Consider all of your options when thinking about purchasing new classroom chairs and desks. Can your existing classroom furniture be fixed up to look and function like new again?
Yes, in most cases, that is exactly what can happen, with a little effort and School Fix Repair Parts such as new chair glides and feet, and new desk tops and seat backs. A new classroom chair will cost around $60 a unit. But for approximately $20, you can get new floor glides, seats, and backs to make your furniture function like new at half of the cost.
With manageable installation, existing furniture glides can be removed with our Chair Glide Removal Tool, while Replacement Seats and Backs can be screwed securely into the chair or desk frame. So consider the savings simply by repairing your existing classroom furniture. School Fix has everything you will need.
Chair Glides, Caps, Feet, Tips, and More
There are multiple products available to fully replace chair glides, while another option is to simply cover them up with a Q-Ball Renewal Glide, Glide Caps, or Glide Socks. Some glide replacement solutions require more installation than others, and some solutions are more permanent than others. Let’s dive deeper into each of the available options School Fix has to offer.
1) Traditional Chair Glides
Chair Glides require the existing furniture floor glide to be removed and a new glide installed in its place. Our patented Glide Remover Tool helps a lot when tackling a large-scale replacement project. New chair glides are available in swivel and non-swivel variants, featuring either a metal base for carpeted floors or a nylon base for tile flooring.
2) Q-Ball Renewal Glides
Our most popular Q-Ball Renewal Glides are engineered to fit over the existing furniture glide, eliminating the need to remove old chair glides. Q-Ball Renewal Glides cover the existing glide entirely and will provide you with a scratch-free glide-to-floor contact surface, all included with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Q-Ball Glides are available with a soft and durable PVC surface or with a replaceable felt surface. Both Q-Ball Renewal Glide surfaces can be used on either hard tile or soft carpet flooring.
Q-Ball® Renewal Glides
Q-Ball® Renewal Glides are available with Felt or Rubber-like PVC bases and retrofit all existing school furniture allowing for a quiet, scratch-free function and flexibility to use furniture on all floor surfaces, including carpet, VCT tile, traditional tile, and hardwood floors.
These renewal glides are designed to keep your floors safe and keep your chairs steady, level, quiet, and scratch-free. Eliminate uneven and wobbly legs from worn-out chair tips and glides.
Q-Ball® Glides for Square Tubing Chairs
Commonly used for banquet or event seating, 2-Piece Q-Ball® Glides are available in 2 sizes to fit square furniture tubing. First, measure the leg and choose the correct size, then simply mount the nylon holding cap to the inside the tubing and push the Q-Ball® glide onto the cap.
Q-Ball® Glides for Folding Chairs
Traditional chair glides wear over time and can cause costly damage to your floors. Fitting your folding school furniture with low-friction Q-Ball® Glides eliminates the potential of damage to your floors, driving down maintenance and labor costs.
3) Glide Caps
Glide Caps are available with soft PVC, hard Nylon, or Felt FIber surface materials and can be snapped over the base of the existing chair glide. Choose from multiple sizes to fit virtually every glide base. Installation is easy and takes just minutes. Glide Caps are usually the most cost-effective solution to prevent floor scratching on school chairs and desks.
NoMar Glide Caps
Our NoMar Glide Caps offer a cost-effective solution to control floor scratching on both carpet and hard floors in your facility. They are designed with rounded sidewalls to fit firmly around most chair glides found on school furniture.
Simply snap the PVC glide caps over your existing metal or nylon chair glides for a fresh surface. The hardened rubber-like surface of the glide cap limits friction on your floors and therefore reduces floor scratching, eliminates rust spots, and reduces noise. Perfect for use on cafeteria seating, classroom furniture, and event seating.
Carpeted Glide Caps
Our Nylon Carpet Caps with Molded Felt Fiber offer a cost-effective solution to control floor scratching in your facility. Perfect for any seating scenario, whether in the classroom, cafeteria, or gym.
The Nylon construction of the glide cap is engineered for superior durability. With a thick felt fiber pad molded into the base, the carpet cap will reduce floor scratching, eliminate rust spots, and reduce noise.
4) Snap Grip Caps
Snap Grip Caps are engineered to fit more securely over a 1-¼” chair glide base. These Chair Caps have a wider profile to displace the pressure that can cause floor scratches. These Caps install in just seconds and fit securely to the furniture glide. This popular floor scratching solution also comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Snap-Grip™ Cap with Felt
Our Snap-Grip™ Cap is designed to be the last glide cap you will ever need. Engineered to last, the felt fibers are infused into the rubber-like PVC, eliminating any potential felt failure.
