Disassembling a computer chair with your own hands, design features

Chairs on wheels are very practical, comfortable furniture that is popular not only in office spaces. All this thanks to the stylish modern design, convenience and maneuverability. Due to the high mobility of the wheels, you can easily move short distances without even getting up from your chair. What can we say about official office chair racing competitions... But, sooner or later, the parts become unusable. And here there are already two options - replace the wheels with new ones or clean them yourself. As for cleaning, it is not that difficult, and you can deal with damage that has occurred due to accumulated debris without outside help.

Design Features

All chairs designed for working at a computer have the same design, regardless of the brand and model. Some parts of the product can be removed and replaced with new ones to eliminate breakdowns. Experts recommend choosing furniture from domestic manufacturers so that there are no difficulties in selecting spare parts. The structural elements of a computer chair are listed in the table.

Part name	Function
Seat	The main element of the chair.
Back	Support for the spine. The tilt angle can be adjusted.
Armrests	Provide a comfortable hand position while working.
Cross with rollers	The supporting element on which the frame of the product is supported. Casters help you move furniture silently and easily.
Gas lift (pneumatic cartridge)	Shock absorber and height adjuster.
Rocking mechanism	Fixing the product in the optimal position for work.

To understand how to properly disassemble an office chair, you need to know which elements can be detached. Removable parts are armrests (for some models), rollers on the cross and gas lift. The upholstery and filling of the seat and backrest can be changed, but this type of repair requires special equipment and is difficult to do at home. The frame of the product can be monolithic or consisting of separate parts fastened together with metal plates. In the second case, the components can be separated independently in the event of a malfunction.

Computer chair

Structural elements

Computer chair design

Removing Specific Stains

There are many ways to combat different types of stains on furniture. Some of them are accompanied by a pungent odor, so the room should be well ventilated immediately.

List of the most common stains and methods for eliminating them:

The chewing gum must be pre-frozen, for which ice is used. Then it is removed with a hard object. The contaminated area is wiped with diluted ammonia.
You can get rid of alcohol stains using a soap solution. The specific smell of the drink will disappear if the fabric is cleaned with table vinegar.
Traces of juice or berries are removed with a mixture of ammonia and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. Old dirt is pre-moistened.
Before removing the fat, talcum powder or salt is sprinkled on it and left to soak. The product is washed off with soapy water and the surface is wiped with a damp cloth.
Traces of blood are treated with vinegar solution. If the stain is old, then ice is applied to it, as is the case with chewing gum. Then the dirty area is washed with soapy water.
Traces of urine from upholstered furniture are moistened with a 9% vinegar solution and allowed to soak into the stain. The area is cleaned with soap, and its remnants are washed off. It is useful to clean a light-colored product with citric acid mixed with water in a ratio of 1:10.
Wax stains can be broken off or removed with a knife if the stain has hardened. The remaining substance is treated with an iron through a cotton cloth. The wax will melt, and its traces will remain on the material.

It would be useful to periodically ventilate the furniture in the fresh air. This is especially true for upholstery contaminated with a substance with an unpleasant odor. Regular cleaning and prevention of contamination will allow you to keep the product fresh.

Difficulty in disassembling

If the computer chair has not been disassembled for a long time, the parts may become tightly connected to each other. To do this, you can lubricate them a little with oil or use electronic devices for unwinding.

Disassembling office furniture alone is not very convenient, and therefore requires the help of an insurer. Small office chair parts can get stuck and may require additional tools to remove them. When using these tools, you must follow safety precautions; carelessness can lead to injury.

What difficulties can you encounter?

When removing the right armrest, you may find it difficult to unscrew the short rear mounting screw. This is due to the fact that access to it is blocked by the gas lift valve lever. For easy access to the screw, lift and hold the lever with your free hand.
Sometimes you may face the problem of removing the air chuck.
A metal pin gets stuck in the crosspiece, this happens when removing wheels. You can remove it using pliers.

