Wheels on office chairs make it easier and faster to move around the workspace. However, eventually, these wheels stop working as they should, necessitating replacement or the purchase of a new chair. as you’d imagine, damaged casters are not just uncomfortable to the user, but they could damage your floor, or potentially cause accidents at the workplace. The majority of chairs have replaceable casters, which is good news. The procedure is also not as difficult as you might imagine. We confidently say this because this is one of the things we do at Office Furniture Warehouse
Why Is The Chair You Use At Work Important?
You could easily spend three-quarters of an eight-hour workday sitting in your office chair. On days when you have no appointments outside of the office, it’s likely that there will be more. It’s not good for you to sit for that long, and it’s even worse if you don’t have a comfortable office chair.
Bad Chair Can Impact Posture
You know that your posture affects things like bone structure and muscle density, and if you’re sitting in a chair that is properly balanced, it should also help you maintain good posture for your neck and back. A great chair will probably be beneficial to you, but a bad chair will likely have significant negative effects as well. The stability or balance of your chair frequently has a negative impact on your posture. Your body won’t be stable enough to maintain good posture if your chair’s casters are shaky, which will cause long-term pain and damage.
Damage The Floor & The Chair Itself
With a poor chair, your office’s interior may also be harmed. Your flooring may be under more stress if your chair’s casters are damaged. It’s possible for this to harm everything from hardwood to carpet. Also possible is chair-related damage. The likelihood of the chair falling apart or breaking can increase due to poor casting, which can change the design and construction of the chair. The chair is much more expensive to replace than the casters, so it’s preferable to be proactive and make small fixes now rather than waiting for a pricey replacement later that requires a lot more work and stress.
Signs You Should Replace Your Chair Wheels
Fortunately, most chair manufacturers are aware that chair casters deteriorate over time and frequently offer chairs with additional wheels. Some vehicles don’t come with extra wheels, but it’s simple to find wheels that fit in local shops or even online. However, it is not advisable to simply replace your chair’s wheels. Here are some indicators that it’s time to change the casters on your seat.
- The existing caster wheels have served long enough and can’t handle more pressure
- The caster wheels are leaving scratches on the floor when you move around in your chair
- The rolling of your office chair is not as smooth as it used to be
- The casters are producing squeaks and disturbing noises whenever you move the chair
- If your casters are plastic, you might want to change them for a rubber material quality
- The chair wheels are not moving at all because they are tangled with dirt or got rusty
How Do You Change The Wheels On A Desk Chair?
Follow these steps to change the swivel chair wheels on your office chair:
Step 1: Remove Office Chair Wheels
Your office chair’s wheels can be taken off with ease and with little effort. Most of the time, no tools are even necessary. You will only remove one caster wheel in this step in order to determine its size and type.
Office chair wheels typically have what is known as a “grip ring stem” (95%) and are the majority of office chairs. This kind of stem is a metal cylinder with a split ring in the form of a “C” near the top. The stem is locked into the chair base’s socket thanks to the grip ring’s ability to contract and expand.
Therefore, all it usually takes to get rid of this kind of caster is a strong pull. Please get in touch with us if you discover that your office chair has a stem that isn’t common (threaded, fixed, or welded), and we’ll be happy to offer you some recommendations.
Office chair should be turned sideways.
In order to access the caster wheels, carefully flip your office chair onto its side. Lay office chair on its side so you have access to the chair wheels
Pull out chair wheel (hands, gloves, towel)
Grab one chair wheel firmly and pull away from the chair base. The caster should be freed from the socket after this. Try using a glove or an old towel if you are having trouble gripping the caster. If the chair wheel won’t turn, you might have a different stem type (fixed/welded or threaded). Get advice from us by getting in touch.
If stuck, pry chair wheel with screwdriver
Use a wide flat blade screwdriver to help pry the caster out of the chair base socket if you believe you may have a grip ring stem but it is simply very stuck. If you are still having trouble removing the chair wheel, apply some WD-40 or similar lubricate to the caster stem, let it sit for a few hours and try again.Use a flat blade screwdriver to pry the chair wheel from the socket
Step 2: Verify Caster Type And Size
You can check the type and size of the stem after removing one caster wheel from the base of the office chair. Keep in mind that the wheel and stem sizes used by 95% of office chairs are the same.
