We all know that a good office chair is a must. They keep us comfy, productive, and healthy throughout the day. Here’s my story on “how to stop an office chair from rolling”
If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent hundreds of dollars on office chairs and just can’t stand the thought of spending even more money on them.
I was in the market for a new office chair and decided to try out the chair I found online. Within 10 minutes of sitting down, I knew this was the chair for me. But one day, my chair rolled away while I was on the phone. I rushed to grab it, but it was gone. I’m going to share with you my secret (wink) to make sure that your office chair stays put.
Why Does an Office Chair Roll?
To understand why office chairs roll, you need to understand what happens when you sit in a chair.
When you assemble an office chair you’ll see that the seat pan is connected to the base by a series of springs. They compress and rebound when you sit down and rise. This constant motion also maintains your spine in its correct alignment and position.
When you move while sitting in the chair springs compress slightly and allow you to move around freely. When you get up the springs rebound and return to their original position. This is why the chair rolls when you get up.
8 Ways to Stop Office Chair from Rolling
When your office chair wheels start rolling back and forth, it’s time to fix it! You’ll never get any work done when your wheels keep moving. Following are some easy methods to stop the wheels of an office chair from skidding:
Try Hands-Free Brake Casters
It’s convenient to use brake casters like this because they allow you to switch the brakes into one position with your feet.
They’re very easy to put on the desk chair wheels, and most of the time they’ll just snap into place.
If you’re looking for a logical solution that will allow you to use it, it’s something that won’t keep you from being able to roll the chair fast since you can easily place the brakes into the off position with your foot.
If you have a hard time reaching the lever with your foot, then you might have to bend down and engage it. The chair isn’t going to roll when you’re sitting down.
Lifting your body will allow you to roll the chair again. This is the best advice for people trying to prevent desk chairs from rolling.
Strap the Chair with a belt/rope
If you’re using an adjustable desk chair, it can be easy to adjust the height of the seat and back so you can sit comfortably while working. However, if you are not using an adjustable desk chair, then you may be able to secure it to the floor with a strap.
You could also easily buy a strap that you could use to fasten your chair to some other fixed point. You could try to secure your desk chair to the desk itself or to something else nearby that will limit its ability to roll.
If you want to be able to move the chair back a little bit further or to the side, then you need to consider using a tie-down strap. These are used to secure items that are not supposed to be moved around.
This is a fairly simple thing that will allow you to accomplish the task of stopping your desk chair from rolling, but it might not be as practical as you’d like it to be.
Use Anti-Skid Pads/Mats or an Area Rug
These days, you can get anti-skid pads or gripper pads on the market. The gripper pads are designed to work well with both tile and carpet floors. However, using the pad adhesives and grippers may damage the carpet thread.
The most common types of rubber used here are natural or polybutadiene rubber, and styrene-butadiene rubber. They are thin, plastic mats. If you don’t use gripper pads, you’ll need a rug. Area rugs are different from chair mats. They are made of thick fabric material and are soft.
This is what we call a rug stop. It’s best if you can do this under the rug and fasten it down to the floor. This is a way to keep the rug on the floor and prevent the chair from rolling.
Get Caster Stoppers to Stop Office Chair from Rolling
The office chair doesn’t need to be moved, unlike furniture like sofas and beds. caster cups can be a problem when you need to move the chair around.
They are made from heavy-duty PVC or plastic, and it’s hard to find an appropriate one if this is the case.
Caster roller stoppers can be found in wooden, glass, rubber, plastic frames, high-quality vinyl, or solid silicon.
Each time you need to use the desk chair, you have to manually place the caster. If you want to move the chair back a little bit, you’ll have to bend down and move them every single time.
Place Foam Under the Chair
To stop the desk chair from rolling, place a block of foam under the caster wheels. Different types of foams are available in the market. Put the dense foam under the chair base by cutting a piece of it. The chair won’t move easily because of the resistance. And it will not spin or roll away.
Replace the Old Wheels
Remove the wheels if you want to stop your desk chair from rolling. You can replace the old worn-out caster with rubber brake wheels or gliders, but avoid nylon and plastic as they will chip and scratch the hardwood and other floorings.
This may cost you a little money but you’ll get your productivity back.
Place it in the Corner – Temporarily
Place your chair in the corner alongside the wall so that it won’t skid. The rolling can be stopped by changing the position of your chair. But this is not possible for small spaces where you don’t have much room.
Make sure your feet are Flat on the floor – Doesn’t Work Long
The sitting position adds a lot to this situation. If you’re sitting right and straight chances are it will not slip. When you slouch or lay back on the chair it puts extra pressure on it and creates an unequal weight distribution which causes it to roll backward.
Lean back with your arms on the armrests, and feet staying put on the floor. This way the weight is evenly distributed. But this is not a permanent solution to the problem at hand.
Use a Tape – Temporary Solution
A Gaffers tape will make your chair stop sliding. But the problem is that you won’t be able to roll your chairs during work.
Buy a New Office Chair
If you spend your time sitting all day, you know that you should invest in a good office chair. Research suggests that incompetent chairs can lead to dangerous outcomes.
There’s a reason why chairs are sold at $200+ each. It’s because they’re not just pieces of furniture. They’re ergonomic marvels that can improve your health and productivity.
The best office chairs are designed to support your back and keep your neck straight so that you can sit all day and still feel productive.
Conclusion
Ergonomic chairs help us to sit for long office hours and allow for limited movement across the workstation. Some of them may be locked to avoid any movement while you are at your desk.
An office chair that rolls is a nightmare to stop! Because it’s supposed to be stable enough for you to focus on work. Rolling office chairs is a very common problem for office workers. There are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of it happening.
- The first is to use a high-quality desk chair. It’s not cheap but it does pay dividends in the long run.
- Second, it’s important to get your desk height right. A desk that’s too high will put pressure on your legs, whereas a desk that’s too low won’t give you good posture.
- Third, make sure you have adequate space between your desk and the wall behind it. This will help prevent furniture items from falling off your desk.
- Finally, make sure you have a chair that has stoppers. You’ll spend a lot of time in your chair so it’s important to get a chair that feels good.
FAQs
1. How can I stop my office chair from rolling?
If your office chair has a locking mechanism, you can use this to stop it from rolling.
2. Can you lock the wheels on an office chair?
A high-quality locking caster wheel can be purchased and used in your existing chair.
3. How do I stop my office chair from rolling on laminate?
Use stoppers or brakes to lock the chair in place.
4. How do you lock an office chair that won’t stay up?
Change the mechanism of the chair or use PVC pipes.
