Have trouble with loud noises from your office chair? Do you feel embarrassed to sit on such a chair that would make noises? Working for long hours in your office and making such funny noises from your chair could leave you completely embarrassed. If your chair is making squeaky noises, it’s important to get it fixed. No- you don’t have to call a professional for this. Simple knowledge and a bit of help will get the job done for you. If you want to get it replaced right now, simply follow the steps mentioned below and get started!
Key Steps Of How To Fix Squeaky Office Chair
1. Check And Analyze Noise Source
Right before you start, it is always important to analyze and then go ahead with the solution. Treatment without proper diagnosis is of no use. This is why you will have to find the source of the noise. Then only, you can evaluate the problem.
Each of the office chairs or seats is practically assembled with a number of parts. However, they might gradually reduce the weight-bearing capacity because of this nature. This is why it is important to figure out which part has lost its initial capacity.
Some of the common parts of the chair could include screws and some other joints. If they get lose, you will find a squeaky noise always. To find the source, simply have a sit on the chair and then you can lean or swing in multiple directions to figure out the source. If you find rusty screws or nuts, make a note of them as well.
2. Grease The Rust Away
One of the most common causes of a squeaky office chair is rust. Rusty parts will create even more friction that might result in often nuisance voices.
There are certain sprays available in the market that allows you to remove rust. You can spray that well on the suspected area and if nothing is available, get your hands on some machine oil. Pour a few drops of that on the rusty part.
The main culprit of a squeaky office chair is the seat tension springs. However, fixing them can be quite easy. You can use a Teflon thread seal tape and attach and rub the springs together.
Another method to clean the rust from screws and bolts is to use a toothbrush or a ball of steel wool along with some vinegar. Now gently dip the brush or the steel wool into the vinegar and scrub the rusted area. This works better for metallic chairs.
In case, the work seems a lot for you and the rust is still there, you can definitely purchase new parts but that will cost you.
3. Inspect The Fastening of Screws, Bolts, & Nuts
Inspecting thoroughly will help you a lot if you figure out the source. The most common problems with the chair can be in the screws, nuts as well as bolts. It is very important to have a thorough look over here to figure out the problem. You can simply flip the chair over and then properly look underneath to find the source.
If you are unable to fix them, you can take the help of a wrench or a screwdriver. The goal is to tighten up every screw and find out if there are any loose fittings. When you have kept a note of the rusty nuts, you can bring them out and then replace them with new pieces as well. Go through the assembly instructions once again and try to figure out if you have missed something or not.
If you sit on them for long hours, these nuts with loose fittings might end up falling off the chair or may lose up even more resulting in such noises. It is very important that you go through every corner of the chair thoroughly for a detailed investigation.
4. Use Oil To Lubricate Rusty Bolts
Due to moisture, an office chair might get squeaky, especially if your office is in a humid area. In that case, a good solution will be to apply the oil directly to the nuts and bolts. It will prevent them from developing rust.
Furthermore, you can make use of an oil spray or you can rub the oil on a cloth and then apply it to the bolts and screws to loosen them. Spraying oil can be a bit messier than rubbing oil or any other lubricant on a piece of clean cloth.
Another option is to take help from your friend. Ask him/her to sit on the chair and then rock the chair back and forth to find out the source of the noise. Once you find out, then you can apply oil till the noise stops.
Although it might be difficult for you to oil the chair, you must remove the bolts and screws before applying. Quite often the squeaky noise can occur due to the wheel’s axles. People tend to overlook the wheels thinking the source of noise is from screws and bolts. Hence, it is a must to inspect the wheels.
Rustic springs can further cause squeaky noise. So, you must inspect and oil them as well. Try to find out lubricant that is waterproof and is effective even on the springs.
5. Apply Glue For Firmer Attachment
If you are wondering what to do to fix a squeaky office chair, then glue is a great product. But, you need to choose the glue for woods, otherwise, using ordinary glue will not do the work.
Wood glue is more effective if you are looking to join the limbs of a chair. Try to figure out where the weakness is and then apply glue to that area. Once you apply the glue correctly, leave it to rest for a few hours and then sit on the chair.
Giving the resting time will ensure that the glue dries up entirely and eventually will join the chair. This will not give you problems in the future. However, you need to keep in mind that glue will work only on a wooden chair and not a metallic one. If you are having a metallic chair, you might have to use a different method.
6. Apply Wood Swelling Liquid
Another better option than using glue is to apply the wood swelling liquid. Due to the shrinkage of the dowels, the legs might get loosened causing squeaking. You can do that by removing the limbs present and trying to access the dowels.
Once it is done, you should coat them with the wood swelling liquid. The next step would be to rejoin the legs. This basically acts like the glue by working as an adhesive but performs better than it.
7. Fix Springs & Replace Chair
As we mentioned earlier, the primary issue can be with the springs present in the chair. Apart from lubricating it, you might need to fix them entirely just by using a Teflon Thread Seal Tape.
While you lean on the chair, the spring might squeak. Then you should get access to the springs and you can get that by removing the screws or nails using a screwdriver and a nail remover.
Now that you have the access to the springs, you should attach the tape and then rub those together right between them. If you rub the tape, it will decrease the pressure between the springs which might be the reason for squeaking.
And if you have tried all the methods and nothing works out, then it is high time for you to replace the chair with a new one. Actually, it can be pretty difficult to deal with a squeaky chair. But nothing will hurt you more than spending your time and money on fixing the chair that stays squeaking.
Purchasing a new chair will be a more viable option if you want to save the pain of dealing with all these nuisances.
Final Talk
Greasing your chair might help you sometimes to get a proper chair setting and also allows you to get an improved sitting experience. But remember one thing that you must always keep the assembly and quick installation guide in hand. This is because different chairs have different installation procedures and also different accessories. It is important to have the installation done in the right way to avoid such noises in the future.
I am Ashley William, a writer and editor, who sits and work for a long period of time. I am obsessed about these researches and help others finding the perfect chair for each category according to the comfort and costs. I am aware of different kinds of health issues for sitting such a long time and I believe that a perfect choice of chair can make a great difference.