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How to repair an office chair with your own hands: step-by-step instruction for repair

Modern office chairs are used both in offices and at home, and like any furniture, these devices, sooner or later, need repair. I offer an overview of the most common breakdowns and simple instructions to eliminate them.

Types of office chairs

Damage and breakdowns office furniture, as well as the complexity of the repair, are determined design features and operating features of a particular model. Available for sale a wide range of office chairs. What to choose taking into account the comfort of use, service life and subsequent maintainability?

Illustrations	Varieties and their descriptions
	Chairs for visitors. These are non-rotating models assembled on the basis of a metal frame. Seats and backs can be hard or soft. Soft models have foam filling and fabric or leatherette upholstery.
	Computer chairs (for staff). These are compact swivel models with a seat mounted on a roller base. The design uses rollers for soft or hard surfaces. This furniture provides seat height adjustment and backrest tilt adjustment.
	Executive chairs. In fact, this is also computer chair, but with additional width and height of the backrest. The executive chairs use a rocking function with locking capabilities. Of course, there is the possibility of adjusting the seat height and tilt. Almost all executive chairs are soft and the upholstery is made of high-quality fabrics, leatherette or genuine leather.

Advantages and disadvantages:

• Models for visitors are distinguished by such qualities as reliability, low cost and high maintainability. Despite the low level of comfort, such furniture is a good choice for equipping an office or home office under the condition of short-term work.
• Models for staff distinguishes comfort and functionality of use. But, due to the additional functionality, the design becomes more complicated, and therefore such chairs are more difficult to repair compared to the previous version, where there is simply nothing to break.
• Models for managers- this means even more comfort, useful and not so useful functions and even more luxury in decoration. All these advantages come at the cost of complex repairs.

Design features

The design of a simple model for visitors uses the following details:

• Tubular welded metal frame.
• Plastic or plywood seat and back.
• Fasteners for attaching the backrest and seat to the frame.

Foam rubber is glued over the seat and back and the upholstery is stretched.

More complex modifications of chairs are characterized by increased functionality, which is achieved through the use of a number of structural elements, such as:

• A cross with roller pairs allows you to roll relatively safely and comfortably on a flat floor.
• Gas lift is a mechanism responsible for changing the height of the seat.
• Mechanisms for changing the backrest and seat tilt.
• Mechanisms that block the seat rocking function.

Common breakdowns

Since the design of chairs for visitors is simple and there is nothing to break, we will focus on the most common breakdowns of functional chairs.

• Damage to the cross. The cross itself is a durable monolithic part that is difficult to break under normal use. More often, decorative plastic linings in the crosspiece break or wear out.
• Damage to rollers. In most chairs, if used incorrectly, the rollers crumble and break.
• Destruction of the swing mechanism. If the chair is used incorrectly, the locking mechanism in the swing mechanism stops working and it becomes simply unsafe to swing back.
• Air chuck failure. This is the most common failure, in which the compression in the pneumatic cartridge weakens and the rod with the attached seat falls down.

Causes of breakdowns

The causes of breakdowns are of two types, namely, non-compliance with operating rules and natural wear of parts. Let's take a closer look at the most common damage.

Illustrations	Damage and description
	Crosspiece failures. The main reason is the impact and, as a result, the appearance of cracks in the decorative plastic linings. Due to the fact that feet are placed on the crosspiece, the inexpensive plastic of the pads quickly becomes covered with abrasions. On completely plastic crosses, due to heavy load, one or more beams break off right at the rod mount.
	Rollers. There are two types of rollers: hard for soft coverings and soft for hard surfaces. Most chairs are equipped by default with rollers for soft surfaces, which roll over tiles or parquet over time and begin to crumble and break. Also, due to heavy load, the roller rod may break off, as shown in the photo.
	Rocking mechanism. This unit fails due to excessive loads ( heavy weight rider and intense rocking). The cheaper the chair you buy, the more likely it is that it is designed for light loads.
	Gas lift. The reason for the seat sagging lies in low compression, which in turn appears as a result of depressurization of the internal volume of the cartridge.

Self-repair - as far as possible

Almost any breakdown from the previously listed list can be repaired without going to a workshop. Moreover, to eliminate the listed problems, there will be enough tools that are probably available in any home workshop. Let's look at ways to troubleshoot the most common office chair problems.

