Office chairs have a uniform design to fit into your office desk or table. However, office chairs have legs that can roll and glide from one position to the other around your office. Nevertheless, you can always keep the legs steady, so they only roll when you want them to. But, unfortunately, some chair wheel issues may arise. One such is the chair wheels rolling uncontrollably.
An office chair wheel that rolls on its own isn’t only a frustrating thing to deal with, but this issue could slow you down and make work less enjoyable. On the other hand, the issue is fixable, and you can do that yourself if you carefully follow the steps I will outline in this article.
Here are a couple of corrective measures on how to stop office chair wheels from rolling continuously:
- Install Hands-free Brake Casters
- Put Extra Weight On The Chair
- Install Furniture Pads
- Use Bump Stoppers
- Place a Rug Beneath the Chair Legs
- Use Chair Glides
- Strap the Chair Base With a Rope
- Strap a Rubber Band on the Chair Base
- Use Foam Beneath the Chair Legs
- Use Caster Stoppers
- Lock the Chair on a Rug
- Replace the Old Wheel
- Replace the Office Chair
This article outlines and discusses in-depth processes or steps necessary to stop your office chair from rolling. These steps and measures involve finding potential causes of the rolling on your chair, the solution, and the process involved in correcting the rolling issue.
13 Ways to Stop Office Chair Wheels From Rolling
So many reasons could be responsible for your office chair wheels rolling. For example, your office chair is likely to roll if the floor gets tilted on one end, the floor is too slippery or smooth, or the casters on the chairs get installed incorrectly.
Another reason your office chair wheels will roll is if they get installed incorrectly or are bigger than the chair itself. The office chair could also lose its functionality, leading to the rolling issue you now have.
Before using a corrective measure to stop your chair from rolling, you must first diagnose the cause of the rolling issue. However, most of these issues are fixable, and you can do that by following the measures I will outline in this article. So without further ado, let’s dive in.
1. Install Hand Free Brake Casters
Installing free brake casters is one of the best methods to stop your office chair from rolling. How this works is that the hands-free brake casters help you clamp down the wheels when you are sitting on the chair or pushing it.
2. Apply Extra Weight On The Chair
Here’s another method to stop your chair wheels from rolling. First, you can always consider adding extra weight to your office chair when it begins to roll uncontrollably. The additional weight helps in reducing the friction between the floor and the chair legs.
Interestingly, you can use any heavy material as the added weight, mainly because there is no particular load to be used for the weight addition. So, for example, you can use a bag of sand, a heavy textbook, a play of wood, or a ceramic or metal piece, among other things.
When using the heavyweight measure, ensure that you put the weight in front of the chair.
3. Install Furniture Pads
Furniture pads are often made from either rubber or plastic materials and are very effective in stopping the rolling issues on office chairs. In addition, they are pretty cheap, and you can purchase them in a physical store or online.
Due to their small and circular shapes, they are easily placed on your chair legs and allowed to work their magic.
4. Use Bump Stoppers
Bumper stops are pretty efficient for chair-rolling issues. Furniture pads and bump stoppers are placed between the chair legs to stop it from rolling away.
They get primarily installed on chairs with casters; however, they are adjustable, making them usable on almost any office chair.
5. Place A Rug Beneath The Chair Legs
Rugs, mats, and cotton-like clothes come in handy when using furniture pads is not a good option. What this means is that aside from furniture pads, you can use rugs beneath your chair legs to stop any rolling issue you have on your chair.
Since they are different quality rugs and mats, ensure that the rug or mat you choose to put under your chair is of good quality and has a sturdy property to enable it to hold the chair legs in place.
6. Use Chair Glides
As the name implies, chair glides are small disc-like materials put beneath the chair legs to reduce the friction between the floor and the chair legs. They are one of the best choice materials used when you want to stop rolling issues on your chair.
They work by creating a smooth surface on which the chair legs can glide, slide and rotate.
7. Strap The Chair Base With A Rope
Here Is an unusual but gold method used to stop rolling issues on office chair legs. Of course, you can always strap the chair base with a rope when it begins to roll uncontrollably.
You can do this by strapping the base with the rope and then extending the rope to a piece of sturdy or heavy equipment in your office. For example, the equipment could be your cabinet, cupboard, work desk, or table legs.
8. Strap A Rubber Band On The Chair Base
Rubber bands are ideal for holding the chair base when it rolls. Using rubber bands on a chair base is one of the most straightforward tips or methods used to correct chair rolling issues. When they get strapped to the base, they create friction between the flooring and the chair, causing the base not to roll swiftly on the floor.
However, when not in use, always lose the rubber band and strap it back when you want to use the chair again.
9. Use Foam Beneath The Chair Legs
Placing foam beneath the chair legs is another way to stop your office chair from rolling away. The foam gives the chair legs a balanced feel that is not too sturdy or slippery but just comfy. However, it would be best if you considered changing the foam at least every week because the foam could lose its comfiness when placed for too long on the floors.
10. Use Caster Stoppers
An easier way to stop your chair wheels from rolling is using caster stoppers. All you need for this is a stone or any weight of your choice and a rubber band. When you have your rubber band and weight ready, place the weight, which could be a bag of sand, a log of wood, or stone, on the chair’s base and strap the rubber band over it.
Caster stoppers may also be pre-designed. Thereby you can purchase them in any size you want. They are made of plastic, nylon, or rubber materials and come in different shapes. However, the most common shapes they have are cup-like and plate-like.
11. Lock The Chair On A Rug
Locking your chair legs is one of the best methods to control the rolling issue on your chair. However, ensure that before you lock the legs of your chair in one position, the surface beneath the legs is smooth and comfy.
Typically you can use a rug, a foam, a mat, or a smooth piece of cloth. The material beneath the chair legs reduces any movements the chair makes due to increased friction between the chair legs, the flooring, and the material between them.
Additionally, some office chair brands have a lock mechanism to enable you to lock them in a particular spot when you are working. Most chair brands require a specific key or code for locking and unlocking your chair.
The lock mechanism is usually located close to the chair wheels. When you have found it, slide in the key or input the code and turn it until the chair legs become locked. To remove it from the lock mechanism, insert the code or key and then unlock it in an anti-clockwise direction.
Ensure that the code you have chosen is an easy one that you can remember at any time.
12. Replace The Old Wheel
Like the other parts of your office chair, the wheels are bound to wear out after some time. So most times, these quick tips may not work no matter how hard you want them to if the wheels on your chair are old and defective. When this happens, your best bet is to change the entire wheel compartment on your chair legs.
Luckily, you can always contact the services of a professional to help you do the replacement; therefore, you may not necessarily have to go through the stress of doing it yourself. However, if you choose to replace your chair wheels, ensure that you consult the manufacturer’s manual of your office chair as it contains pro-DIY steps and guidelines to help you better.
13. Replace The Office Chair
Usually, this is the last resort after you have done all you could to correct the rolling issue on your office chair, and they all proved abortive. Also, it is common for your office chair wheels to have rolling issues when the chair itself is bad or damaged or old and worn out.
Replacing the office chair with the rolling issue helps save you costs and boost productivity and comfort at work when your chair has no issues.
Final Thoughts
Fixing the rolling issue on your office chair is relatively easy with a few DIY steps. While you can contact a professional to fix the chair issues, you can always do it yourself without spending so much. First, however, always look through your manufacturer’s manual for detailed guidelines on how to go about it.
Finally, I hope this article has helped him deal with the rolling issue on your office chair. You can always refer back to it when the need arises again.
