Relaxing in a chair and having a good conversation with loved ones removes the stress of a hectic day. On the other hand, sitting in an unbalanced shaky chair causes irritability. It can decrease your productivity and can cause injuries if you fall off it.
So, are you annoyed with your teetering chair? Is it causing you embarrassment in front of your guests? We will explain how to fix wobbly chair in easy DIY steps.
What Causes the Chair to Wobble?
According to a psychological study, sitting inconveniently in a wobbly chair may change people’s opinions about famous celebrity couples. It also applies to tilting or unsteady tables.
The unsteadiness of a chair may be caused by:
Manufacturing Fault
The most common reason behind a rocky wooden or metal chair is the unequal leg length. Loosen casters, screws, and bolts may be another reason.
Age of the chair
If your chair is old then it may become unsteady. With time the wooden joints may become loose. As the metal in the joints causes wear and tear in the wood because of the constant movement of the user.
Misuse
Sometimes factors like water, moisture, exposure to the sun, and improper handling may cause a chair to wobble. This is even true for high-end office chairs.
Easy Steps to Fix a Wobbly Office Chair
If you’ve ever sat in a wobbly chair, you know how frustrating it can be. You probably know how much of a pain it can be to get up from the chair when you’re tired or in need of a break.
Following are the basic steps in repairing a shaky office or computer chair:
Replace the Broken Wheels/Casters
Check if the wheels are even and of the same height. You’re trying to find out if any of the chairs are crooked, which might cause them to wobble. If one of the wheels is damaged, it needs to be replaced.
Examine and Fix the Seat
Inspect the seat plate for damage or scratches. If any part of it looks damaged, then the entire plate should be replaced. A high-quality and expensive chair doesn’t need such replacements. But you should keep spare seat replacements in your office.
The screws and bolts are placed at the top and bottom parts of the plate. You’ll need to take them out first before removing the old plate and replacing it with the new one.
Check for Missing Screws and Bolts
There are many screws in the seat pan, lift mechanism, and adjustment lever of your chair. Your chair might have a loose screw that fell off of it. Look for missing screws under your chair and fix them immediately.
Steps to Repair a Rocking Wooden Chair
It can be a real nuisance to have an unsteady piece of furniture, especially if it’s in a room where you spend a lot of time.
If you don’t do anything about the problem, the chair will continue to teeter and eventually collapse and might hurt someone. This section will teach you how to fix a wobbly wooden chair.
Disassemble the Chair
Take the chair apart, flip it over, and look at what’s underneath. Now remove the legs from the joints. Do it gently, try not to ruin it.
The wood joints between the legs and seat or the legs and rail might be loose.
Secure the Screws or Nails
After you’ve untightened the screws remove the legs from the seat. Make sure to secure the screws or nails for reassembly.
Mark the Joints and Seat Base
Label the base of the seat and the leg. This is important because it’ll help while you assemble it.
Scrape the Old glue
Your wooden chair will have old glue in its joints. So you should use sandpaper and a chisel to remove the solidified glue.
Apply Fresh Glue to Fix a Wobbly Chair
Use an artist’s paintbrush to apply wood glue to the joint. You’ve to fill in every corner of the wood joint for it to hold the chair steady.
Always get a carpenter’s glue. Don’t use polyurethane glues they are harsh on the wood.
Reassemble – Fix the Legs to the Seat
Before you fix the legs back, apply glue on the ends of the legs that will go inside the joint. Now place the legs back and now you should let them dry.
Use a rubber mallet to clamp the legs back into the seat and hold. Let it dry for up to an hour.
At last, flip the chair straight and put some heavy objects on it. Let it stay this way overnight. There you’ve your flawless chair. And that’s how you do it!
Things to Know Before you Fix Wobbly Chair
You won’t like to repeat the above process over and over again. To make sure the repair lasts for decades; keep in mind these factors:
- clean joints
- tightened or right-sized joints
- the right amount of glue
- appropriate clamp pressure
How Can You Strengthen Your Chair?
You can reinforce your chair in the following ways:
Use Hardwood Corner Blocks
Add them to the upper or lower part of the seat plate. If the chair design is appropriate, wood screwed under the seat will add great support.
Try Using Glides Under the Chair’s Legs
For your living room chairs, you can add glides to stop them from slipping and ease the stress they experience when sliding.
Be Proactive – Don’t Wait
Try to fix small problems in your furniture before they can get out of hand and unbearable. You can:
- tighten any loose bolts in your chair with a wrench
- If there are wood screws on the back of the chair, you can replace them with metal ones.
- apply quality glue to tighten the joints and prevent shaky movement.
These are simple reinforcements to maintain your seat without disassembling it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check for loose screws and tighten them. If it’s wood then reglue the legs.
Look for loose or damaged casters, broken seat plates, or any missing screws in the chair.
Use corner blocks, maintain your chair, and fix small issues before they get big.
5. What are the reasons behind a rocking chair?
It may be a manufacturing fault, misuse, or age that makes it wobbly.
Final Words
As the studies suggest, an uncomfortable and wobbly chair may affect your decision-making and mood. So. it’s better to solve the problem than to live with it!
It is not rocket science to fix wobbly chair. You should think of it as a fun project. Simply check for damage and the source of the problem. And use the appropriate tools and methods described in this post for a long-lasting fix.
