Types of Sled Base Chair Glides
When you have beautiful wood flooring, garden decking or super shine tiles, you want to ensure that your floors are protected and are not damaged by the chairs and chaise lounges that you put on them. We have all seen the damage that chairs can do to floors over the years.
To protect your flooring and furniture using glides is the way to go!
One type of such glide used on the bottom tubing of chaise lounges is the sled or stud glide. A sled base glide either slides onto or inserts into the tubing. Since it can be tricky to shop for these types of glides, let's give you a brief overview of what each type is:
Sled Base or Sled Runner Glides 
Sled base chair glides are rectangular glides that are drilled into the frame of the chair or lounge. They can be made from different materials like felt and plastic, but often they are made from plastic. They fit different sled diameters and come in different lengths to suit different chair frames.
The sled runner glides are tubes that simply snap around the base legs and protect floors from scratches and marks. The ones that come with felt are used for smooth, harder floors and aren’t recommended for use in kitchens, tiles or rougher floors. The plastic-based sled runner glides are better for these surfaces.
Stem Saddle or Stud Glides
Stem or stud glides fit holes in the underside of sled base legs. The can be used on all kinds of patio furniture. They usually measure ¼” in diameter. You simply push the sled base plastic stem glide into the hole and tap with a mallet or hammer. Stem-based glides come with felt covering options too, depending on your different floor types.
Fixing in place
Once you have placed your sled base glide onto the legs of your patio chair, you can secure them in place with a screw, should you need to. If you want to use stud or stem glides on your chairs but they don't have the ¼" holes, you could drill your own and then hammer the glides in with a mallet. Most patio furniture already features ¼” holes, however.
Sled Base Glides – the Importance
As you can see, there are several different types of sled base glides: plastic, plastic with felt, stud/stem and the latter with felt also. They come in a variety of sizes and to fit a range of furniture. Depending on your floor type, you will need a different sort of sled base glides. If you want to keep your floors in tip-top condition, it’s important to get this right so that both your floors and your chairs stand the test of time.