July 25, 2012

Chair "Footies"

I have had many e-mailing me from Pinterest & Art With Mr. E ...."WHAT IS ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CHAIRS?!?!"  So the best way to answer all of you who've asked...a blog post!! 


Felt is the material I use.  The pre-cut rectangles of felt sold at Wal-Mart or your local craft store works, but make sure you find a sale!!  You can also purchase felt by the yard...and it tends to be a bit of a thicker quality(not sure why...just does?!?!).  You will need a good pair of scissors & a thick rubber band.


Cut the felt into thirds. 


Fold it over once.


Center on the bottom of your chair leg.


Tie rubber band around felt in the groove where the "foot" of the chair meets the leg of the chair.  Hmm..guess that would be its ankle?


Keep looping it...over and over..until you can't loop it anymore.


There ya go!  No more tennis balls!!!!  


Usually my "footies" will stay on the chairs the whole year long if I've tied them on tight enough.  On average I have to replace about 5 individual footies during the school year, but there have been years I've only replaced 1(now that isn't a whole chair worth...just one leg!!!!!)  I like them because I can match my color theme for the year with no problem!!  They keep your floors looking new...and keep the chair from making horrible sounds!  At times a piece of lead or crayon will get caught & mark up your floor.  If you can't remove it from the felt...just take it off and flip it inside out...brand new!!!  



76 comments:

  1. THANK YOU!!!! I'm on the 2nd floor of a building and I'm pretty sure the class below me hates me (obvious by their art class attendance). I never hear the "awful noise" but the teacher below me does. I hate those tennis balls because they always fall off!

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  2. Oh! I really like this. I have tennis balls on the bottoms of my chairs. They are really aging and getting gross.

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  3. This is awesome! Thanks for the idea! I can't afford tennis balls, so this is a great, economical alternative! :)

    Leslie
    Miss R's Room

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  4. Love this idea! So much easier to do than the tennis balls, plus I like how you can match your color scheme! Thanks for the post!

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  5. Thank you so much for this idea. I am tired of fighting with tennis balls to get them on, only for them to come off a little while later. Brilliant idea, and so simple!

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  6. Great idea! A picture is worth a thousand words! Have a good school year . Catherine

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  7. Do u prefer the singles or the ones by the yard? What difference is there on the floors?

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  8. Amy...I like the felt by the yard. It seems to be thicker for some reason?!??! I don't know why. So..thicker is better for the floor!

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    1. What are the dimensions for each strip then if you’re using felt by the yard?

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    2. So a standard piece you buy is about 9 by 12 (ish). So I'd say 4 inches wide 9 inches long....ish?? I free hand it..so I'm not for sure. You want to be able to fold the fabric over and still be able to rubber band it on.

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  9. Great idea! My BRILLIANT custodians removed and disposed of every single tennis ball from all of my desks and chairs this summer. Heartbroken, to say the least. I am definately going to do this felt idea. Cheap and durable! Thanks!

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  10. I like this idea... Especially for middle school where students would not be able to take them off and throw around the room like a tennis ball!

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    1. So true, I have a collection of escaped tennis balls under my desk and computer cart. It makes me crazy.

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  11. Great Idea! I'm "borrowing" your great idea!!

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  12. Love it! Totally going to the store to get some felt! Thanks for the brilliant idea!

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  13. I am having trouble getting mine to stay on even though I wrapped the rubber ands very tightly. Any suggestions?

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    1. I was trying to think of an alternative to rubber bands. Thanks, I am going to try zip ties.

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    2. I used the zip ties also and they worked great. I have heavy science tables and we do move them around so I put felt on the bottom of those as well. I put the circle furniture protectors from Lowes on 1st then the felt because of the weight.

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    3. Invest in a zip-tie "gun" if you plan on cutting the ends off. Cutting them with scissors or wire cutters will leave a dangerously sharp point.

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    4. Would this work on carpet too? I have heavy science tables and flat office carpet in my room

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  14. GENIUS! I love this idea! I can't wait to share. Thanks!

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  15. Thank you for sharing the idea, I threw out my tennis balls after they started getting thrown around the room by my ms kiddos. I am in a new room with a filthy floor that maintenance won't clean and the noise is terrible, I am using your idea next week!

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  16. OMG I am a custodian and starting my teaching career, I hate re-waxing the floors Im sharing this idea Thanks

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  17. J'adopte cette idée toute simple dans mon école de France !
    Votre idée va faire le tour du monde ?

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  18. Super Idea!!! Thanks for the tip :)

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  19. This is brilliant!!! I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog...I'm your newest follower!
    Pam
    http://mrspspecialties.blogspot.com/

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  20. Love it!!! I've been looking for a way to make my incredibly noisy chairs quiet. Thanks a million for the idea!

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  21. I tried this idea and most of the "footies" fell off within the week. Any ideas on how to get them to stay on?

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    1. Did you see the earlier reply about using zip ties? Those also come in amazing colors and I have found them at Dollar Stores.

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  22. What are the dimensions of each of the smaller rectangles that you cut?

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    1. That is a standard piece of felt from walmart...and I cut it into thirds.