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Manufacturers

The main companies in Russia producing chairs are:

CHAIRMAN. The organization presents a large assortment of chairs for both home and office. The company is constantly improving its products depending on user needs. The chairs have been tested by many people.
"BUREAUCRAT". The company also has a large number of different chairs. You can choose exactly the model that suits the characteristics of the user.
"METTA." Chairs from this manufacturer have a fairly low price. The products are also distinguished by their metal base, due to which the strength of the chairs is high.

Tips for use

An office chair, especially a refurbished one, is a rather fragile and vulnerable structure. During operation, it is recommended to strictly adhere to the instructions. If you ignore existing rules, the shelf life of the product will be significantly reduced. To ensure that your office furniture lasts a long time, you need to keep the following points in mind:

It is not recommended to use chairs in rooms with high air humidity.
If furniture is brought into an office or apartment from the cold, you cannot immediately begin assembly, because fragile plastic parts are very sensitive to temperature changes. It is better to start installation at least a day later.
Do not put pressure on the bolts during assembly, otherwise the nut may fall under the upholstery and you will have to dismantle the seat in search of a fastener.
Do not exceed the permissible load on the rollers and crosspiece.

Two people cannot sit on the chair, otherwise the base of the product may break. For heavy-weight employees, it is recommended to choose chairs with a metal cross: it is stronger and more reliable than plastic ones. It is strictly forbidden to fall onto the seat.

You should be aware of the fragility of the armrests. Under no circumstances should you sit on them. Experts recommend tightening all fastening bolts once a quarter so that they do not become loose over time. You should not use the seat to transport heavy objects, as this will quickly deteriorate the upholstery and damage the mechanisms. You cannot carry a chair on the floor if it is covered with tiles: when the rollers get into the joints between its fragments, this leads to rapid wear.

The fabric of computer chairs is quite vulnerable to external influences. The seat and backrest should be vacuumed weekly to prevent dust from accumulating on them. In case of stubborn stains, you can use only the products recommended in the operating instructions. It is strictly forbidden to use traditional methods.

Children should not be allowed to play on an office chair for fun. This quickly wears out the rollers and the crosspiece, and it also reduces the service life of the swing mechanism.

In order for the chair to serve for a long time and not break, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the operating requirements. If the warranty on a piece of furniture has already expired, you can carry out simple repair work yourself. The success of the repair depends on the complexity of the breakdown, as well as on the quality of the spare parts chosen to fix the problem.

Operating rules

Varieties by material

The following materials can be used as coating:

Genuine Leather.
Faux leather.
Mesh material.
Textile.

Of course, a leather cover will cost an order of magnitude more than others, but the quality will also be higher and the chair will be more wear-resistant. Basically, the leather covering provides rest. However, the office option makes the place comfortable, but not intended for relaxation. The advantages of a leather chair cover can be highlighted:

High strength eliminates the risk of abrasions and tears.
Ease of care for the material. Leather coverings do not require frequent cleaning and rarely become dirty.
Softness and warmth. It is these qualities that provide comfort to the user.
Leather is resistant to low temperatures, so there is no risk of the material cracking.

Faux leather is actually a great substitute and budget option. This material is almost no different from its original and has all the same properties as natural material. Therefore, do not underestimate chairs covered with artificial leather.

The mesh material will provide the user with additional ventilation. The backs of chairs are mainly made from this material. However, the seat can also be produced with such a covering. It is worth paying attention to the mesh material, as it is hygienic due to ventilation.

Fabric chairs are budget furniture, so they are suitable for people who cannot afford leather. The fabric makes the chairs soft and does not absorb odors.

Design features of an office chair

Before you get started, you need to understand the basic design features of chairs for sitting at a personal computer. There are several parts that are often installed in such chairs.

Five-pointed cross

Many people overlook this design component because it is located at the bottom. The crosspiece is considered one of the main parts of the chair, since it is responsible for stability. If it is of poor quality, the furniture will quickly break. When choosing the diameter of the cross, future loads should be taken into account. Experts advise choosing models with a diagonal of 60-65 centimeters, as they are the most reliable and durable.