Illustrations	Damage and remedies
	Cross. If the cross pads are broken, simply dismantle the broken part and try gluing or soldering it along the crack line. To hide the scuffs of the plastic covers, sand the entire crosspiece with sandpaper to a uniformly matte surface. If part of the all-plastic cross is broken, the structure can be bolted together through a through hole drilled in the rod. However, such a repair will not provide sufficient reliability, and therefore it is advisable to replace the crosspiece at the first opportunity.
	Rollers. If the wheel crumbles, the only thing the right way repair - its replacement. According to the type of fastening, there are two types of rollers: pressed into seats and models with a threaded rod. If the chair is Chinese, the roller rod is most likely pressed in. To remove the roller, place a chisel or other narrow metal plate into the slot at the base of the rod and pick out the part. In place of the removed roller, insert a part with the same rod.
	Rocking mechanism. If this unit is damaged, it is replaced as an assembly. You can find a replacement for a damaged part on the market or in online advertisements for the sale of chairs and spare parts for them. The mechanism is attached to the seat with four bolts. After the bolts are unscrewed, all that remains is to knock the faulty mechanism off the rod and press a new part in its place.
	Gas lift. Failure of this structural element is eliminated by complete replacement of the part or restoration repair. Since such damage is not uncommon, let’s look at it in more detail.

How to remove a gas lift for repairs

In order to repair or change the gas cartridge, you need to get to it and this can be done in three ways.

How to separate the cross?

Here, too, you can’t do without a hammer. We turn the assembly over with the cross up and knock out the gas cartridge by striking the protrusion shown in the photo with a hammer.

The easiest way is to buy a new part and install it in place of the damaged element. After the replacement is completed, the entire structure is assembled in the reverse order.

Gas cartridge repair

Disassembly.

Remove the rubber gasket - limiter

Repair. Once you've finished disassembling, you can replace or at least clean rubber gasket, which due to wear does not fit tightly to the glass. At this point, you can replace the cage bearing. If the chair crunches when turning, the problem is precisely this part.

Reverse process (assembly). Assembling the gas lift is carried out like disassembling, but in the reverse order.

A simple and cheap way to repair a gas lift

Despite the fact that the proposed method is simple and cheap, it is effective. Of course, such the method will work, if only you use the chair and no one will try to change the height to suit their dimensions.

Let's sum it up

Now you know what types of damage are typical for office chairs and you can fix these damages. The video will reveal some of the nuances, and if you have questions during the repair work, ask them in the comments to the article.

October 18, 2018

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, or ask the author something - add a comment or say thank you!

A modern office chair is a functional and comfortable piece of furniture, equipped with a rather complex mechanism that sooner or later fails. In such a situation, there are three options for the development of events: purchase a new one, take it to a specialized workshop, or repair the office chair yourself.

As practice has shown, it is quite possible to carry out such work on your own. The only thing that is required from the master is strict adherence to the sequence of actions and implementation of the instructions that will be given in this publication.

Today, there are three types of chairs on the office furniture market:

1. For the manager
   Such a piece of furniture usually has maximum capabilities: a five-beam steel cross; synchronization mechanism (a device that forces the seat and backrest to repeat the movements of the owner); mechanisms for adjusting backrest resistance, seat depth, negative tilt, etc.
2. For staff
   Furniture of this type has more modest characteristics and functionality. Most varieties have light weight(providing high mobility), is equipped with mechanisms for adjusting the height of the seat, armrests, and backrest angle.
3. For visitors
   Office chairs of this modification are simply beautiful, stable and comfortable furniture devoid of all functionality. Often they do not even have a rotation mechanism and are produced on four legs, instead of one supporting leg with a cross on wheels.

Design features

Despite the variability of designs and functional content, almost all chairs consist of one set of elements:

• Five-pointed cross(base). This part is made of metal or plastic. The first option is better quality and more expensive
• Rollers. Just like the crosspiece, the wheels can be made of metal or plastic. However, the mount and internal hinge of any roller are metal
• Pneumatic cartridge(gas elevator). The part serves as the leg of the chair and is responsible for its “elasticity”
• Rocking mechanism contributes to the axial deviation of the chair and its fixation in one position. On expensive models a mechanism with an offset axis is installed, ensuring the smoothest swing possible
• Piastra. This element is a metal platform with a lever. Serves to change the height of the seat relative to the cross
• Permanent contact– an element that connects the backrest to the seat and is responsible for changes in its position

Most office chair models have armrests. In cheap models, these elements are made of plastic; in more expensive ones - made of anodized or stainless steel.

Common breakdowns

As noted above, an office chair is quite complex device and any of its structural elements may fail.

Damage to the cross

The problem with this element may be destruction at the junction of the beams. The material from which the cross is made is important here.

