Rolling Chairs Over the Hardwood Floor

Q: We are planning our new office and would like to have the hardwood floor in it.
One hesitation is that all our computer stations have chairs with casters.
What of you experience, and recommendation regarding use and maintenance and possibly preventative care for using chair with casters over hardwood floor? It will look very elegant, but scratches?????
Thank you
jk
A: Depending on the casters on your chairs and the floors you decide to put in will matter as to what plan of action you may want to take. Let’s first talk a bit about the floor itself. Laminate floors are a bit better suited for traffic, but if you want a more traditional wood floor I would suggest looking into one with a good finish and preferably an engineered product as they tend to be a bit better suited for commercial applications. Make sure that the floor you are looking into is suited for commercial levels of traffic, have suitable wear layers and finish.
Generally speaking with any hard surface floor, such as traditional wood floors or laminate, its best to not use hard plastic casters over these floors as it increases the chances of scratching and marring the finish. Your best bet would be to get soft casters which are designed for hard surface floors (typically available at local home stores or via a specialty retailer online). Another option here is to use small area rugs or desk mats built to go over a hard surface floor to absorb the caster movement and prevent the likeliness of damage to your finish.
This being said, it does not mean that you can’t have a hard plastic caster over wood flooring, we have some here at the office over a 5/16″ solid oak floor, but if you want to ensure the floor lasts as long as possible without need for refinish work, then its a good investment to look into different casters or a few small area rugs.
As far as care is concerned, keep up a good cleaning schedule (at least once a week) and keep entry mats at all exterior doors in order to prevent dust and debris from getting on the floor. These particulates being dragged over the floor are the primary cause of most scratches seen on a floor. Good maintenance and ensuring that the casters of your chairs remain clean can prevent a good deal of damage potential, making your floors last longer.