Rollers

Special wheels are installed on the five-spoke crosspiece, thanks to which you can move the chair on a flat floor surface. Casters are also considered the most important part of furniture, since they bear a considerable load. They are made from various materials, but the most common are polyurethane, polypropylene or nylon.

If the chair will be installed on a parquet or laminate flooring, it is better to choose a chair with polyurethane wheels.

Pneumatic cartridge

Every modern office chair is equipped with a special gas cartridge. This part is made in the form of a small metal cylinder, which is filled with an inert gaseous substance. The main purpose of the pneumatic chuck is to regulate the height of the seat. This detail is also needed to make it more convenient to use office furniture. The pneumatic cartridge is located between the seat and the five-beam cross with wheels.

Rocking mechanism

Most models of chairs are equipped with an adjustment mechanism, with which a person can personally adjust the angle of the seat and backrest. The swing mechanism is also used to adjust the rigidity of the furniture and fix it in different positions. Expensive furniture is equipped with special synchronous mechanisms that automatically adjust the level of inclination when a person sits down at the computer.

Piastra

It's no secret that any office chair can be adjusted in height. The piastra is responsible for adjusting the height. This is a metal device mounted on the inner surface of the seat. The piastra is equipped with a special lever that acts on the pneumatic cartridge valve. This mechanism is widespread and is installed in both expensive and budget models of office chairs.

Permanent contact

Chairs that are equipped with permanent contact are suitable for people who have to spend a lot of time sitting at a personal computer. The properties of such a mechanism include the following:

height adjustment of the backrest;
seat depth adjustment;
hardness adjustment;
tilting the backrest forward or backward to prevent stiffening of the spinal discs.

Some types of permanent contacts allow you to fix the backrest in a certain position so that it does not constantly move.

Required Tools

Before you begin disassembling the product, you need to prepare all the necessary tools. Any home craftsman has them. To dismantle the chair parts you will need:

screwdriver;
hammer;
chisel;
pliers.

If you need to replace the gas lift, you can add technical grease and a bolt with a minimum diameter of 10 mm (or a little more) to this list. Instead of a screwdriver, it is more convenient to use a screwdriver. Having unscrewed the fasteners, you need to immediately put all the fasteners in a box or tin can, since the loss of even one bolt will deprive the repair of any meaning.

Statistics say that the most common breakdowns of office furniture are caused by gas lift failure. This part wears out most often because it bears the main load.

Technical lubricant is needed to make the parts move away from each other more easily. If the chair has served for many years and has never been disassembled, the fastenings gradually become tighter, and then it is very difficult to separate them. Upon completion of the repair, remove greasy oil marks with a soft cloth (for example, a piece of flannel).

If the crosspiece is made of plastic, if a malfunction occurs, it is recommended to replace it with a new one. New rollers are usually installed at the metal base. Experts say that crosspieces made of high-strength aircraft aluminum are least susceptible to wear. However, they are found only in expensive models.

Before you disassemble your old office chair, you need to purchase some parts. Spare parts to be replaced are purchased from office furniture stores. There is also usually a wide range of consumables available.

Tools

Accessories

How to disassemble a chair wheel to clean it

Typically, the design of chairs on wheels does not differ from each other. You don't need any special tool or special skills to remove them. All moving elements are attached to special grooves that are drilled in the crosspiece. The parsing mechanism is as follows:

Pull the wheel a little and pull it out of the hole in the crosspiece of the chair;
separate the roller itself from the protective plastic;
If the plugs are broken or worn out, they will have to be replaced with new ones.

Now you can start cleaning the wheels. If they are heavily soiled, remove as much accumulated debris as possible. You can use scissors or a knife, but you need to act very carefully so as not to scratch the wheel itself. Some owners have found a more effective way - a sewing tool for steaming seams or needle-nose pliers. They themselves are quite narrow, which helps to reach the most inaccessible places in the wheel structure.

