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Floor protection mat for hard floors

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a grey track under the desk, a thud from the treadmill, or porridge on the boards, and every result says floor protection mat. Those are different objects. A hard-floor chair mat is a thin sheet the castors roll on. An equipment mat is a thicker rectangle under a machine. Interlocking tiles cover a bay. A splat mat catches food and is not there to save the varnish from wheels. This page is the decision, before you compare prices. The kept listings, with sizes and shelf prices, are on the [floor protection mat comparison](/hub/flooring/floor-protection-mat). We did not lab-test the mats. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a grey track under the desk, a thud from the treadmill, or porridge on the boards, and every result says floor protection mat. Those are different objects.

Our top picks

Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat

Best overall

Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat
8.6/10about £66.99
View offer
SHAREWIN SHAREWIN 75 x 120 cm chair mat

Best value

SHAREWIN SHAREWIN 75 x 120 cm chair mat
7.4/10about £19.99
View offer
AbiHaven AbiHaven 152 x 76 cm treadmill mat

Alternative

AbiHaven AbiHaven 152 x 76 cm treadmill mat
6.7/10about £21.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Which floor protection mat you actually need
  2. 2.Hard floor or carpet
  3. 3.Size in centimetres
  4. 4.When PVC is enough

Which floor protection mat you actually need

Start with the wear, not the star rating. Mixing a chair sheet, an equipment mat, tiles, and a splat mat is how people buy twice. A 2 mm chair mat under a treadmill is the wrong thickness and usually the wrong shape. Foam tiles under a desk tear at the joints when a castor hits the seam. A 4.5 on a splash mat is not a better chair mat than a 4.2 on PVC. The machine sizes, including why 152 × 76 cm misses some treadmills, are on the floor protection mat for a home gym page.

Hard floor or carpet

Every chair mat we kept is aimed at a hard floor, or it says it is not for carpet. On wood, laminate, vinyl, tile, or stone, Floortex and Mat Stores tell you to use a smooth back. Studs are for carpet, and a stud on a hard floor can scratch the finish the mat was bought to save. This set does not include a studded carpet mat. The Homcomodar specification says hard floor, while some bullets also mention carpet. Reviewers say the silica-gel back holds on tile and wood, and that the mat creeps on carpet. If your floor is carpet, this basket is the wrong one. Marvelux states the limit more plainly: not for carpet, smooth face down.
Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat

Testsieger

Marvelux Marvelux 120 x 150 cm chair mat
8.6/10about £66.99
View offer

Size in centimetres

Measure the path the chair actually rolls, not the width of the desk. Push back to where you stand up, and reach the drawer you use. A mat that ends under the seat lets the rear castors drop off the edge. SHAREWIN at 75 × 120 cm is the small clear sheet, and the listing calls it light use. WASJOYE and BesWin are 90 × 120 cm. Marvelux at 120 × 150 cm is the larger PVC cut, not a change of plastic. The AbiHaven is 152 cm by 76 cm. Decathlon's large treadmill mat is about 100 × 200 cm, so a generous photograph can still stop short of the belt. Six Flatro tiles are the 24 square feet on that listing. Twelve REALIKE tiles are the larger bay, and UK reviews put that foam nearer 9 mm than the 12.7 mm specification.

When PVC is enough

PVC is every clear chair mat in this comparison. It is a reasonable buy for a few hours on ordinary laminate or wood, with no underfloor heating and no delicate lacquer. Hometex tells buyers not to put PVC on varnished wood or heated floors. Floortex points those rooms, and rooms under about 15°C, towards polycarbonate. None of the kept listings is polycarbonate. Paying £66.99 for the Marvelux does not change that. A full week on a heated oak floor is where a £20 vinyl sheet is the wrong long-term buy, even when the review count is huge. Why a clear colour is not a material is the whole of the PVC or polycarbonate chair mat page. A sheet that is still curled is a laying problem, not a reason to change type before you have weighted the corners.

Common questions

Do you need a chair mat, a treadmill sheet, tiles, or a splat mat?
Match the object to the wear. Castors on laminate need a hard-floor chair mat. A treadmill or bike needs a thicker equipment sheet, and here that is the 6 mm AbiHaven if 152 × 76 cm actually covers the machine. A garage or loft bay needs interlocking tiles. Food under a high chair needs the WOMUMON splat mat. A star rating does not move a product from one of those jobs to another.
Should the back be smooth or studded on laminate?
Use a smooth back on laminate, wood, vinyl, tile, or stone. Studs are for carpet, and Mat Stores warns that studs scratch hard floors. Every chair mat in this set is sold for a hard floor, or it says it is not for carpet. A studded carpet mat is not in the basket.
Is 75 × 120 cm enough under a desk?
It is enough when the chair's roll, including the moment you stand up, stays inside 75 × 120 cm, and you only sit for light use. That is the SHAREWIN size, at £19.99. If the rear castors leave the sheet, look at 90 × 120 cm, or at the Marvelux 120 × 150 cm if the desk run is long. The photograph on the small mats often looks larger than the sheet.
Can a hard-floor mat go on carpet?
Not the ones in this set. The clear PVC listings say they are not for carpet. Reviewers call them too floppy for carpet, and the Homcomodar creeps on carpet even though a few bullets mention it. Buy a carpet mat with the right grip, from a range that states carpet, rather than hoping a smooth back will hold.
What should you measure before you order?
For a chair, measure the roll from the tucked-in position to where you stand, and add the reach to the side you actually use. For a machine, measure the footprint and the floor you stand on beside it. For tiles, count 60 cm squares against the bay. Write the centimetres down before you open a listing whose photo has no scale.

Related pages

Best floor protection mat

Floor protection mat

Floor protection mat for a home gym: sheet or tiles

How to lay a chair mat: smooth face down, then weight

PVC or polycarbonate chair mat: when vinyl is enough

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, regulation 3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, fire safety risk assessment for small places of assembly (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. BSI, BS EN ISO 4918:2021 castor chair test (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Floortex UK FAQs (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Which?, faulty goods and the 30-day right to reject (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for these ten floor protection mats (retrieved 19 October 2026)