If you have a squeaky chair, its noise-making trouble becomes a constant nuisance for you and the colleagues around you. Because, for every sneaky movement you make, the screeches and such stuff will send the alert.
Obviously, this is not entertaining! And perhaps, you’ve been thinking to dispose of it of late.
If I am thinking about what you were thinking, then, listen – you don’t need to buy a new chair. You can still fix the issue; I mean the squeaks.
The only important thing to do is to identify which points are making these sounds. Then, commit yourself to stop them for a comfortable, easy sitting on the chair.
In this article, I am going to show you step by step on how to fix a squeaky office chair.
How to Fix Squeaky Chair Springs.
Let’s start here, fixing the squeaky chair springs.
The first thing to be done, find which specific part of the chair spring is producing the rackets. It’s actually simple – do this by sitting or asking a friend to sit on the chair.
You will be paying very close attention to see where all the noise comes from. Once you identify, it’s time to eliminate the irritation.
Which means that you need to position this chair in the most convenient position to do the job. Therefore, have it turned upside down on the floor to access the area where you spotted the squeaks?
Now, the spring area should be applied with a lubricating spray. The oil needs to cover all the bolts and moving parts – so make sure that you apply effectively.
Also, you can rub the squeaky joints and points with suitable petroleum jelly or mineral oil. That is if the other method did have any lasting impact on the springs.
Ensure that you heat or warm the petroleum jelly or the mineral oil using a hairdryer. This helps to spread the substance through the springs which reduce squeaking.
Another alternative you can use is melting candle wax and then rub it around the wooden area on the springs. Then ask someone to sit on the chair (or do it yourself) and rock it to help the candle wax sink into the wood.
If trying the above ways doesn’t eliminate the squeaks completely, repeat the effort until the springs quieten. Always buy the lubricant for squeaky chair to combat this problem effectively.
For better results, you will need to make sure that whatever method you use to stop squeaks, do it regularly say every month.
How to Fix a Squeaky Wooden Chair.
1. Check the Loose Bolts, Screws and Tighten Them
As usual, first things first – you need to inspect or check for squeaks. If you observe carefully, you may notice that the noise is due to loose joints, loose screws, bad seams, nails, loose legs, etc.
Again, to be sure about these points, you will have to ask a second person to sit on the chair. You will be observing the areas where the squeaks are emanating.
Make sure you note every single part of the squeaks. So, tighten the loose bolts and screws in the legs of the chair, and the back.
You could also tighten the nails. And if need be, add more nails to ensure that the parts are perfectly riveted.
All this work should be done while the chair is positioned upside down.
2. Apply Wood Glue
The other method to use to help stop office chair squeaking is the application of glue. This isn’t the ordinary glue by the way.
This is specifically wood glue like this Glue Masters Thick Viscosity Adhesive for Woods and you can make its consistency thicker by adding wood filler inside which makes it even more effective.
So, ensure that you have located the points of weakness where the noise is coming from. At those points or joints, add some glue and give it some time to dry up.
When it dries up, the chair will be more stable and you won’t hear the squeaks anymore. Now, return the chair in its position.
How
3. Check and fix the Loose Legs
You need to find out if the legs are the problem. Most of the times it turns out to be so.
Because when the dowels shrink, the chair parts including the legs become very loose. And this problem cannot be fixed by merely applying glue.
Remove the legs from the chair completely to have access to the dowels.
Find a suitable wood-swelling liquid like this one and apply to the dowel. This would expand the dowel and ensures that it returns in its place to secure the chair.
Once you are done, put the legs back on.
How to Fix a Squeaky Metal Chair.
1. Start by Fixing the Screws, Nuts, and Bolts by
The problem of squeaking can even be more pronounced in metal chairs. And usually, the suspect points are loosened screws, bolts or nuts.
So make the effort to tighten them. Or, add some oil and grease to them as lack of a lubricant could yet be another big reason why the noise is so prominent.
The first step on how to fix a squeaky office chair begins with the ‘diagnosis’. And it’s not a surprise where these sounds are coming from – just the usual suspects in the bolts, nuts, and screws.
You know that these accessories can get loose as the chair is sat on over and again. Turn the chair and observe these parts.
Use a screwdriver to tighten the loose nuts and screws; even the ones that aren’t loose. Just make sure everything is tightened. You never know.
2. Apply Oil on the Screws, Nuts, and Bolts
Application of oil prevents rusting which comes about as a result of moisture. Try as much as possible not to let the metallic parts to come into contact with the moisture.
When you apply a lubricating oil on these parts, it helps loosen the joints. Apply the oil by simply spraying it directly on the chair mechanism.
The other way to apply the grease or oil is using a cotton cloth on which you can spray oil. Then rub the oil on those areas (nuts, and screws). This is advantageous as it gives you control over the application process and you can completely determine where exactly you want the oil to go.
Sometimes, things can persist even after the above process.
In cases like that, you are at liberty to try something else. What this means is that you can remove the screws, nuts, and bolts from the chair and oil or lubricate them before mounting them back.
Things may just improve especially if you have someone sit in the chair again and rock it a bit after you’ve assembled it back. This is extremely helpful.
You can easily locate the specific areas of the residual squeaks. And make the oil application precisely without having to waste too much of it in non-target areas.
Use the person sitting on the chair well. For example, ask them to swivel around, it will help you diagnose more points to work on.
3. Ensure the Springs in the Back of the Chair Are Fixed
The other thing you want to do is to make sure that you fix springs in the back. I have already talked about this detail above.
But just as an addition, I have heard people complain, “still my chair squeaks when I lean back”. Of course, it squeaks because there is too much pressure that leads the springs into rubbing on to each other and on the metal parts of the chair.
A simple hack to correct this is to take a Teflon tape and insert it in between the springs that keep rubbing together. But just keep in mind that you will have to remove any material in the way, the staples, nails or brads until you get to the springs.
You can also try applying oil in the springs. But, you can be sure this is just a short term remedy – you will have to do it regularly to be sure that the chair is not going to keep squeaking.
4. Check If the Wheels are Not the Source of the Noise
If you are having a squeaky desk chair, the first suspect, and it turns out that’s the source most of the times, are the wheels. This is because these wheels move almost every other time.
And therefore, it’s more than possible that their axles wear out fast and require to be oiled time and again.
To solve this problem, turn the chair upside down and spray the wheels. Return it in the correct position again and roll it to determine if the squeaks are still happening.
Spread the spray, which in this case is silicone spray such as this Permatex 80070 Lubricant around the whole wheel.
Conclusion
It happens that most people don’t care how they sit on a chair. But being gentle while you sit on a chair is a simple tip to keep your chair in good shape for a long time before you start getting worried about its maintenance.
Otherwise, the methods mentioned above are great ways on how to fix a squeaky office chair or perhaps any other chair that’s of that kind. They are pretty direct and you can comfortably undertake them.
You don’t need a new chair just yet.