As a rule, the base is a hollow structure into which you can insert a suitable size and cross-section polypropylene pipe. It, in turn, must be rigidly fixed to the base and the damaged beam.

Plastic parts cannot be spliced ​​using glue or a soldering iron. due to heavy loads on the paws. There is no point in restoring the integrity of this element. The best option will complete replacement damaged structure onto a glass-filled polyamide base.

In order to dismantle the crosspiece of an office chair, you need:

1. Remove rollers. As a rule, they do not have a rigid fixation and are quite simply removed from the mounting sockets. To illustrate the process, it is recommended to watch the video:
   

2. Dismantle the piastra. Fastening to the seat is done “on a cone”. Disconnection from the gas elevator is carried out by tapping on the attachment point. The right process disassembly of an office chair is shown in the video:
   

3. Remove the retaining clip, located in the recess of the upper part of the hydraulic elevator.
4. Knock out the gas lift for repair or replacement of the five-beam.
   

   Note! In case of critical damage or destruction, it is impossible to knock the gas elevator out of the base. In this case, you should remove the working cylinder with the seal and bearing from the “glass”.

   The process technology and dismantling device are shown in the video:
   

Destruction of the swing mechanism

If the chair does not hold the “horizon”, then the problem is most likely in the destruction of the swing mechanism.

Fastening to the seat is done with four screws using a shaped screwdriver. The element is dismantled as follows:

1. The bolts that secure the rocking mechanism from the seat are unscrewed
2. The gas lift is knocked out of the device mount.

This element is made of metal.

You can independently solve the problem of a collapsed device by completely replacing it (recommended) or using a welding machine.

It should be noted that most chairs originating from the Middle Kingdom are not suitable for domestic spare parts. This concerns, first of all, the swing mechanisms (size discrepancy).

• Chinese mechanisms: 200 x 200 mm.
• Domestic: 200 x 150 mm.

In order not to re-drill holes when replacing an element, we suggest using adapter plates. How it looks assembled can be seen in the figure below.

Air chuck failure

The pneumatic cartridge of the chair is a two-chamber structure filled with air. When you press the adjustment lever, the valve stops the flow of air between the chambers.

If, when pressing on the valve, the gas lift rod does not extend, it means that the integrity of the piston, seal, etc. is compromised.

It is important to know! Gas lift cannot be disassembled. If damaged, a complete replacement of the element is required

The dismantling process is described above. To clarify the process, watch the video about replacing the gas cartridge on office chairs:

Enough common cause Gas lift failure is a bend in the adjustment lever, which does not allow pressing on the cartridge valve. IN in this case Repairs can be easily carried out independently: you need to bend the lever to its original state.

Video: Repairing the permanent contact of the chair

If the contact is loose and the back does not “hold”, you will need to seal the connection. How to do this, watch the video:

As a conclusion

As can be seen from the above, almost all work to restore the functionality of an office chair consists of replacing failed elements. In most cases, any “armed” man can perform such work. Finding the parts needed for replacement is quite simple: all components can be purchased in specialized stores or from companies that sell office furniture. To complete the picture, we recommend watching a video about repairing office chairs with your own hands:

Most Russians in home interior often use an office chair or computer chair. Convenience of this subject ensures the complexity of its design. If some mechanism fails, our compatriots will need to repair an office chair with their own hands, video instructions for which can be found on the Internet.

You should understand that you can buy cheap office furniture in Moscow in many stores. However, if for a company such costs pay off quickly enough, and it is ready to replace a broken chair for its employee, then for the ordinary population such costs turn out to be unaffordable. For this reason, Russians prefer to repair their office chairs.

The complexity of repair work depends on the breakdown or damage. If the covering is damaged, a leather chair will require reupholstery. Some cases may even require welding of the elements of this item. Sometimes the owner will have to purchase a new spare part for the chair. In any case, the cost of repairing a broken product yourself is significantly less than having a technician come to your home or buying a new chair.

Before starting repair work, experts recommend studying the design of the office chair. This can be done on the Rio-Furniture website or other specialized resources. The main thing in this process is to observe the sequence of actions and accuracy when performing various operations. Having studied the schematic structure of any chair, our compatriots will understand the principle of its assembly and will be able to repair almost any product.

The main components in office chairs are:

• crosspiece;
• metal platform with height adjustment lever;
• pneumatic cartridge;
• armrests;
• back angle adjuster;
• rollers (wheels);
• back.

All elements are attached to each other using screws, so to perform repair work you will need a regular and Phillips screwdriver.