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    2. I was curious about dimensions too. I just bought felt from Michael's. It was 9" x 12" So I think I'll cut it into 4" x 9" rectangles and then fold over. Each "square" will then be 4" x 4.5"

      In other words, hold the felt landscape (rather than portrait). Then cut vertically into three 4" x 9" strips and fold those in half.

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    3. I was wondering about the size too. Because if I buy felt by the yard, cutting it into thirds won't work!

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    4. Lyn...I've never measured a standard piece of felt, but I thought that at least gave a point of reference for ya. I'm guessing they are probably 8x11 or 9x12? So around 3 inches or so wide..and 8ish inches long..then you fold them. I'd cut around that size...then try it and see if it feels right. Because the feet on chairs can be different sizes differ.

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    5. How about using the standard single sheet of felt as a pattern for the by-the-yard felt!

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  23. What an excellent idea! I love the fact that color themes can be incorporated! Thanks for sharing! My floors were tiled this summer and I was trying to figure out something other than the tennis balls. Bingo!

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  24. The tennis balls keep falling off student chairs & desks. I'm going to try this! Thanks!

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  25. Hello, I am a custodian, and I spend my summers scubbing and waxing classroom floors. Floors which are chewed up by the bottoms of chairs. Aarrrgh!! Even the tennis balls leave marks on the floor. So thanks for the tip. I'll have to try it out.

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  26. We just went from carpet the last 10 years to tile this year so I figure I will try them before school starts. I love this site, I too am know only as Mr.E.

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  27. Can't wait to try this!

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  28. What would you say the dimensions of the felt you put around each chair leg are!?

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    1. It is 1/3 of a standard piece of felt you get at the craft store.

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    2. http://www.walmart.com/ip/THE-CHENILLE-KRAFT-COMPANY-Felt-Sheet-Pack-9-x12-Sheets-Assorted-Colors-12-per-Pack/19307862

      9"x12"

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  29. What would you say the dimensions of the felt you put around each chair leg are!?

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  30. This is so awesome! I was able to cut my felt into sixths, still get the fold over, and used small zip ties from the dollar store. Thanks for sharing!

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  31. I teach 6th grade and hate the noise of the chairs...and always worry about my tile. Does this make the desks slide around a lot? I guess if they are in rows are the rows more messed up than usual by the end of the day?

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  32. I have used a large coffee can to keep a group of desks together. Put the four desks 2x2...put the leg of each desk that in the middle in the coffee can to keep them "connected"...put felt on the bottom of the can...very quiet.

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    1. You can also zip tie the desk legs together.

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  33. Thank you thank you thank you! This is awesome! There is a company with this same idea selling pre-cut pieces of felt, but I'd rather Do it myself and save! :)

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    1. Really? THey should give me a cut of the money!?!?! :) ha ha I've been doin' this for 16 yrs now!!

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  34. I did this and used the zip ties. They are working great. I did have to replace one set because a student threw up on them, but other than that, magical! So much better than tennis balls!

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  35. Fo some reason, my chair feet seem to still be making noise. Any suggestions? Maybe my ergular craft felt is too thin...

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  36. I work w/ students w/ hearing impairments. Noise reduction and classroom acoustics are ALWAYS a concern. This is a wonderful idea. Thx! So glad I found this =)

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  37. This is a great idea. What size squares do you use?

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  38. Love this idea. I bought the felt by the yard and cut it using a rotary cutter. It was quick to cut enough felt pieces for 24 chairs. Yesterday I assembled them all....I found that the 1/4" x 3-1/2 " elastics that I bought at Staples wrapped around the foot four times..once in a while one would stretch to five times. They seem so secure! It felt great to throw away all those ratty tennis balls! Thanks for this idea.

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  39. I would think that you could also, if you were super dedicated, take them off and then wash them. Felt holds up pretty well to washing, might shrink though.

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  40. I used a teacup saucer as a template and secured with 6 inch zip ties. Voila - worked wonderfully!

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    1. OMG, forgive me...I meant I used a teacup (or mug would do)!

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  41. This is so awesome!Noise reduction and classroom acoustics are ALWAYS a concern.
    chair floor protector

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  42. I just want to make sure I'm reading this right. 1 square is going to cover 3 legs, right? So if I have 30 chairs, I need 40 of the 9x12 "squares"?

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    1. Yes...3 legs per square of felt. However...I tend to buy felt with a 40% off coupon by the yard. It seems like a thicker quality.

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  43. I've been using this idea of yours for three years and I love it more every year. Thank you so much!

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  44. Love this Idea! Just got new tiles and still not used to the noise. Can't wait to try this. I'm always moving desks around.

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  45. Why wait for a sale. Michael's gives a 15% discount to teachers. Just make sure you take your teacher id. 15% is not much, but it applies to all things you buy for school!

    Love the idea. Thank you.

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    1. Teacher discounts are also Jo-Ann's and AC Moore if in your area...

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  46. How many yards of felt would you buy to cover 25 chairs?

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    1. I would start with 2 yards. Depends on how you cut it.

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  47. I'm in a room with no carpet for the first time in several years - I didn't realize how much the noise would get to me. Definitely trying this. Thanks for the tip!

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  48. I do this, but with baby socks. I have so many parents even donate old baby socks. Since they can't walk yet, used ones are never worn out or grimy. Dollar store vary socks, liquidation stores, so many cheap sets.

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