One of the great things about modern furniture is that it’s actually pretty freeing in terms of adding casters that compliment the existing design and greatly enhance mobility. The same cannot be said of antique furniture, which often has to be equipped with casters that feature special finishes, period-based designs, and other enhancements specifically for the older, more unique nature of antique pieces. Douglas Equipment is proud to offer customers in Miami and the greater South Florida are a wide array of casters that can be used to increase or enhance the mobility of modern furniture pieces. These casters are ideally suited for everything from medical equipment to stage pieces and home interior furnishings, each of which can benefit from different caster styles, materials, wheel designs, and more.
Because we’ve been in the caster business for more than half a century, the sales professionals at Douglas Equipment have the experience needed to make sure every customer gets a great deal on the perfect caster for their needs. Before opting for casters that coincide with modern designs, be sure to consider some of the most popular options that we currently sell to interested customers throughout the area.
Casters with Specialty Finishes
One of the best ways to enhance modern furniture with casters is to choose a caster that comes with a specialty finish. These finishes have been specially designed by the manufacturer to blend with the widest possible selection of home furnishings and modern furniture found in both office and medical environments. For this reason, customers are most likely to find options like brushed nickel or aluminum, copper finishes, silver finishes, and even gold options. Each finish is designed not only to match the furniture’s aesthetic, but also to maintain a consistent appearance even after it has been bumped, scuffed, or otherwise damaged due to regular wear.
In addition to great finishes, many of these casters come in both wheel and ball-style designs, making them as big or as low-profile as each customer requires. Casters of this nature are the perfect way to enhance the mobility of modern pieces, all without harming their original aesthetic or design appeal in the process. For this reason, they’re almost always the first request that today’s customers have when pairing greater mobility with a modern appearance.
Durable, Minimally Invasive Wheel Coatings
One of the key things to consider when shopping for casters that will be used with modern furniture is the weight of the furniture and how that weight might impact the floor during movement. Many pieces of furniture are actually quite heavy, including everything from traditional desks and sofas to things like hospital beds and more extensive office setups. In some cases, that means that a caster without the right protective coating on the outside of the wheel can actually do significant damage to the floor, harming precious materials and resulting in a significant headache for homeowners or business owners.
The single best way to make sure that this unfortunate event doesn’t happen is to opt for casters that have been coated in material like rubber or polyurethane. These materials act as tires for the casters, softening the impact of furniture weight and reducing the likelihood of extensive damage to the floor. They have the added benefit of providing protection in reverse, guarding against damage that might come as a result of uneven floors, dips in the floor boards, or other obstructions. When shopping for this kind of essential protection, consumers have a few materials worth considering:
– Rubber Coatings
Rubber coatings are perhaps the most common and pervasive within the broader caster industry. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is the sheer affordability of rubber during manufacturing and resale. Another key reason for rubber’s relative popularity is its ability to be applied to casters in a wide range of hardnesses and thicknesses. This allows consumers to buy a slightly different type of rubber coating based on their floor’s actual materials and their individual needs. Thinner rubber coatings are perfect for concrete and cement, while hardwood floors or those made from high-end stone will require a softer coating.
Rubber coatings have the added benefit of reducing shocks to the furniture on uneven surfaces, and they come with a built-in ability to reduce noise when the furniture is being moved. As a general rule, thicker casters will absorb more noise, but even thin casters can remove noise during furniture moves and they’re often more affordable as well.
– Polyurethane Coatings
Polyurethane coatings are the second-most popular caster coating, and they’re perfect for a wide variety of medical or industrial settings. These casters might also be good for some residential applications, especially when furniture is being used in a basement setting where concrete or vinyl floors are more likely to be used. Their relatively low cost, at least when compared to rubber alternatives, makes them attractive to consumers on a budget, while their durability makes them widely appealing across all consumer groups.
Polyurethane casters have the added bonus of coming in a number of thicknesses, colors, and design styles, making them broadly compatible with modern furniture designs. In many cases, these casters will be able to more effectively blend into the scenery than their rubber counterparts, which can be essential for those customers looking to increase furniture mobility without making the presence of casters widely known.
– Plastic Options
Plastic caster are perhaps most famous for being used with an increasingly large number of desk chairs. Their versatility and relatively low-profile design makes them a natural fit for today’s modern furniture. Once installed, these casters are truly out of sight and out of mind. Their use of high-quality plastic materials also means that these casters can come in a wide variety of colors and styles, able to blend in with black desk chairs or brighter colors that are becoming more commonplace in homes throughout the area.
Plastic casters should only be used with lighter equipment or chairs that will not carry a load above several hundred pounds. Because they’re still working with plastic materials, heavier weight will simply cause them to crack and require replacement. Despite this limitation, their popularity is continuing to grow and the quality of these casters is continuing to increase amid numerous innovation during manufacturing.
A Key Consideration: Brackets vs. Stems
All of the casters mentioned above have one thing in common: They’re available either with an integrated stem or with a bracket that attaches them to the piece of furniture that requires added mobility. Generally, this means that furniture owners will have to carefully examine their pieces to see whether or not pre-drilled holes exist for casters sold with stems.
In the case of medical and office furniture, manufacturers almost always integrate pre-drilled areas for casters in case the buyer wishes to add them. The exact stem measurement required will be noted in the instructions packaged with that piece of furniture.
For furniture that was sold outside of the medical or office supply chain, adding stem-based casters is generally a non-starter. In these cases, buyers will need to opt for a caster that comes with a small metal bracket in place of the more common metal stem. The bracket can be attached to the furniture using screws, with a process that takes no more than five minutes per caster in most cases.
Because today’s suppliers understand the value of aesthetic consistency, these casters are paired with brackets in the same finish as their wheels and housings. That makes them an easy addition to virtually any piece of furniture in the home, the office, or anywhere else. Buyers, of course, will need to measure their furniture’s perimeter areas to make sure that the wheel they buy can be properly attached without overhangs or stability risks.
Douglas Equipment Has A Great Selection of Furniture Casters
Whether the caster uses a wheel or a ball, a brushed metal finish or a gold-plated alternative, Douglas Equipment can help customers find the exact caster they need to give their furniture increased mobility without compromising its look and feel. For more than 50 years, we’ve been helping buyers all throughout Miami and South Florida find the products they need to enjoy an easier time at home, in the office, or in commercial facilities across the state. That commitment translates perfectly to those shopping for modern furniture casters and wheels.
Our inventory, designed to easily meet the expectations of even the most demanding business owners, can easily help today’s furniture shoppers find what they’re looking for in mere moments. Our sales team will be able to quickly match furniture weight, caster styles, and hardware requirements, with a finish and design that can be easily attached and conveniently used for years to come.
Contact Us Today to Get Started
To get started with our vast experience and extensive inventory of caster options, contact us by calling 800-451-0030. Alternatively, customers can reach us via our website, where a contact form will send an email directly to one of our professional representatives.
