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The 6 Best Furniture Pads For Hardwood Floors

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by Margeaux Baulch Klein
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Two things ring true with all hardwood floors: They're expensive to install, and they can scratch relatively easily. That's why investing in a set of furniture pads is a smart decision. The best furniture pads for hardwood floors are made with soft felt, which smoothly slides across floors without risk of damage. They come in a range of shapes, sizes, and colors, so most of the time you don’t even notice they’re there.

What Criteria To Consider

The best felt pads for hardwood floors come in several styles, so you can choose the application method you prefer. Most of them simply stick to the bottom of furniture feet with adhesive backing, which is a solid and economical choice (be sure to clean the surface really well before applying). However, adhesive eventually weakens and wears off, or it can become a magnet for dust and hair. If you’re concerned about that, and perhaps are already awash in pet hair, you have a few other options.

Formed pads — which are the easiest to install — are shaped like small cups, and they grip the bottoms of furniture legs. Nail-in pads attach to the legs with spikes, and while they do require drilling for the best fit, they’re the most budge-proof option you can buy. Last, you may want to consider a set of furniture socks. While they’re a bit more obvious, they’re fun in their way (tiny little socks on the furniture!) and, more importantly, the elastic material guarantees a snug fit and they can be machine-washed to keep looking fresh.

Pads typically come in a range of sizes to coordinate with a variety of furniture legs, but some larger versions are designed so that you can cut them to the exact size and shape pad you need. Beyond that, you can choose from colors that blend right in with your furniture, like beige, brown, and black.

Shop The Best Furniture Pads For Hardwood Floors

In a hurry? Here are the top picks for the best furniture pads for hardwood floors:

  1. The Best Basic Adhesive Furniture Pads: Softouch Self-Stick Felt Furniture Pads
  2. The Best Pads That Can Be Trimmed To Size: X-Protector Premium Felt Furniture Pads
  3. The Best Value: X-Protector Furniture Pads
  4. The Best Formed Pads: Super Sliders Formed Felt Furniture Pads
  5. The Best Nail-On Furniture Pads: ALIMITOPIA Nail-On Furniture Pads
  6. The Best Furniture Socks: NancyProtectz Chair Leg Protectors

For a detailed breakdown on the ins and outs of the best furniture pads for hardwood floors, just keep scrolling.

1The Best Basic Adhesive Furniture Pads

These durable round felt pads from Softouch are a great deal that should work for many needs. They have a strong adhesive, so they won't slip if you like to spontaneously redecorate and move your furniture around a lot. They’re 1.5 inches in size, and the brown color should blend in with most furniture.

One reviewer wrote: “Good amount of felt for bottom of dining room chairs to ease scraping on wooden floors. Easy to apply.”

Available color: Brown | Available size: 1.5 inches

Also available on: Walmart, $8 (24-Pack), and Lowe’s, $6 (16-Pack)

2The Best Pads That Can Be Trimmed To Size

Have extra-large or irregularly-shaped furniture, or other items you want to add some padding to? These heavy-duty, 8-by-6-inch felt pads for hardwood floors may be what you need. They feature a strong adhesive backing and an oversized design that lends itself to being cut precisely to the size and shape needed. You'll get eight sheets of these furniture pads, and if beige isn't the right shade, you can get them in chocolate brown. Amazon buyers are big fans of the pads and give them an impressive 4.6-star overall rating after more than 2,300 reviews.

One reviewer wrote: “We got new floors and had a very heavy (especially when full) kitchen island. We bought these to be able to provide a pad for the island so that it would not mess up our new hardwood floors. We liked it so much on the island that we used it on other large pieces of furniture in the area of our older hardwood floors. Good adhesion and easy to cut and apply to bottoms of furniture. Then, furniture easily slides on wood floors with no marring of floors. And the package had a ton of these pads, so we have some to save for later! Great product!”

Available colors: Beige and brown | Available size: 8 x 6 inches

3The Best Value Furniture Pads For Hardwood Floors

With more than 40,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, this jumbo set of furniture pads for hardwood floors is a popular option — and the most economical, too. The huge assortment contains 133 furniture pads in both brown and beige colors, with a pre-cut range of sizes and shapes to fit different furniture legs. It also comes with extra beige sheets that can be cut to size for furniture with very large feet, or that’s irregularly shaped. With a strong adhesive and the most affordable price per piece, this pack is ideal for people who are moving or want to stock up.

One reviewer wrote: “We just moved into a house with all hardwood floors and needed to protect them from scuffing from the furniture. These are thick, soft, and help things like dining chairs make little to no noise when moved on hard wood. Very easy to install, just peel and stick. I was impressed by the different sizes offered in the package as well as two sheets that were a ‘cut your own size’ type thing. Worked great for certain items in our house.”

Available colors: Beige, brown, and a multi-pack with both beige and brown | Available sizes: Assorted

Also available on: Walmart, $26

4The Best Formed Furniture Pads

If you’re worried about adhesive wearing off over time, it may be worth spending a little more for these heavy-duty felt pads for chair legs. The formed pads have a cup-like design that slides over the ends of furniture legs — no glue or adhesive required. They come in two colors — beige and brown — and four different sizes for a snug fit.

One reviewer wrote: “These are the perfect solution for my chairs on hardwoods. The shape makes them stay on the legs and not get hair/dust in the adhesive. I am so thrilled to have found these!!!”

Available colors: Beige and brown | Available sizes: 1 inch, 1.25 inches, 1.5 inches, and 2 inches

Also available on: Walmart, $11 (4-Pack)

5The Best Nail-On Furniture Pads

These nail-on furniture pads are virtually guaranteed not to budge, although they do require a little extra work at the outset by way of drilling a pilot hole in the bottom of the furniture leg. Once the spike is inserted, however, you won’t have to worry about the pad coming off or getting loose. The affordable 40-pack is available in black, white, and brown, and in a small variety of sizes, ranging from 18 to 28 millimeters (about 0.7 to 1.1 inches). They’ve also garnered over 6,000 ratings on Amazon and counting, so you know they’ve been put to the test.

One reviewer wrote: “We tried so many stick on pads that just slide off when someone moves the chair. We finally came across these and they are exactly what we were looking for. They were easy to install and now we don’t have to worry about them coming off the bottom of our dining room chairs and the chairs scratching the hardwood floors.”

Available colors: Black, brown, and white | Available sizes: 18 millimeters, 20 millimeters, 22 millimeters, 24 millimeters, and 28 millimeters

6The Best Furniture Socks

Designed specifically for chairs, these furniture leg socks are made from a heavy-duty blend of cotton and stretchy spandex. The soft material is gentle on hardwood, but the interior of each sock is lined in grippy rubber to keep them firmly in place. While they’re not quite as discreet as other options on the list, they do come in five sizes and six colors for the most streamlined look possible, and are great for sliding onto irregularly-shaped legs. Plus, little furniture sock-feet are sorta cute. Another boon? They’re machine washable, so can be freshened up whenever you need.

One reviewer wrote: “We have hardwood floors and have tried different pads for our chairs but they either don't stay on or wear out too fast. These allow the chair to glide in and out without scratching AND they really do stay on! I suggest buying these.”

Available colors: Black, caramel brown, chocolate brown, gray, tan, and white | Available sizes: X-Small — X-Large

Also available on: Walmart, $19, and Wayfair, $17

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