The air chuck most often breaks, so it is important to learn how to repair an office chair gas lift with your own hands. Structurally, this element is a two-valve system with air inside. If the office chair does not change its height, the air chuck should be replaced.

Rollers also often need to be replaced. However, experts recommend changing all the wheels at once so as not to disturb the horizontal level. If the crosspiece needs to be changed, the chair owner may even consider upgrading the existing product, turning it into a more comfortable piece of furniture.

Whatever part of the office chair fails, the element necessary for replacement is easy to find in stores that sell office furniture. Repair work will not take much time, but the restored chair will last longer long time. It is only important to select the correct spare parts for the chair model so that you do not have to drill additional holes.

As a rule, the question of how to disassemble an office chair arises in situations of transporting furniture or when repairs are necessary. How to do this easily and quickly? Here are recommendations that will help you cope with this difficult task yourself.

Let's start the disassembly process

Before you begin disassembling the chair, follow these steps:

• position the chair so that its back rests against the wall;
• stand facing the chair;
• rest your feet on the base;
• take the armrests in your hands.

Start rocking the chair left and right and at the same time pull up on the armrests. Don't forget about insurance - when sudden movement When separating the chair's structural elements, you may fall. If you do everything correctly, such results are possible.

1. The seat of the chair was completely disconnected from the gas elevator.

2. The gas lift (also called a pneumatic chuck) has separated from the crosspiece, but is still in the swing mechanism.

In the first case, you should turn the cross so that the gas lift is directed downward. Keep the chair itself suspended, approximately 20-30 cm from the floor. Take a hammer and tap it on the edge of the gas elevator. If you are unable to reach the edge, use a metal tube or chisel. Try not to overdo it with the applied efforts, because inside the elevator, in its very center, there is a fastening bracket. It is very sensitive to shock, so it can be accidentally damaged.

What to do if the air chuck is stuck

But how to disassemble an office chair if it was not possible to remove the gas elevator from the swing mechanism? Position the chair with the lift facing down. Use rubber hammer in order to strike with medium force on the upper area protruding from the mechanism. It is not recommended to use a regular hammer - there is a risk of breaking the plastic and damaging the gas elevator. When impacting, direct the forces downwards, so you will gradually loosen the gas lift - and it will begin to come out of the swinging mechanism.

You can use another method. Place the office chair with the air chuck pointing upward. Hit the place where it enters the seat part (it is usually made of metal). All subsequent blows should be applied to a new place, otherwise there is a risk of jamming the mechanism. Do not forget that the entire procedure is carried out under a canopy, and the chair should be held by the thin part of the gas elevator. Do not hold on to the thick part - you may accidentally destroy the air chuck, as a result of which you will not be able to pull all its steps out of the seat.

If the gas lift was separated from the chair, you have done most of the work. Now remove the wheels from the cross. If the metal pin gets stuck in the crosspiece (and this is possible when removing the wheels), remove it using pliers and then reinsert it into the wheel. If it is necessary to replace the swing mechanism, unscrew the four screws holding it in place.

Before starting repairs, familiarize yourself with the mechanism and follow the recommendations. Then you will not have any problems with how to assemble or disassemble an office chair.

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The article is intended for those who have encountered a situation related to the need for urgent repair of office chairs. How to carry out some operations yourself and solve the problem on our own V short time- that is the purpose of the article.

Not all problems can be solved independent decision. There are also breakdowns that, without the presence of special devices and the experience of real professionals cannot be solved.

However, there is a fairly large list of damage to such chairs, the most common ones, which you can easily fix with your own hands.

Repair of office chairs and computer chairs

As you all know, the design of the chair includes a gas lift, the task of which is to adjust its height. This element most often fails. Upholstery - common problem due to abrasions, mechanical damage, greasy stains that are difficult to clean, yes, needless to say, cigarette burns are also a scourge for our offices, because it is no secret that in many employees prefer to smoke in the workplace, even if there is a strict ban superiors.

Having its own service life, a chair, like any thing active use, sooner or later will require drastic measures to solve problems associated with daily stress. If the frame itself is made in such a way that its service life is quite long, then it is the existing mechanisms, moving elements and the upholstery itself that after some time fail and require repair or replacement.

We often face important question- what is better, to repair office chairs that have begun to show problems in use, have lost their appearance or buy a new one? Everyone needs to decide this question on their own. If the damage to your chair can be easily and cheaply repaired, then does it make sense to spend a significant amount on a new purchase? In addition, situations may be different - lack of free finances for this moment time, or an urgent need to put such a chair into use. I propose to consider the cheapest and most affordable damage to repair yourself.

