When using a standing desk at work or in your home, you may often find yourself having to stand on an unstable surface. Your office carpet is one example, but the weight of your computer and monitor can cause a whole new set of challenges.
In this article I will be going over how to stabilize a standing desk on carpet and potential solutions.
Table of Contents
How to stabilize standing desk on carpet
Fortunately, there are a few things that can help mitigate problems with instability on carpets and rugs. If none of these help, maybe you should try purchasing a different kind of standing desk.
Standing desk mats for home, office, workstation
A simple and convenient way to have a more stable foundation on your desk is to use a standing mat. A standing desk mat is just an inexpensive mat that rests under your desk’s stand, creating a flat surface for you leg’s weight to rest on. This makes standing at your desk easier. These are also highly useful for aid with less tiring tension in the legs of those who stand frequently.
Add stabilizing foundation
Add a flexible material in between the desk legs and the carpet. If you are using a standing mat in addition to a regular study surface, this can help stabilize your seated area when studying.
Desk risers
If you want to change the height of your desk or if someone taller than average is using it, then risers are an excellent way to do so. The great thing about risers is that they give extra height to the desk, but also help widen and greatly stabilize the footprint of it. They provide stability by spreading out the load to the floor.
Why do standing desks wobble
1. Loose bolts
One common cause of wobbling standing desks is loose hardware. Upsetting the assembly of your desk during manufacturing or normal daily motion from your body can cause irritating wobbles from loose hardware. Using loctite on screws used to keep the leg at the right height can help make sure it doesn’t come loose and you can also use a wrench or power drill to fix these annoying rumbles.
2. Too many moving parts
Too many moving parts on a standing desk can create complications and makes it unstable. As bolt and bolt holes are added, this condition gets worse. Not using an extensible cross support increases fragility further.
3. No traditional cross support
The lack of standard cross supports has been one of the most prominent causes for wobbling standing desks which have declined in use recently. One widespread misconception is that a cross support will obstruct leg clearance when sitting which is only true for very tall users or T-shaped bases, but not at all times.
Standing desks without a standard cross support are inherently unstable. Instead, an extendable cross frame runs right underneath the desktop. It will be close enough to the floor to provide sufficient stability when the desk is at its lowest point. The cross frame’s distance from the floor increases as the desk rises. The desk will naturally sway or wobble after a certain distance, regardless of the column quality. These concerns may affect your work.
4. Lack of a wedge system
If you do not have a cross-support for your desk, check whether or not your desk has a column that ends into the frame. The upper cross-support meets the column at this point. In our tests, these are the only desks that worked well without cross support. They lessen wobbling below 45” and help counteract it.
5. Glides that don’t fit properly
Some desks have a risk of being too easy to slide out from behind. The glides in the columns serve two main objectives: to fill the natural gap between the uprights and smooth out the columns.
Because metal components can vary in size, multiple sized slides are needed to ensure that there is a good fit. Glides must be properly installed by professionals using training that allows them to find the right “feel” when installing them.
Steel usually has more stiffness than aluminum, which can lead to problems. Some desks are made of steel because it is cheaper, but this inconsistency across frames can cause some adjustment difficulties. A professional technician may know the difference between tight and loose enough, which will ensure proper base firmness with less chances of binding happening as result.
6. Glides only on one end of column
The most common glides used in standing desks are found at the intersections of your frame columns; brands that can’t provide both features you’ll need to choose between height range and glides.
The most popular form has slides on the top and bottom of columns to raise and lower them. The natural space between the steel or aluminum columns is eliminated. The disadvantage is that one of the gliding systems (or both if you have a two-stage frame) will rub against the column paint. In some cases, this rubbing will produce scratches on the columns over time.
The second concept uses just one side of the column. With that said, slides will not rub against the lovely paint ever again! Less paint rubs means less aging marks, unfortunately it doesn’t provide much desk stability. The one-sided design affects stability in all positions including seated. Being able to move in any direction allows for flexibility in how your work area is set up.
Most common problems with Standing Desks
If you’re looking for a standing desk, there are certain things that you should think about. This section post will explore the most common problems with some of the most popular standing desks.
Can be uncomfortable at the beginning
You don’t realize how much of a toll standing for prolonged periods can take on your back, legs and feet until you make a change from sitting to standing. You may experience discomfort and fatigue as your body adjusts to the change.
Many people stopped using their standing desks
Due to the commitment and some possible discomforts of switching to a standing desk, many people who make the switch abolish it and go back to their sit-down workstations after a month. Studies performed by Alvin Hedge at Cornell University show that the use of sit-stand workstations rapidly declines after about a month and most users abandon their stand up desks.
Not as versatile
A standard-height standing desk is not versatile due to the limited height options that are offered. An ergonomic workstation should fit varying individuals based on their height. A standard-height standing desk could be problematic for shared work areas because one display may end up being too low or high for others in that workspace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is recommended that if you are using a standing desk, be sure it adjusts to different heights.
A standard-height standing desk is not very versatile because it does not offer a lot of height variations. You should choose an ergonomic workstation that fits different heights so everyone has the right height.