Verify stem type
To determine the type of caster stem on your chair, use the images below. The grip ring stem is the most common stem found on office chair wheels. Please read this article for more information if you have one of the other types. To replace chair wheels, it is essential to identify the type of stem.
Measure stem size
Calculate the grip ring stem’s diameter and length. They are most likely 7/16″ in diameter and 7/8″ in length. The picture below shows calipers to measure, but you can simply use a ruler or tape measure.Measure grip ring stem using calipers or tape measure
Step 3: Select New Replacement Chair Wheels
There are actually better options available, despite the fact that every office chair you’ve ever bought has always included the same black plastic dual wheel casters. With a higher-quality caster, many of the issues you encounter with these wheels can be resolved. For the majority of uses, a heavy-duty single wheel caster that is secure on all surfaces is the best all-purpose chair wheel.
When choosing new chair wheels, the following are the main qualities to consider:
- Safe for all floor types, including hardwood, laminate, tile, etc.)
- Steel frame for a high weight capacity, 500+ lb
- Ball bearings in swivel and wheel for smooth rolling
- Quiet rolling and swivel movement
- Durable materials for years of repeated use
- Product that is backed by a warranty
How about if your office has plush, thick carpeting? This is a difficult question because chair wheels were never actually intended to function well on thick carpet. Therefore, there isn’t a caster that is ideal for this kind of floor. To find a heavy duty caster with the largest possible wheel diameter is your best option. A caster with a 3″ wheel diameter will move through thick carpet a little bit more easily than one with a 2″ wheel diameter. Finally, for increased mobility, you might think about using a plastic floor mat. This is the only case that we’d recommend using a chair mat. Chair mats are harmful and unnecessary in any application other than plush carpet.
Check out this article for a more thorough breakdown of chair caster wheel types.
Check out our rollerblade office chair wheels if you want to skip the research and analysis. They have long been regarded as the best all-purpose caster for office chairs.
Step 4: Remove Remaining Chair Wheels
Utilizing the technique outlined in step 1, take off all of the old wheels after receiving your new set of casters.
Using the technique described in step 1, remove the remaining worn-out plastic chair wheels.
Step 5: Install Your New Wheels
By fully inserting the caster stem into the chair base socket, you can install the new chair wheels. The final step in replacing chair wheels is to follow this procedure, which applies to grip rings with standard stems.
Install new office chair wheels
If you are having trouble inserting the stem, it may be because the stem’s size is incompatible with the chair base. The grip ring on the stem’s top may be to blame for this. After being inserted into the chair base, the wheel is held in place by this ring, which is designed to be compressed. Consequently, if the stem enters the socket hole but stops at the grip ring, try the following:
- Lightly apply a lubricant jelly or some WD-40 directly to the grip ring
- Compress the grip ring with some pliers
Conclusion
You can get a chair that will elevate your work by following these simple steps. There are a number of websites where you can go and find forums and question and answer threads that deal with how to replace your chair casters if you’re having problems or questions about it. You might not even need to start a new thread because it’s likely that several people have encountered the caster replacement you’re using in a manner similar to yours. On the website, you might already have the response.
Due to their frequent use in offices, office supplies and furniture are in high demand. Your office manager or boss is probably preoccupied with other issues, so they might not have time to deal with your chair’s casters being out of balance or broken. Your stress over chair caster problems will be reduced by reading this article on “How To Replace Office Chair Casters,” which also enables you to solve the issue yourself. Smart office furniture is made to last a long time and be sturdy, but some older pieces can deteriorate much more quickly, so it’s important to keep up with maintenance before things worsen.
Future office chair caster replacements and maintenance should be no problem for you. In the worst case scenario, refer back to this article for guidance on how to get the experience you want with your office ergonomic chair. Remember, be careful during these repairs, and you’ll be back at the desk taking care of business in no time
