Stools with Wheels

If you have a breakfast area bar or a high table that stools would work best for, then you should look at buying stools with wheels on them.

I realize these aren't as popular as those without wheels but the convenience will far outweigh and qualms you should have about them.

We have wood floors in our breakfast area where the bar is located. We did have stools without wheels for a while. That is until I noticed that there were definite scratches starting to appear where the stools were pushed in a pulled out for use. Even laminate floors with their multi year guarantee can have the finish worn down with the constant shuffling of the stools into and out from the bar area. And that was all the incentive I needed to buy some stools with wheels.

When looking at bar stools you will obviously need to know the color and the style you would like. The next thing, and the one most people don't think about, is the height of the stool. Not all bar stools are the same height. There is no 'standard' like there is for kitchen chairs and tables. Stools are made in lots of styles too. Do you want backs or no backs? How about arms or no arms? Do you want the cushions to swivel or be fixed in place? Do you want the cushion covers to be removable (for washing) or permanently attached?

One of the most common places of wear on any type of stool is at the lower horizontal leg brace. This is where most people will place their feet when sitting on these stools. Metal braces will wear the best but since a lot of stools are made from wood, you may end up touching up the paint on the metal braces occasionally too.

When it comes to colors you must decide on the color of the stool along with the color of the cushion. Not all stools match both. Which can be great if you have a specific look you are going for. In my experience, if you find the perfect stool but don't like the cushion color, it is not that difficult to remove the cushion and recover them. More work but if you can end up with the perfect addition to the area, then it's probably worth it. If you don't sew then you can find stool cushions at just about every large department store, including the big box stores.

As a last point I will mention that if you expect the stools to get quite a bit of use then I would recommend metal. I know you will have more color choices with wood but metal will simply hold up a LOT better in the long run. I have tried painting metal stools but have never had much luck with the paint being as tough as I would like it. Too many times it tends to flake off and require some touch up. Factory painted stools usually have the paint finish baked on so it lasts a lot longer than wooden stools with wheels.

And since this is about stools with wheels, I will mention that if you ever buy wheeled stools you will not regret it. They are quieter to move in and out because they don't screech across the floor. They are a lot more gentle on the flooring and if you have an area rug then if you don't have wheels, then it will be just about impossible to move them. Plus, trying to scoot a stool across a rug or carpet will sometimes result in the stool getting caught and tipping over. Not a very safe situation. Not that I would ever recommend any type of stool be placed on carpet, but sometimes people do it.

Take your time, and be sure to double check the height of the stools with wheels just to be certain that they will fit exactly the way you want them to.