The patented Snap-Grip™ design wraps securely around the base of the existing chair glide to permanently hold the outer cap and completely cover the chair glide base. The large base surface of the cap has a 2in. Diameter to distribute weight evenly, virtually eliminating any chance of floor scratching. The base will still be allowed to swivel freely to accommodate for all angled leg school chairs.
Snap-Grip™ Glide Cover with Felt
Retro-fit existing school furniture to function scratch-free on hard floor surfaces. Installation takes just minutes and requires no existing chair glide removal. Reinforced sidewalls provide superior strength, and the patented Snap-Grip™ insert holds the felt-infused glide cover securely in place. Felt surface is infused into the rubber-like PVC glide cover & the rounded bottom allows for reliable use on any chair leg
5) Glide Socks
Glide Socks simply function just as the name suggests. The Glide Socks fit over the base of the existing chair glide and are held securely to the furniture by an elastic top band. Choose between Durable Soft Fuzz Fabric for Hard VCT Tile or Terrazzo Floors or Formed Reinforced Foam Fabric for Soft Carpeted Floors.
Soft-Fuzz Fabric GlideSocks™
Our Soft-Fuzz Fabric GlideSocks™ offer a lightweight and cost-effective solution to prevent floor scratching in your facility.
GlideSocks™ are specifically designed to fit over traditional chair glides found on all types of school furniture. The gray fabric material is soft and extremely durable, engineered to perform in heavy-use school environments. Recommended for use on hard floor surfaces, but can also be used on carpeted floor surfaces.
Smooth-Foam Fabric GlideSocks™
Our Smooth-Foam Fabric GlideSocks™ offer a lightweight and cost-effective solution to prevent floor scratching in your facility.
GlideSocks™ are specifically designed to fit over traditional chair glides found on all types of school furniture. The black, reinforced fabric material is soft and extremely durable, engineered to perform in heavy-use school environments. Recommended for use on carpeted floor surfaces, but can also be used on hard floor surfaces.
6) Furniture Tips
Rubber or Plastic Furniture Tips are designed to fit securely over straight or angled legs on folding chairs, stacking chairs, and activity or folding tables. Rubber Tips incorporate thick sidewalls to maximize pressure on the furniture leg; this holds the tip more securely to the leg. All Rubber Tips include a molded-in metal washer or plastic interior cap to eliminate the potential of the leg cutting through the rubber. Plastic Furniture Tips have a traditional design, with an improved and thicker sidewall to increase the chair tip’s longevity. The curved base of the Tip allows for use on straight or angled chair and table legs.
Heavy Duty Nylon Chair Tips
A better tip design built to last longer, our Heavy-Duty Nylon Chair Leg Tips offer a simple solution to protect your floors against scratches and scuffs. They are designed to fit most popular school furniture leg tubing sizes, with straight or angled legs.
These durable Nylon Chair Tips are made with a high-density base to prevent the chair legs from cutting through at the friction point and damaging your floors. The nylon tip construction incorporates a thick, tapered sidewall to reinforce the bottom of the tip. The curved-bottom allows for correct weight distribution on the chair legs, reducing the friction point wear usually found on flat-bottom chair tips.
Rubber Chair Tips with Nylon Cap
Our Rubber Chair Tips with Nylon Caps are engineered for heavy-use on school furniture with straight or angled legs. The chair tips are designed to prevent floor damage from many types of school furniture.
The thick rubber material construction comes with reinforced sidewalls for added protection against tearing. The tips feature a curved-bottom to allow for correct weight distribution on the chair legs, reducing the friction point wear usually found on flat-bottom chair tips. A unique nylon reinforcement cap is also molded into the rubber tip to eliminate potential leg cut through.
Rubber Chair Tips with Metal Washer
Constructed of a thick rubber material with reinforced sidewalls for added protection against tearing. The tips feature a flat bottom to allow for a greater surface-to-floor contact area on the chair feet, reducing the potential of damage to your floors. A metal washer is also molded into the rubber tip to eliminate potential leg cut through.
