Office chairs play a critical role in our daily lives in the office and also at home. We spend hours sitting in them, working at our desks or computers.
If our chairs are not comfortable or properly designed, it can lead to a host of problems – from back pain to poor posture. So we prefer Ergonomic chairs that allow flexible movement of the back, feet, and other body parts.
One of the essential features of good ergonomic chairs is their casters or wheels. A good chair allows more body movement and chair casters play a vital role in the easy movement of the chairs.
Apart from movement, chair casters give more flexibility in terms of maneuverability to reach different corners of the cubicle.
In simple terms, Chair casters are designed to make it easier to move your chair around, and good casters can also help reduce the amount of wear and tear on your floor.
But casters can break due to excessive wear & tear, and body pressure. If you are struggling through broken casters and wondering how to replace office chair casters then this post is just for you.
In this post, we will describe how to replace office chair casters in a step-by-step guide. Our guide explains each step with pictures so that you can follow them along at your home or office.
Why Do Office Chair Casters Break Or Get Damaged?
If your chair casters are getting damaged frequently then you must know the reasons why they get damaged.
The most common reason for office chair casters breaking or getting damaged is due to wear and tear. Over the course of time chair casters can become worn down from all the use, which can eventually lead to them breaking.
The second reason for the damage is due to excessive movement of the chair, which can cause the casters to become loose or break.
If your office chair casters are frequently breaking or getting damaged, there are a few things you can do to help prolong their life.
First, try to avoid moving the chair too much on hard surfaces or uneven floors, as this can put extra wear and tear on the casters.
Second, There are 5 casters in each office chair and if any of the casters are starting to show signs of wear, replace them with new ones. This will help ensure that other casters in the office chair stay in good condition. As the pressure of one broken caster is transferred to other casters and it puts unnecessary strain on them. So replacing the broken casters will keep them durable for a longer period.
Guide to Replace Office Chair Casters
Step-1
The first step is to inspect all casters so f your office chair. Check how many casters are broken and do they all need replacement. The most common places where these casters get damaged are the hinges or joints.
Check the picture shown above, these are the common areas where casters mostly get damaged. It is the place where the pin of the leg is attached to the caster.
If you see the image closely the caster screws are detached completely from the screw heads.
Step-2
Check the type of caster attached to the chair. Normally there are two types of chair casters based on their head/stem (the Head or the stem is the part where the casters get attached to the chair)
- Push and Pull Type– A push-pull type caster is where you pull the old ones and push the new casters. It’s very easy to install and takes very less time. They don’t require any specific tool for the installation, You can install them with bare hands only.
- Casters with a Screw or Threaded Head– These types of casters are screwed to the leg of the chair. These types of casters require tools like a wrench or spanner to unscrew the old or broken ones and then tighten the new ones.
The next thing to check is the diameter of the head of the screw of old casters. This is critical while ordering or buying new ones. Measure the diameter of the old caster’s threaded head and use this as a reference while ordering.
Step-3
Once all the broken casters and the type of casters are identified, it is time to check your favorite retailer for ordering new casters. You can also purchase from the store directly. While ordering just check the diameter of the screw should match the old casters.
While ordering new ones you can check for new features in your casters like
- Casters with Rollerblade Feature
- Fit for Carpet and Hardwood floor
- Heavy-Duty Casters
- Gaming Chair Casters
There are many other features also which can be considered while buying new office chair casters.
Step-4
The next step is to flip your chair upside down. Now take a spanner, in this case, we have used a 12-13 spanner that fits the head of the old screw perfectly.
Now use the spanner to remove the old screw head of the caster from the chair leg. As the casters are broken and completely detached from the screw heads no need to remove them separately.
Once all screws of the broken casters are removed from the chair legs, it is time to install new ones.
Step-5
The next step is to install the new caster to the leg. Push the new caster head as shown in the image and now take the spanner (used to remove the old caster) to tighten the caster heads. Repeat the same process for installing all the broken casters.
In case your casters are push and pull then installing them is really easy. Just pull the old or broken ones by hand and install the new ones by pushing them into the holes again. You don’t need any special tool like the spanner we used in this case for installation.
Conclusion
We hope this guide on how to replace office chair casters is useful to you. If you are not satisfied or want to add something then please write this in the comment. We will definitely include it in our next update. Thanks for reading.
