How to Stop a Recliner From Moving On Carpet? Informative Guide

Do you want to learn how to stop a recliner from moving on carpet permanently?

Many of you who have a recliner could be troubled by this, and I’m here to walk you through how you can stop this from happening ever again.

Having a recliner was one of the best things that happened – but seeing it being at a spot I do not intend for it to be is also a problem.

You can control and stop your recliner from sliding on your carpet by repositioning the recliner, adding accessories on the feet of the recliner, and reinforcing your carpet so that it doesn’t “slide” through.

Why Does My Recliner Move and Slide?

Whether you have it installed over a carpet or not, recliners have been known for “walking” across the floor.

And before you think of it as something supernatural, try considering a few scientific and proven ways why it does.

Force of the Footrest and Backrest

Recliners have 2 forces – one on the backrest and one on the footrest.

When either of them has an object standing in the way, the force at the other end will push it further, thus, creating movement.

This is why placement or positioning is important for recliners.

The Base is Not Stable Enough

Another common reason why your recliner is walking is because of the base – it’s not stable and grounded enough.

Not all recliners are made with the same type of material, there are some whose frames are made with compact, sturdy, and durable materials, while some have only cheap and light materials.

The Type of Flooring

Last, but most definitely not least would be the flooring on where you establish your recliner on.

Imagine walking on smooth flooring, even if you aren’t doing anything special, there’s a huge chance that you’ll slip and slide, right? The same thing goes for recliners.

To be honest, it was a total nightmare for me to see my recliner moving from one spot to another – and this happens almost daily.

I knew I had to do something about it, so I tried looking for ways how to keep the recliner from sliding on the carpet.

How to Stop a Recliner From Moving on Carpet? 3 Easy Ways

I know what you’re thinking – should I permanently let it stabilize on the floor? Would I need to screw or nail it to the ground, so it doesn’t move?

While these things seem the best and most reliable ways, you’ll need to invest time in doing so.

The methods I will share with you below are all going to be effortless – you wouldn’t need an hour to do them!

So, here are the few best different ways of keeping your recliner at a single location on your carpet.

Repositioning Your Recliner on the Carpet

Most carpets would be skimmed up until the edge of the house. From what I’ve seen in most interior styles and designs, most recliners are positioned near walls – this is not how you do it.

You see, recliners, adjust the backrest, I mean, that’s what they’re made to do.

So, naturally, the backrest will move backward, hitting everything that is in its way. It’s not like it’s AI-controlled to stop when it’s about to hit a brick wall.

So, what you want to do is reposition your recliner. Make sure that it’s not near a wall, door, or any other type of object.

This way, the recliner will work its way back without its base having to push forward to adjust.

NOTE: Vases, TV sets, fans, and other things wouldn’t be so ideal to place behind recliners, too, especially if they’re fragile.

Adding Accessories Below or Reinforcing Your Carpet

Another common reason why recliners move and walk on their own is because of the type of flooring it has under.

Wooden flooring, laminate flooring, and tiles are the smoothest surfaces, and therefore, they are the most prone to this type of instance – but carpets can be smooth, too.

Most carpets would not have an adhesive-like base, which can be dragged with the recliner.

My living room carpet is made from synthetic fiber. The backing is made from a combination of polyester and synthetic fiber, which will really promote sliding if no force is stopping it.

What I did was I added a rug pad beneath my carpet. This solved half my problem – the other half was repositioning the recliner.

So, what you want to do is add non-skid materials below the carpet.

This way, the carpet wouldn’t be repositioned and moved even if the recliner is exerting force. Carpet movement also accounts for the movement of the recliner.

What Can You Use?

There’s a myriad of accessories and additional materials you can use to keep your carpets from sliding. Personally, I would recommend the following:

• Silicone Caulking
• Gripper Tapes
• Rubber Pads/Rug Pads

Although this isn’t always what the case is, they contribute to the movement of the recliner because of the carpet’s activity.

Using Accessories For the Recliner’s Feet

Last, but definitely not least and probably most effective is by adding a couple of accessories on the feet of your recliner.

Now, it’s not “the most effective” per se because all 3 need to be done, but this is something that can permanently keep your recliners in place, given that it is in the correct position.

What Accessories Should You Use?

There are many different options of accessories to choose from, but based on what I’ve found, as well as based on the results I got, I would suggest going for and using the following.

Non-Slip Furniture Feet Pads or Rubber Pads

The best and probably most effective are rubber pads. You can purchase many different types of rubber pads in the market; you can even specify the size you want, too!

You can get sizes that perfectly fit the bottom part of your recliner’s feet.

Should it have peculiar-sized feet, you can cut rubber pads so that they will perfectly fit the bottom part of the legs.

Small Mats

What I love about small mats is their flexibility. You don’t necessarily have to fit it right at the size of the feet of the recliner – you simply need to position it below the feet.

Do that and the job is done.

I usually go for small mats whose interiors don’t get dirty or dusty easily.

The accumulation of dust can contribute to the sliding or moving of the furniture even if it’s on top of the mat.

Corks

Corks are easy to find – you might even have one already!

The beauty of corks is that it’s not harsh on the carpet, and they can do the job of keeping the recliner in place.

Over time, the feet of the furniture will be soaked down to the cork – the cork can absorb it fully, which will eventually become part of the furniture.

NOTE: The corks you’ll use need to be legitimate corks, not plastic ones from cheap wine bottles.

As far as accessories go, there are some things that aren’t as effective as they may seem. In fact, it could be the other way around.

What Accessories Should You Avoid? 

I’ve seen a lot of claims about using certain accessories to add to the grip of the recliner’s feet, and I can’t help but correct this.

When searching for useful accessories on how to keep recliner from sliding on the carpet, try to avoid using the following:

Leg Caps

Leg caps are like covers for furniture, and while you may think they’re as effective as rubber pads, they are not.

Commonly, leg caps do not have a wide area underneath them to stop the force from being applied – they can easily slide off when pressure and force is greater than their capacity.

Felt Bottom Cups

They look cute and fashionable, yes, but they wouldn’t be able to help you with your dilemma.

Felt bottom cups do not possess the adhesive and stickiness you want to be looking for with stoppers.

Their purpose is to cover the legs and, to make it fashionable, not stop the force from allowing furniture to move.

Plastic Cups

This is quite a no-brainer – plastic cups are non-sturdy types of material that can instantly get crushed with force and impact.

In no way are they fit to hold recliners. Recliners typically weigh about 350 pounds – plastic cups will be crushed.

FAQs

Wondering more about how you can put a stop to the sliding or slipping off your recliners? Here are a few of the most asked questions about it.

How Do You Lock a Recliner In Place?

Locking a recliner in place is different from making it not slide. Different recliners have different ways of being locked.

Therefore, you’ll need to know how to lock your specific recliner model to keep and establish it in place.

Usually, there’s a bar or a lever on the side of the recliner that you need to push or pull to lock it in.

Can You Stop a Recliner From Rocking?

You can put a stop to the rocking of your recliner by installing a wedge in the middle of the chair and the box. Use a wedge that wouldn’t ruin the recliner’s material.

Final Words

Learning how to stop a recliner from moving on carpet can be done using simple household staples.

If you moved into a new home and you do not have everything you need, don’t worry – they’ll be easy to find, anyways.

Keep your recliners from sliding or moving, and never worry about where they are or how they’re positioned again!