Once all the twisted debris has been removed, you can additionally vacuum the wheels to remove as much dust and small hair as possible, and only then proceed to washing.

Washing chair wheels does not mean anything unusual. It is enough to wash them in soapy water, rinse and dry well.

There is one very important point in this whole process: before sending the rollers into place and assembling the entire structure as a whole, all parts must be dried very well. Otherwise, mold, mildew and even rust may form from excess moisture.

Instructions for disassembling a computer chair on wheels

To make it more convenient to work, a computer chair must be placed on a table or stool. First you will need to remove the retaining device - permanent contact and the backrest itself. Next you will need to remove the armrests.

To do this, you need to turn the chair over so that the crosspiece faces up, then unscrew the three fastening screws on each side of the armrest using a Phillips screwdriver. A pair of short screws that secure the handle to the piaster, and a longer one that attaches to the seat. Place the unscrewed parts in a box so they don’t get lost, and put the bushings in there too. After removing the armrests, put them aside so as not to interfere.

Attention: When assembling the chair, the bushing must be installed with the larger diameter down.

If the armrests are not unscrewed, they will not allow the casing to open the approach to the main fastenings of the piastrum and the seat.

How to disassemble an office chair on wheels? The next step is to remove the four small screws that hold the casing of the piaster and the chair together. To obtain maximum space in the piastra casing, press the gas lift lever until it opens.

In this case, you should lift and rotate the casing, changing the angle of inclination, which will allow you to alternately open access to all four screws securing the piastres and the seat.

Having removed the piastrum, you need to check its suitability, look at its supporting shelves, it is required that they are in the same plane and not bent. A serviceable part has a noticeable certain angle, the upper plane of the piastrum, tilting back relative to the gas lift sleeve. If the angle is too large or the support shelves are not in the plane, then this indicates a malfunction.

This means it will require replacement with a new one. Of course, you can try to level the piastre using a hammer, but for this it is advisable to have a working sample on hand.

Important: Very frequent operations to raise and lower the seat can lead to premature wear of parts and mechanisms.

How to disassemble a chair before replacing it

In order to replace the roller wheels or simply clean them of debris, you need to remove them. Anyone can cope with this simple task without the help of a specialist.

ATTENTION! Before removing the rollers, it is recommended to drop lubricant into the place where they are attached. This will make your job easier!

How to repair a gas cartridge with your own hands

First, the washer is removed from the bottom of the gas cartridge, after which the plastic casing is removed. Then the upper bearing with the rubber gasket is unscrewed. Having disassembled the product, carefully inspect the gasket. If it is worn out, it will have to be replaced. Sometimes, when sitting on a chair, a characteristic cracking sound is heard, indicating a bearing failure. In this case, it will have to be changed along with the rubberized gasket.

Product requirements

When choosing a model of a future chair, you need to focus on the permissible load that it can withstand. The fisherman’s build must correspond to the dimensions of the product. You can, for example, make a seat from a folding canvas chair, shorten its legs and, if necessary, sew a soft cape. In this case, you should definitely take into account the maximum permissible weight for which the product is designed. Even if you convert an ordinary chair into a boat seat, you should not exceed the maximum load. The simplest folding products can withstand only 60 kg, but most models are designed to weigh up to 90-120 kg.

For fishermen who are not satisfied with the first option, it is better to make a chair from scratch. The frame should be made stronger and more rigid using chipboard or boards. The method of making such a seat is not complicated if you first understand the instructions and take into account possible errors.

The fisherman’s build must correspond to the dimensions of the product

Consider the method of securing the chair

Step-by-step instruction

Now that all the necessary tools are prepared, you can get down to business. How to disassemble a computer chair:

First you need to turn the chair over so that the legs are at the top. In this position, it will be much more convenient to work with the chair.
Now you need to disassemble the armrests, if any. They are usually attached to both the seat and the back using bolts. They need to be unscrewed and the armrests removed.
Now you need to remove the connecting part between the seat and the backrest. This is done by unscrewing the bolts that secure it. After removal, the back and seat are divided into two parts.
The next step is to remove the pipe on which the entire structure is installed. This is done by knocking it out with a rubber hammer.
Now you need to figure out how to disassemble the wheel from a computer chair. It is necessary to unscrew the bolts that secure the part. This is done with a wrench corresponding to the size of the nut securing the wheel. It is best to do this with the base disassembled to make it more convenient.

