how to protect walls from chair marks
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How to Protect Walls from Chair Marks?

Paint scratches on the walls of homes or offices are not a good sight for anyone. Many a time, the marks appear due to unintentional contact of a chair with a wall. Scuffs and scratches are caused due to the dye of the chair, any protruding edge, or the presence of vulnerable walls. 

However, certain proven tips can help protect the walls of your home or office from these ugly chair marks. To name a few, placing chairs at a certain distance from the wall, using slipcovers and silicon chair leg caps, taking wall corner guards, etc. 

Read out all these tips, along with some others, in detail in the paragraphs below. 

How to Protect Walls from Chair Marks? 

To protect walls from scuffs, protection can be applied either on the chair side or the wall side.

Protection on the chair side: 

These include covering the chair or parts of the chair with slipcovers, felt glides or tapes, silicone leg caps, putting the rug under movable chairs, and tightening any loose nuts.

Protection on the wall side: 

These include painting the wall with scuff-resistant paint and using chair rails, corner guards, edge protectors, vinyl sheets, or panels on the walls.

Based on these two principles, given below is a comprehensive guide following which you can protect walls from chair marks and scuffs:

Place chairs at a considerable distance from the walls

First of all, it is earnestly advised to always place the chair or any other furniture at a considerable distance from the walls. When chairs are placed not so close to the walls, the chances of their accidental contact with walls are minimized, which ultimately keeps the walls protected from any potential chair marks.

Cover the chairs with a slipcover

Even if a chair is placed at a safe distance from a wall, there is still a chance that while moving the chair, someone might leave a chair mark on the wall mistakenly. The easiest solution so far is to cover the chair with a slipcover. Slipcovers minimize the friction between the chair and the wall in case of a collision; thus, wall buffs can be prevented.

Use Felt glides underneath chair legs

Using felt glides on the bottom of chair legs can greatly reduce the risk of getting scratches on walls. In case of a collision, felt glides smoothen the movement of the chair on any other surface. Felt pads also eliminate the screeching noise when a chair scratches against a surface.

Use silicone chair leg caps

Chair leg caps are plastic caps made to cover the leg ends of chairs. They are elastic and simple to put on. They cover the ends of chair legs like a cap and do not easily fall off if a chair accidentally hits the wall. The chairs that are used in outside environments develop rust at the ends of the legs and can put stains. Silicone cups cover the rusted or corroded part of the chair leg and thus prevent rust stains.

Put adhesive felt roll strip tape at the back of chairs

Protective felt strips are a fantastic method to prevent chair marks on walls. These tapes may be readily put to the chair back by an adhesive backing, which makes the wall absorb any impact from the chair against it. The advantages of felt tapes are the ease of use and convenience with which they can be applied not only on the chair back but at any sharp or pointed end of a chair.

Set up chair rails on walls

A chair rail molding is a great feature of any house. A chair rail is a trim that encircles the perimeter of a room and is typically made of wood. It is fastened to a wall horizontally. Chair rail typically ranges in thickness from 2 to 3 inches. Chair rails not only protect the walls from any chair movement but also add beauty to the aesthetics of the wall and house.

chair rails on walls

Use wall corner guards

Wall corners are the most vulnerable portion of a wall to collide with a chair and potentially damage it, making it too easy for anyone to commit a mistake when turning while carrying a chair. This can cause damage to both the wall and the chair. Corner guards perfectly complement wall protection sheets and are specifically made to safeguard the corners of walls from chair marks, scratches, or dents. 

Put edge protectors on the edges of the walls

Edge protectors are L-shaped objects that protect the edges of walls around turns and shelves. They are made of rubber, PVC, or even metals like aluminum and protect against the chipping of wall edges. Many people are not cautious around turns, especially children, and end up hitting the wall edges which can be protected by using wall edges.

Invest in a durable and scuff-resistant wall paint

Some wall paints are specially designed in such a way that they can bear the wear and tear due to the frequent hitting of a chair. Some others can be easily cleaned if they get scratched or stained. For example, Emulsion paint is a water-resistant paint. As a result, water can be used to remove any stains or markings from a wall painted with emulsion paint. In addition, eggshells and satin paint are also water-resistant and relatively simple to clean.

Use vinyl wall protection sheets and panels

Vinyl wall protection sheets are mostly used in buildings that have a high chance of wall scratching by chairs or other furniture. For instance, corporate buildings, hospitals, airports, supermarkets, and schools are more prone to wall scratches to protect these buildings, vinyl wall protection panels are put on walls starting from floor to a height of 4-5 feet horizontally along the corridor walls.

vinyl wall protection sheets

Use rugs or mats underneath chairs

Chairs can be prevented from sliding on their wheels and hitting the wall by placing rugs underneath them. The rugs or chair mats keep the chair anchored to its place. This is important for office workspaces where there is frequent movement of chairs. This not only protects the wall but also the floor and the chair itself as well.

Regularly inspect the chairs

Regularly inspect your chairs and furniture for any sharp edges or protruding parts that could endanger the walls. Any rough areas should be sanded or smoothed. It is also advised to check all the screws, nuts, and bolts of the chair regularly and tighten them up. Moreover, try to keep the chairs clean of any dirt.

Patching up the walls

For wall touch-ups always have additional paint of the same color available so that marks can be rapidly concealed to keep them from standing out. It is the last solution to protect a wall but this kind of repair is time-consuming as well as costly. So, it is better to take the above-mentioned measures before any mishap.

Final Thoughts!

The choice of selecting a wall or chair protection is a middle ground between functionality and aesthetics. It also greatly depends on an individual’s budget and personal choice. While chair rails or panels can be expensive to set up, the use of felt pads, tapes, or corner protectors is quite economical. 

It is better to adopt protective measures beforehand because the cost of renovation is always more than the cost of prevention. In short, it is clear that by taking up the above-mentioned measures, one can surely reduce the chances of getting ugly marks on the walls.

FAQs

You can use many creative options such as installing vinyl wall sheets, faux panels, shiplap, floating shelves, wainscoting, vinyl decals, or bead boards. Each one of them gives visual appeal as well as protection to the wall.

Painting above or below the chair rail is a personal choice that depends on the aesthetics of your room. Painting below the chair rail with durable paint can protect from chair marks while dark painting above the chair rail can provide a more finished look.

Yes, chair rails serve as a physical barrier between the wall and any hitting object. When a chair with a chair rail hits a wall, the chair rail absorbs the pressure and keeps the chair safe. 

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