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Wood flooring and Heavy Wheel Chair

Home Improvement Asked by Esauer on June 15, 2021

We are having a power chair friendly house built in the spring. Because carpet has to be glued to the sub-floor to prevent bumps and wrinkles, we would prefer wood floors. (We like them better anyway.) We’ve been thinking about bamboo flooring. How well does it hold up? Can it be sanded and refinished? Approximately how long should it last under these conditions?

The power chair is used inside and out, so it picks up pebbles, dirt, etc. Another question: Is there a matting that can be used to remove some of the outside debris from the wheels?

3 Answers

Just dealing with the matting question, I would assume regular matting would be ok, you will just need a lot of it. Assuming you will have one, I would keep the outside ramp clean, then have a commercial-quality welcome mat outside the door, and another two inside. (Like, the 3'x5' or so ones. Your goal is that the wheels have to make at least 1 complete revolution before leaving the mats.)

It may also be prudent (depending on your house) to have a different flooring for the area around the door, designed for higher wear.

Answered by user3757614 on June 15, 2021

Bamboo's a good choice. However there needs to be a much larger (1 to 2-inches) shrink & expand perimeter gap & subsequent baseboard shoe molding. It moves quite a lot.

If there's any ramp, even just a threshold one, then the best choice would be to go to a grating surface rather than the solid or plank options. Debris will then be handled outside.

If not, then the below mat is in the Home Improvement stores (Home Depot's website in this case) and is Cast Aluminum. Expensive & small, but 2 or three could be welded or hinged together to catch & hold debris. Or, of course any Open Grid type of matting, but many of those are soft rubber & might be difficult to traverse.

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Answered by Iggy on June 15, 2021

There is disagreement here, what you think is best for you. Occupational therapist recommends wood, laminate for easy clean, I prefer carpet it's softer and warmer. Consult the wheelchair user, they could have a preference for a good reason. A wheelchair does not mean mindless, sorry to be blunt but I use a wheelchair and know how it is. I prefer carpet in case I fall transferring, it hurts less.

Answered by steve on June 15, 2021

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