7) Felt Pads
Felt Pads are a simple and effective solution and work great on furniture that is not moved as frequently as a stacking chair. Simple Peel and Stick backing material holds securely to the base of an existing chair or desk glide. These Felt Pads are available in multiple diameters and thicknesses to cater to the needs of your school.
1" Felt Pad with Adhesive for Glides (3/16" Thick)
Our Felt Furniture Pads are made of a thick felt fiber material mounted to a foam pad and engineered to provide strong adhesion to metal-base, or nylon-base chair glides. Available in 1” diameter with a total pad thickness of 3/16“ allowing for optimum cushion, durability, and floor protection.
The peel and stick backing offers a semi-permanent solution that securely adheres to the glide when in use, but can also be removed at any time.
Felt Pads
Our Felt Pads for school furniture are made of a thick felt fiber material mounted to a foam pad and engineered to provide strong adhesion to metal-base, or nylon-base chair glides. Available in 3/4“ or 1” diameter with a total pad thickness of 1/8“ allowing for optimum cushion, durability, and floor protection.
Quick and easy installation, we recommend wiping off the chair glide base with an alcohol pad before use. The peel and stick backing offers a semi-permanent solution that securely adheres to the glide when in use, but can also be removed at any time.
8) Sled Leg Glides
Sled Leg Style Chairs and Desks feature a unique design where the bottom leg runs parallel to the floor and is meant to be used on carpeted flooring. When used on Hard Floors such as VCT Tile or Terrazzo, Sled Leg Furniture will scratch and mar the floor. School Fix has several Sled Leg Glides available to allow for a more scratch-free floor contact.
Permanent Sled Leg Glides
School Fix’s Sled Leg Glides feature an internal “no-twist” stem design to eliminate any potential twisting, a common problem with sled leg retrofit products. Our saddle glides are available in eight sizes to retrofit virtually any sled leg school furniture from common brands.
Plastic Sled Leg Glides with Felt Bottom
Easy-to-install design and durable molded plastic construction make Sled Leg Felt Bottom Plastic Glides a great choice for any sled leg chair. Simply apply a small amount of pressure and the glide will snap over the tubing to provide a long-lasting hold. Durable tightly woven felt provides optimal performance in virtually any situation. All Sled Leg Felt Bottom Glides are white in color with a white felt base. Offered in a variety of sizes to fit your specific needs.
Sled Leg Zip Glides
Made from soft flexible PVC material, the Sled Leg Zip Glide uses zip ties to hold it securely to the tubing of Sled-Leg Chairs and Desks. The Sled Leg Zip Glide is an entirely permanent retrofit solution for chairs and desks that were originally purchased to be used on carpet and are now being used on tile. Designs to fit Round or Square Tubing School Furniture. Simply place Zip Tie into the Zip Glide's recessed groove to secure permanently around the tubing. The round design may twist around the tubing, so tighten zip ties to reduce twisting. Completely eliminates floor scratching.
9) Replacement Seats, Backs, and Desk Tops
Our Change-Out Seats, Backs, and Desk Tops feature simple screw-in installation making for a very manageable project with minimal labor commitment and a dramatic improvement to the chair or desk’s performance. Choose from lightweight and durable HDPE Chair Seats and Backs or Hard Plastic Seats, Backs, and Desk Tops that are ⅝” thick. Each material is made specifically to hold up in a heavy-use school environment. Choose from our most popular school colors to spruce up any classroom.
Universal Replacement Chair & Desk Seats and Backs
Solid Plastic Desk & Chair Seat and Back Replacements
Hard Plastic Desk Top Replacements
Refurbish old school chairs and desks while saving 80% of the cost versus buying new furniture. Easy installation combined with durable construction makes replacement desktops the perfect solution for the budget-conscious buyer. Replacement desktops are constructed of the highest quality 5/8 inch thick solid plastic that is impervious to a ballpoint pen, nail polish, and many other commonly used substances. All desktops are from second stock, meaning that they may have minor imperfections. The majority of the time; these are unnoticeable and will not affect the integrity of the desktop thus how we keep our prices low! Offered in a variety of colors to match your existing furniture.
Let School Fix® Help!
Many school furniture repair and renovation solutions can be implemented into your facility’s plan, but if you’re on a tight budget and need chair glides, caps, tips, and furniture replacement parts that are affordable and dependable, look no further - there’s a School Fix® product to fit your needs! We hope you found this guide helpful. To read more about our products or solutions to common school maintenance concerns, please visit the School Fix® Blog.