How to remove wheels

After examining the possible problems, you can begin to fix the problem. Guide on how to remove a wheel from an office chair:

turn the chair over and place it on a stable surface;
try to detach the roller from the chair by hand;
if necessary, pry up the casing with a slotted screwdriver, move it to the side, hook the wheel and pull it out.

Sometimes just disassembling the wheels is not enough. To transport or replace main parts, the chair must be completely disassembled. It can be done in several stages:

the chair turns over, using a Phillips screwdriver, the bolts connecting the seat and the piastra, a device that adjusts the height of the chair, are unscrewed;
the armrests are removed - the mounting bolts are removed;
the gas lift is disconnected from the piastra by gently tapping the piastra with a rubber hammer;
the backrest is removed from the chair - the special bolts connecting the backrest and seat are unscrewed;
The crosspiece is removed - a ring drift is placed between the crosspiece and the gas lift and knocked out with a hammer.

Assembling a chair is more difficult than disassembling it. After removing the wheels from your office chair, you need to carefully pack all the parts so that not a single part gets lost.

In what cases is it necessary

Before studying the question of how to remove a wheel from a computer chair, you need to find out the nature of the malfunction. Roller failures come in several forms:

the wheel stops rotating;
scratches the floor surface;
falls out of the mount.

The reasons why the casters on an office chair are damaged can be different:

contamination - dust, dirt, threads, hair, falling on the wheel, clog it, interfere with proper functioning, which leads to premature wear;
heavy weight - constant loads contribute to breakage of small parts, fasteners, including the wheel;
mechanical damage – careless use often leads to malfunctions;
unevenness on the floor - due to prolonged use of the chair in such conditions, the socket becomes loose;
wear and tear – the lifespan of a computer chair is limited; over time, parts wear out and require replacement;
manufacturing defects.

Read more: Replacing the stove on a Prior with air conditioning

Regularly cleaning them from dirt and foreign objects will help prolong the life of your wheels. Thanks to such procedures, the rollers will be able to move freely without feeling any obstacles. Replacing broken parts is always easier and cheaper than buying a new chair - they are available and easy to install.

For carpeted floors, it is recommended to choose a chair with smooth wheels; for slippery surfaces, it is advisable to use rubberized casters.

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How and why do wheels break?

Computer chair wheels, although durable, still have some weaknesses.

The rollers, unlike the entire structure, are holders of the main weight, which rests on the entire product. Even ordinary dust can reduce their service life by clogging moving parts.

They can break and fall off for various reasons, but the main ones are:

uneven surfaces on which they drive;
exceeding the permissible weight for one product;
mechanical damage;
upon expiration of service life.

Naturally, it is not advisable to purchase a new chair just because of one caster, especially if a person is already accustomed to his workplace. And then the desire arises: I’ll take it apart and change these wheels myself! The main thing is to know how to remove the wheels from an office chair and then attach new ones.

Video

Why do wheels sometimes break?

Of course, the two main reasons why wheelchairs on wheels break are a manufacturing defect or a worn-out landing pin. But this only applies to those cases when the chair is quite new and is even under warranty. But if the furniture began to work poorly after some time, then the first reason for such a breakdown is contamination inside the wheel structure. This includes dust, debris, hair, animal hair, and even carpet lint. They clog moving parts, thereby reducing the service life of components.

Naturally, the first thing you will notice is the inability to remove the wheel from the chair and clean it from the inside. Some structures are truly permanent, so they will have to be completely replaced. If the furniture can be disassembled, then even a teenager can handle cleaning the wheels.