Are your chair’s wheels squeaking? Perhaps rolling from A to B seems like more effort than it should. Maybe scuff marks have appeared on your wooden office flooring. These are all signs that there’s an issue with your office chair’s castor wheels.
Luckily, swapping them out is really easy and takes less than 10 minutes. Below, you can find the tell-tale signs there’s a problem with your existing castors, and the methods for replacing both grip stem and threaded stem castor wheels.
How to know if your office chair’s castor wheels need replacing
Before you start immediately pulling the wheels off your office chair, how do you know they need replacing?
Firstly, there might be some signs on the wheels themselves, including cracks, splits or flat spots caused by rolling. You might even notice that one wheel looks visibly different to the others. It could be more worn down, discoloured or smaller.
Then, check for signs of dirt. Hair and debris can get stuck in the wheel housing itself, which prevents rotation. When this is the case, it might actually be that the wheels need a good clean rather than a complete replacement, so take a look at our guide to removing hair from castor wheels.
The signs of dodgy castor wheels might not just show on the wheels themselves but in the chair performance. It might roll unevenly or pull to one side, and it could wobble or shake when you sit down or move. The rolling movement might not be as smooth as it once was, and there could be a squeaking or grinding noise coming from the wheels. One wheel might even have seized completely so it can’t move freely.
How to replace the castor wheels on an office chair
The method you use to replace your chair’s castor wheels depends on the stem type. There’s a grip stem (which is the most common) and a threaded stem, which needs screwing in/out rather than pushing or pulling. You can find methods for both types below.
How to remove and replace a grip stem castor
- Gently put the chair on its side so you can easily access all the castor wheels
- Grip the castor firmly and pull up/away from the chair base. If the chair is quite old, the castors may be a bit tricker to remove and some force may be required.
- If you can’t pull the castor out, you can use some WD-40 to lubricate the joint and use a towel for better grip
- Once the castor is out, wipe it clean and set it to one side. Repeat for all the castors on the chair.
- If you’re installing new grip stem castors, simply push them into the now-empty sockets. You can use a rubber mallet to gently tap them in if you’re struggling to do it by hand.
- Once all castors have been replaced, test each one by moving it around, and then set the chair upright and roll it around while you’re sat in it.
How to remove and replace a threaded stem castor
- Gently put the chair on its side so you can easily access all the castor wheels
- Unscrew each castor one at a time, wiping them clean as they come loose and setting them to one side
- If you can’t unscrew the castor, you can use some WD-40 to lubricate the joint and use a towel for better grip
- Install the new castors by screwing them in, making sure they’re screwed as tight as they’ll go
- Once all castors have been replaced, test each one by moving it around, and then set the chair upright and roll it around while you’re sat in it.
A few extra tips
Replacing castors sounds easy, but you can get into difficulties if you buy the wrong stem type, the wrong size or even the wrong type for your floor.
To get the sizing right, remove one castor and measure its diameter and length and check the stem type. Common grip ring sizes are 7/16″ (11mm) or 5/16″ and threaded stems are usually 3/8″.
You’ll also want to think about the floor type underneath the chair. Plastic or nylon wheels are fine for carpet but will scuff wood or laminate flooring over time. For wood floors, a softer castor made from soft rubber or polyurethane is going to prevent damage to the floor.
When you purchase a Slouch office chair, you have the choice between our standard castors and our hardfloor castors, specifically designed to be softer on wooden and laminate flooring. Take a look at our range today.
