaning perspective is that each of those small independent castors, with a person of average weight onboard, applies a serious downward pressure / sq inch. Something akin to a fully grown African bull elephant I would imagine. It’s similar to the amount of pressure that the heel of a Stilleto shoe applies and we are probably all aware of the damage that they can do on a timber floor and also to your foot if you have ever been stepped on!
The downward pressure rolling around on a sealed vinyl floor, combined with any dirt or debri brought in on the bottom of shoes, will quickly breakdown the seal leaving a very noticeable circular mark under the chair. Unless the castors are regularly cleaned, which is a time consuming and tedious job, the grit on the castors will continue to degrade the seal on the vinyl leaving marks similar to those in the photo above. Unfortunately normal mopping will not remove these unsightly marks and either spot repairing or a full Strip & Reseal is the only answer and that’s expensive.
Following a full restoration of a sealed vinyl floor, we recommend the use of a floor mat, similar to those used under chairs on carpeted floors. Unfortunately not everybody likes the floor mats but if you want to protect that floor you have just spent a lot of money restoring to its former glory, then a mat under the chair may be the answer. The other option is to replace the existing hard plastic castors with a rubber castor. Very ‘floor friendly’!
The same applies to kitchen/lunch room chairs. Unless the bottom of the chair legs are fitted with a good quality soft plug, the chair legs being dragged across the vinyl will not only damage the seal but can also tear and permanently damage the vinyl. That’s when it gets really expensive!
If you would like more information just get in touch!
