5 Tips for Fixing Your Office Chair

Office chairs have a hard life. They’re unloved essentials that keep you chained to your desk. But a good office chair can making make work better. Providing you with support, comfort, and helping you to avoid strains and aches. So, it pays to look after them. But do you know what to do if your office chair goes wrong?

Top Tips for Repairing Your Office Chair

How can you stop an office chair from wobbling?

More often than not, wobbling in an office chair is caused by the screws coming loose. Simply tightening all of the screws around your chair should help to create more tension and reduce wobbling. If this doesn’t work, check the chair adjustment mechanisms and tighten those. If your chair has castors, double check that they are all in the right position and unbroken. Occasionally, your castors may need to be replaced. It’s also worth looking at the feet of your chair, to make sure that there’s nothing stuck to them and creating an uneven position. What to do if your office chair keeps sinking Most of us aren’t aware of it, but the mechanism that keeps your office chair at the right height is called a gas lift. Overtime, gas lifts wear out, which means that your seat will sink. But there are a couple of ways to address this:

1. Buy a PVC pipe. If you are happy having your seat at a fixed height (which is fine, if you’re the only user), you can replace the gas lift with a PVC pipe. Simply measure your seat’s metal cylinder. Purchase a pipe of the appropriate length. Remove the seat base, and place the pipe over the cylinder. This should provide the support to keep your seat raised.

2. Use a hose clamp. Remove the plastic cover surrounding the metal cylinder for your chair, and adjust your seat to the correct height. Place the hose clamp around the top of the cylinder and tighten it. Again, this will leave your chair at a fixed height, unless you want to adjust the clamp every time.

3. Buy a new gas lift. This is the more expensive option, but it is also the most durable. Simply detach your seat, remove the existing gas lift and replace it with the new one.

How to repair a broken office chair base

This can be a little more complicated, because it depends on the type of office chair you have and how it’s broken. If the base of an office chair is cracked, you probably need to replace it (the base, not the entire chair). But it’s always a good idea to carry out a proper inspection. Because you may find that you just need to replace the castors or tighten the screws.

How can you stop an office chair from squeaking?

Ok, so squeaking isn’t really broken. But it can be really annoying! The good news is that it’s usually easily fixed. Once you’ve worked out where the squeak is coming from – the castors, gas lift, arms, reclining mechanism, swivel – you can simply apply lubricant to the affected area.

What can you do if the arm of your office chair has broken?

If your office chair arm appears to be stuck, you’ll often find that if you clean and lubricate it, you’ll be able to get it moving again. But if your chair arm has been damaged, cracked, or snapped, that’s more of a problem. Some manufacturers supply spare chair arms, so you may be able to simply order a replacement part. If they don’t, in most cases, you’ll need to buy a new chair.

A good office chair is a genuine investment. It can make work easier and safer, protecting your back and joints, to the point of reducing employee sick days. Knowing how to properly fix your office chairs can be a great way to extend their lifespan. But when you reach a time when your chair seems to be beyond repair, UK Office Furniture has a complete range of new ones to choose from.

View the full collection of office chairs from UK Office Furniture.