ADVICE: The key benefits of replacing chair feet

When it comes to saving money inside the hospitality and leisure industries, unfortunately, there are plenty of businesses who like to cut corners, retracting from the customer experience in the hope to turn a larger profit. This is where an advantage can be gained, providing a stellar service whilst saving money in area’s that can easily be avoided. One key area to focus on which negates this issue is the replacement of your chair and furniture feet.

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Replacing the feet of your chairs and furniture has long been a difficult discussion, often being overlooked by ‘larger’ jobs such as floor replacement or refurbishment. However these small but mighty components can have a huge impact on your potential profits as well as guest experience, so should take centre stage above other expensive ventures.

What are chair feet?
To put it simply, chair feet can usually be characterised by the way they are installed, for example something that inserts into the leg would be a chair insert. Whereas something that slips over and onto the leg would be a chair ferrule. Each has their own list of benefits aside from the fact that they serve one main purpose, to protect the chair leg and to provide grip.

You can usually identify the type of foot you will need by taking a quick look at the leg or tip portion of your chair and furniture. Taking note of the part that comes into contact with the surface it is placed on, as well as whether the leg itself is solid or hollow.

• Hollow legs – Inserts can be fitted internally
• Solid legs – Ferrules can be slipped on

Key benefits of replacing chair and furniture feet
Now that we understand what chair feet are, we can start to identify some of their key benefits for use inside hotels and related leisure industries. Below are some of the main advantages;

• Preventing costly repairs – Costly floor repair bills along with rising furniture costs are a main reason why chair inserts and ferrules are employed, working to protect the chair leg as well as the flooring it is placed on by reducing friction. Along with the reduction in friction, many different types of chair feet actually come with anti-marking properties, something that will help prevent scratching, even on hard flooring. Over time this can greatly reduce the wear to your flooring, saving you up to £700* on floor cleaning and yearly refurbishment bills.

*Savings based on yearly refurbishment of 28 square metres of flooring. 

• Protecting the application – Longevity and durability are always important things to consider as a hotel owner when trying to meet strict budget requirements. Replacing your chair feet helps you to do this, working to cover and protect the leg of your furniture to reduce friction and exposure to damaging factors which can wear a chair down over time.

• Noise reduction – Noise is a poignant issue for many guests during their stay, especially in picturesque areas where people can be attracted by the peace and tranquillity on offer. This is yet another benefit of replacing your chair and furniture feet as they can greatly reduce the noise produced when dragged or moved across a surface, putting a bigger emphasis on the social aspects of your communal area, restaurant or lobby room for example. Glides are perfect for reducing such noise, working mainly to reduce friction through a range of high quality, anti-marking materials such as PTFE and felt.

• Enhancing looks – Along with the functional benefits listed here, replacing your chair feet has the ability to greatly enhance looks, turning an old and abused chair into one fit for even the classiest of establishments. Upcycling is a popular money saving method inside the leisure and hotel industries and has been proven to save up to **80% on excess furniture costs per room, meaning potentially massive savings if it can be done correctly. Ferrules, inserts and glides are all ideal for enhancing looks and adding height, making these a go-to option.

**80% saving based on new furniture costs vs upcycling current furniture

As a rule of thumb, rubber is predominantly used on hard floors whilst plastic is used for soft.

Overall it’s clear to see how much of a benefit replacing your chair and furniture feet can be to your establishment, both in terms of saving money as well as guest experience. Along with this it is important to note the health and safety benefits that can be passed on from the feet to the chairs, increasing grip and preventing slipping on all surface types.

When compared to other costly ventures such as floor repair or refurbishment, it is easy to see how replacing your chair feet can be a powerful catalyst to increasing your sales and guest experience.

Why not take the next step to saving your business money? As a renowned supplier we hold a huge selection of feet, ferrules, inserts and glides for use with all types of chairs or furniture.
Written by Vital Parts