Whether you’re moving house, returning your chair, or you just need to free up some space, disassembling your Slouch office chair is easy, particularly as most of it is built with a friction fit to hold the parts in place.
How to take apart an office chair
Luckily, the Slouch home office chair doesn’t require lots of tools to disassemble it. The only things you need are an allen key (preferably the one supplied with your chair if you still have it), a soft surface to put the chair on, like a blanket, and a small bag to store the bolts and washers in.
Step 1: Remove the base
The base is the widest and bulkiest part of the chair, so removing it will make the chair much easier to pack away. It is attached to the gas column with a friction fit (not bolts and screws), so you won’t need your allen key just yet.
Tip the chair carefully onto its side or even upside down and firmly pull the base away from the bottom of the gas column. If you’ve used the chair for some time, it may be quite tricky to pull apart, but force really is all you need to separate it.
If it still won’t come away, try rocking the base as you pull to loosen it a little.
Once the base is off, place it to one side with the castors facing up.
Step 2: Remove the gas column
Now that the base is off, the gas adjustment column should just slide downwards and out of the seat mechanism. Again, if it’s stuck, try to rock it slowly and pull at the same time, but it’s friction fit so there are no screws or bolts to remove.
Don’t use a metal tool to pry the gas column out if it’s stuck, as this will only scratch the chair and could interfere with the height adjustment mechanism when you rebuild the chair.
Step 3: Detach the back rest from the seat base
You’re almost there now. The last step is to detach the back rest using the allen key. The bolts are located where the backrest meets the seat, so find them and then loosen and remove each one. Once all the bolts and washers are out, put them together in a safe place, and then gently lift the backrest away from the seat base.
Once you’ve disassembled your chair, you should have:
- One backrest unit
- One seat assembly (with arms, if the chair has them)
- One gas adjustment column
- The wheeled base
- 5x bolts and 5x washers.
Our extra tips and tricks for disassembling an office chair
Whether you’re moving home or location that requires you to disassemble your chair, there are a few extra tips we have up our sleeve to make it easy to reassemble again.
- Wrap the chair in a blanket for extra protection during the move. You don’t want it to get scratched or damaged in transit.
- Put small parts into a plastic bag and tape it somewhere on the chair. You’ll thank us when you’re not scrambling round for lost screws.
- Don’t remove any unnecessary parts, only the ones that hold the chair together. Even the armrests and headrest can stay on.
- Don’t touch the chair’s mechanism, as this could make it malfunction when you next use the seat.
FAQs
Can I disassemble a Slouch chair without any tools?
Pretty much! Our chair mainly relies on friction fit to stay together, so the only step you need an allen key for is removing the backrest from the seat base. Otherwise, it should just pull apart.
What do I do if the gas column is really stuck?
This is a common issue for chairs that have been used for a long time without being disassembled. Try rocking the column from side to side as you pull downward and this should release it. You might even need an extra pair of hands to pull the chair as you rock it, so find a spare person to help you.
Do I need to remove the casters when disassembling my Slouch chair?
No, the casters can stay in place while you relocate the chair, making it easier to rebuild it when needed.
How do I put the chair back together?
Reassembly is really straightforward. Insert the gas column into the seat mechanism, fit the base onto the bottom of the column, then reattach the backrest with the five bolts and washers. It’s pretty much the opposite of what you did above.
If you need more help, you can find our chair assembly and setup guides on our site here.
What do I do if I lose any of the bolts or washers?
If you’ve lost any parts, you can contact the Slouch customer care team at [email protected]. They will either replace the hardware, or at least recommend where you can find a replacement yourself.
