At the risk of looking like I have a chair mat fixation, I brought some pretty snazzy ones for show and tell. These aren’t your typical plastic variety, (which would explain the price tag I suppose). These are Snapmats and are available only at Snapmat.com.
From their website:
Introducing SnapMat, the new stylish and functional chair mat with a difference. Our patent-pending design comes in a variety of finishes to match your furniture and decor. Your chair will roll smoothly and comfortably over SnapMat’s tough laminate surface. It’s like having a small, portable hardwood floor custom installed in front of your desk….
….SnapMat chair mats offer an elegant touch of class to any modern or traditional office environment and they are guaranteed to outlast any standard vinyl or other plastic mat making it the best value on the market.
SnapMat chair mats are the finest and most advanced chair mats in the world. Some people pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a high-quality desk chair. Doesn’t your chair deserve something better than a $15 piece of plastic?
I like that last part, pulling on my chair heart strings. Thing is, I didn’t pay thousands – nor would I pay thousands – for my chair. I’m also not totally certain I’d pay what they want for these wooden mats. At any rate(s), the snapmats are great looking and a pretty nice idea. I’m a Murphy’s Oil fanatic, so at least I’d have another thing to clean. Of course, that would probably make our chairs roll too fast and too far, causing way too much drama for our cat who likes to take running jumps at the chairs as she catapults onto the desks.
Better stick with the plastic.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Considering the quality of these mats I say they look well worth the price. I would love to have one that matches my desk but like you I can’t spend almost as much on my mat as I did on my chair! My chair was $250 and went on sale and I had a coupon so I ended up paying $150 ish for it. The mats start at $189! I suppose if I had the chairs we use at work (Aeron Chairs – almost $1000 a pop) then these mats would be a must.
They do look damned good though!
They are handsome, at that. After I posted about them, I took a good long look at our plastic guys. The longer I looked at them, the more reasonable these prices looked to me. – Joi
Those mats are a rip off. You can buy a 4′ x 8′ piece of plywood that has either a birch or maple or oak laminate surface (both sides) for $32 at a home improvement store. Have them cut it in half, then stain it to your liking, lastly adding a couple coats of polyurethane for durability, and for less than $45 (less than a crappy plastic mat) have a beautiful mat that’ll last for years. Just my .02 worth.
Hi, Bill. Thanks for your comment. That sounds like a really cool (and gorgeous) idea. As long as my cat didn’t mistake it for the clawing opportunity of a lifetime, I’d love that sort of hook up.
Bill…FYI…I thought about doing exactly what you’re proposing, to save some money. In the end, though, I suspect that one would end up spending a lot of time and labor only to wind up with an inferior product (veneered plywood) that probably won’t last too long without maintenance (indentations, scratches & re-varnishing from damaging casters) and probably won’t look too good (it will look like a piece of plywood).
How would you propose finishing off those exposed (rough) plywood edges? What about durability? What thickness would you propose?
Also, remember, plywood does not always lay flat; it’s not made for this purpose. You would probably need a ¾ inch thickness plywood, especially if you’re going over carpet. Also, the last time I bought veneered plywood in ¾ I think it was closer to $50 dollars.
…I might add, a better idea that I am going to look into is buy a small amount of hardwood an mount it on 3/8 inch underlayment; I’m thinking that would be thick (rigid) enough to go over carpet. This way, you can buy and install a transition strip around the perimeter for a finished look.
The only drawback is that I suspect that the cost of doing all that work will be end up close to just buying a pre-made floor mat. The real wood would lok nice though – that’s what I am trying to achieve.