High-risk elements in office chairs

In order to know which direction to take on the repair, what tools will be required for this, and to what extent it will be possible to do it without a specialist, I advise all owners of office furniture to first understand the very design of this type of furniture. This is important to get an idea of ​​what can most often fail in it.

The highest risk elements include:

• rollers, very often destroyed;
• bursting crosses;
• topgun, demonstrating the lack of full functionality;
• gas lift, which no longer locks in the selected position.

For repairs you will need the following tools:

• Phillips and slotted screwdrivers;
• mallet with a rubber nozzle;
• hexagons of different sizes.

In addition, I advise you to get advice about commercially available components for this species armchairs. This will help save time so as not to have to reassemble a failed unit, which costs a penny and will be quite easy to replace.

The crosspiece of the chairs can be made of plastic or made of metal.

Its main diameters are 580, 600 and 680 mm. If it is plastic, then exceeding the load on it by more than 100 kg is simply unacceptable. Violation of this condition is the main cause of damage to the crosspiece. Metal can withstand weight up to 120 kg.

Gas lifts are also different.

Personally, I have come across two main types, with increased and small travel (this option is most often used in executive chairs).

Video with instructions for replacing the gas lift below

Rollers are a problem in flooring.

Since they are made of plastic, rubber and even made of semi-soft material, before purchasing a chair you need to decide on the covering of the office floor. With its hard surface, which has protrusions, cracks, and unevenness, plastic rollers will not last long. If available flooring in the form of parquet or laminate, then you need to worry about the condition of the coating and use chairs with semi-soft casters. Their axis is mainly 10 and 11 mm.

Video on changing wheels below

Each chair has the ability to adjust the tilt of its back, which is permanently responsible, almost never requiring repair or replacement, which also applies to the FDA element, which presses the back to the person sitting on the chair. Personally, I have not encountered any breakdowns of these mechanisms.

The chairs can be equipped with a mechanism that allows the chair to swing, called a topgan.

It can be short or long. It probably breaks even more often than the rollers.

Video on replacing the top gun

Do-it-yourself repair of accessible damage

What makes these chairs convenient is that they are very easy to disassemble. Before starting repairs, I advise you to prepare a container where you can put small fastening parts or components of failed mechanisms. I removed the rollers from the cross very easily, and the 4 bolts securing the topgun to the seat required some effort from me to carefully unscrew them. Because of long-term use, they are often misaligned, which can affect the ease of twisting, which can damage their splines. In order to remove it from the gas lift, I had to use a mallet, which I struck along the perimeter, which allowed me to disassemble this structure. By the way, the damaged crosspiece required me to use a hammer to remove it. I also came across a situation where, apart from the leg, nothing could help remove the cracked crosspiece. The gas lift is removed from the body or from the cross itself.

The best way to carry out high-quality and quick repairs of office chairs with your own hands is to use my instructions.

1. Before starting the repair, I turn the chair upside down, having first found a surface on which it is convenient to place the seat.
2. I take a Phillips screwdriver and carefully unscrew the 4 screws that secure the seat to the height adjustment mechanism, called a piastr, and remove the seat itself. It is important not to lose the screws.
3. The piastra requires me to tap it to get it off the gas lift. It doesn't work any other way. This must be done carefully, as there are plastic elements, which are easy to damage. And if there were problems with the piaster, which is determined before disassembling the chair, it must be purchased in advance and the faulty one must be replaced at this point. And I carried out the assembly process exactly, observing the reverse order.
4. If it is necessary to replace the crosspiece, I remove the broken element and remove the wheels from the mounting sockets. In the center of the cross you can see a ring with 5 notches. It secures the plastic casing on top. Need a screwdriver. I use it to pick up the ring, move the edges of the casing, move it and remove it from the ledge. This work will be required to remove the five existing covers.
5. The steel case has special plugs that must be removed. Only new ones are inserted into the crosspiece. Next comes the reverse assembly process, following the entire sequence. Upon completion - test. I sit on a chair and perform the usual evolutions on it.

Naturally, not all elements can be repaired so easily. I described exactly those damages that can be eliminated personally. Rest possible breakdowns chairs will require the participation of specialists. This may require special tools, and materials that are simply impossible to purchase on sale.

If you need an experienced specialist, then our website - best guide and assistant. This is a new absolutely free site for conveniently searching for repairmen and companies. Choose the master that suits you yourself by going to the appropriate section, or simply send your application, indicating the type necessary work and the area where you live and you will be contacted shortly.