When your office has carpet, and the chair mats suck

Step 1

• Set up your desk(s) in the configuration you'd like.
• Realize that the plastic chair mat you bought at the office supply store is just barely larger than the chair that sits on it
• Notice that the that the chair mat will dent wherever the chair wheels sit
• Be annoyed that the chair won't roll on the mat, and that even if it did roll, the only place to go would be off the mat





Step 2

• (not shown) Use masking tape on the floor to define the perimeter of where you'd like your chair mat to actually go; make sure that it will allow your chair to be underneath the edge of the desk as far as you'd like it to be when sitting at the desk



Step 3

• Use butcher-block paper or newspaper (or lots of printer paper) to make a template that covers the masking tape outline; tape the pieces of paper together
• Measure the length and width of the area covered by the template
• Also, measure and estimate how many linear feet (inches/cm/leagues) of laminate flooring (wood or vinyl) you will need to cover the template; the laminate flooring comes in a particular with, and isn't necessarily consistent between patterns and manufacturers, so choose the flooring before doing the calculation.
• Add 2-4 extra lengths of laminate flooring; most flooring is intended to have staggered seams, and you'll mess up at least one of the cuts (or is it just me who does this?)
• If the laminate flooring has edge moulding, measure the perimeter of the template to determine how much of that you will need; again, add a length or two (or don't)




Step 4

• Buy a piece of plywood with dimensions large enough for the template (here in the US, the standard size of a sheet of plywood is 4 feet by 8 feet; this may potentially limit the dimensions of your chair mat)
• The plywood should be thick enough that when you stand on it on carpet, there is no bowing; get grade A or B sanded plywood, since that will be better on the carpet underneath
• Also buy the laminate flooring and moulding as calculated above
• optional: Look silly trying to transport a large sheet of plywood on top of a taxi or your small car
• Alternately, befriend someone with a van or pick-up truck
• Alternately alternately, rent the small truck from Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, etc. at $20 for 75 minutes; that's less than what you'll pay for a quality sheet of plywood



Step 5

• (not shown) Lay the template on the plywood and trace around the outside; use a straight edge and t-square to make the lines straight and parallel/perpendicular as appropriate
• Cut the plywood along the lines drawn from the template
• (if adding moulding) Lay out, cut, and attach (screws and/or adhesive) any moulding attachment strips around the edges of the plywood (if the chosen moulding uses them)
• Beginning at one edge of the plywood (or just inside the moulding attachment strip), cut a piece of laminate to the right length, and cut out any notches to fit the template
• The laminate flooring generally uses a tongue-and-groove pattern on both sides and both ends to fit pieces together with minimal visible seams; one side may be easier to add pieces to later--keep that in mind when placing the first piece
• Attach the laminate flooring to the plywood using likely using a general-purpose construction adhesive (for example 'Loctite Express Power Grab All Purpose Adhesive')
• You may need to clamp the laminate to the plywood to make it tight and smooth
• Lay out the next piece of laminate against the first, sliding the tongue-and-grove together to ensure fit, minimize gaps, etc.; stagger the beginning of the next length of laminate creatively
• Staggering the lengths of laminate will probably mean that some of the pieces you cut will have neither a tongue or groove on either end (see above about buying a few extra lengths); unless you don't care about the appearance, these lengths of laminate will no longer be usable as flooring (see v2 below for a potential creative use for some of these)
• Cut the laminate as needed, slide tongue-in-groove, and attach to the flooring (put the adhesive on the plywood or bottom of the laminate, or lift the piece to apply the adhesive underneath, if doable)




Step 6

• Continue laying out, cutting, and attaching the lengths of laminate across the rest of the plywood base (don't forget to leave enough space for the moulding, if applicable)
if applicable:
• Measure the lengths of moulding to fit around the perimeter of the base; the moulding will fit together at 45-degree angles with the next piece, so use the longer of the outside (for corners) or inside (for indentations) length
• Use a mitre box to cut the corners at a 45-degree angle (or carefully cut a 45-degree angle using a knife/saw/etc.)
• Attach the moulding strips to the base





Step 7

• Move your new chair mat into place
• Roll around like a boss. Celebrate your genius!






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v2 - New office - upstairs bedroom office

Step 1

• Evict teenage son from his bedroom, and move him in with his younger brother; this will help build character, prepare him for having roommates, and teach him who is boss (also, the brothers will probably not kill each other; YMMV)
• Set up desk and other office furniture as desired



Step 2 - Step 7

• Follow the same steps as with v1, only this time knowing what you're doing







BONUS

• Hang your shingle



• If you have leftover pieces of laminate, use one as a coaster