How to Make an Office Chair Higher (9 Simple Tips)
Although you’ve tinkered with every conceivable setting that your office chair has, you just can’t get it to go high enough. You’d hate to have to replace your chair when there’s otherwise nothing wrong with it. Is there anything you can do to make your office chair higher?
Here are some great tips for making your office chair higher:
- Double-check all the settings
- Put aluminum foil on the chair base
- Upgrade the gas cylinder size
- Put wooden blocks under the seat
- Raise the threaded post
- Put paper towels in the gas cylinder
- Buy a height extension kit
- Use a seat cushion
- Size up the caster wheels
In this guide to elevating your office chair height, I’ll go over each of the methods above in much more detail. By the time you’re done reading, your chair should sit higher without you having to replace it.
9 Easy, Handy Tips for Raising the Height of Your Office Chair
Double-Check All the Settings
If you bought a Steelcase or Herman Miller chair, then yours is anything but an ordinary office chair. There could be a setting you didn’t know existed or a lever you didn’t realize was there.
It doesn’t hurt to dust off your owner’s manual and read through it just so you’re abreast of all the features your chair has. Should you not be able to find the physical copy of your owner’s manual, then look it up online. It will definitely be there.
Even if you’ve exhausted all the settings your office chair has to offer, it doesn’t hurt to take the chair, turn it on its side or upside down, and confirm that all the levers and mechanisms are working as intended.
Your issue could be that simple. Sometimes the most obvious solution is the best one, which is why I recommend you start here.
If your chair is fine, don’t stress. The other 8 methods I have to discuss ahead will surely allow you to get some height still out of your office chair.
Put Aluminum Foil on the Chair Base
Okay, so after tinkering with your chair a bit, you’re quite confident that the issue does not lie in any of the features or mechanisms of the office chair. All the settings are configured for max height, but you still feel too tiny in your chair.
Now it’s time to start getting into your DIY options, the first of which involves aluminum foil.
One of the reasons that your seat doesn’t get as much height as it used to is that the gas cylinder has sunk. The cylinder is now receded into the base of your chair, so of course, you can’t raise it as much as you once could.
You’ll have to turn your chair over to get a good look at the cylinder. Check the cylinder column especially. If most of this column is hidden under the base of your chair, then it’s time to use some aluminum foil as a fix.
First, you want to detach the gas cylinder from the base. Since gas cylinders contain fluid, it’s a good idea to lay down some old towels or newspaper on the ground before you start working. Put on some protective equipment too like gloves and even goggles.
With your office chair on its side, latch a pipe wrench onto the gas cylinder. Then rotate the wrench in a quarterly fashion to loosen the cylinder. A screwdriver can work if the gas cylinder is held in by screws.
The base of your chair should come right off, which will allow the gas cylinder to tumble out. If it doesn’t pop right out, you can smack on the base of your chair with a rubber mallet (gently yet firmly) until the cylinder loosens.
Now take a piece of aluminum foil and shape it until it fits the hole that exists between the base and the column. Wrap the foil around the hole.
You’re not trying to fill the hole, just make it smaller. Make sure you leave space for the gas cylinder. If it doesn’t fit, you’re in trouble.
Then you can reattach the cylinder into the column and screw the base of the chair back on.
Try sitting in your office chair now. It shouldn’t be nearly as low as it was!
Upgrade the Gas Cylinder Size
The gas cylinder in your chair is one size of many. If your cylinder is too small for you, then you can always pay to get a larger replacement cylinder.
You can’t just automatically choose the biggest cylinder size available. While that would certainly solve your chair height problem, it would create a myriad of other issues. Your chair might be too tall so you can’t even put your feet on the ground. You’d feel overwhelmed by your chair.
Flip your chair over and measure the column from under your chair’s base. You want a measurement of how many inches the column is poking out.
You also want to consider your own height. If you’re 5’4” or shorter, then you only need a four-inch cylinder.
For those who are taller than 5’4” through 6’2”, then you need a five-inch cylinder. If you’re even taller than 6’2”, your new cylinder should be six inches.
The stroke indicates how high your office chair will go from its base setting to its max height setting, so be on the lookout for that when shopping for a new cylinder.
For example, if your chair’s cylinder has a five-inch stroke, then it can rise five inches max from the minimum height.
Put Wooden Blocks Under the Seat
If you just spent a lot of money on a new office chair, then the last thing you’re going to want to do is shell out yet more cash to get its height issue fixed. That’s why I think this next tip ought to come in handy, especially if you’re more of a DIY type.
You’d take off the five caster wheels included with your chair and then replace them with wooden blocks.
First, here’s how to take the casters off. With your chair turned on its side, you can turn a threaded caster clockwise with a screwdriver or a similar tool. The wheels should come right off.
For grip stem casters, you can again use your trusty screwdriver to turn the casters clockwise until they’re detached.
With no casters, you may realize that the space between the five-star base and the casters got quite dirty, especially if your chair has gotten a lot of use. Everything from dust to dirt, pet hair, and other debris can end up stuck here.
Give this area a cleaning while the casters are detached.
Next, take five wooden blocks of equal size. If you can’t buy wood blocks that are the same size, then you can always use a saw to cut them.
A drill is handy too, as you can use the power tool to secure the wood blocks to the casters with bolts.
If you’d rather skip the drill, then you need to keep the wooden blocks balanced on each caster. This can be more difficult to do but is by no means impossible.
Of course, I should note that if you go this route, what you gain in height, you lose in mobility. Your chair can obviously no longer roll about the room anymore. Plus, if your chair is still covered under its warranty, then you’d void the warranty.
Raise the Threaded Post
Some chairs use a threaded post for height adjustments, especially older office chairs. You can raise the post’s height, which should in turn elevate the height of your chair.
Take your office chair and turn it upside down. Find the threaded post and apply a lubricant so it’s nice and greased up. You don’t need too much lubricant here. For any excess, blot it with an old towel or a rag.
With your chair still upside down, secure the base with one of your feet. I’d recommend you wear shoes for this so you don’t hurt yourself. The rubber sole of your shoe will also keep your foot secure.
Now rotate the entire chair counterclockwise to lift it on the threaded post. You can reduce your chair’s height (should you ever want to) by rotating it clockwise when it’s in this position, FYI.
You can keep spinning and spinning, but as I talked about earlier, you don’t want a chair that’s too high. That’s just as uncomfortable as using a chair that’s too short. Stop spinning the chair periodically and measure its height.
Keep rotating the chair on its threaded post until it’s at the height you’d prefer. Then turn your chair right-side-up and sit on it. If you’re pleased with its height, then consider your chair good.
Put Paper Towels in the Gas Cylinder
Earlier, I talked about replacing the gas cylinder in your chair. Well, this next tip is for those on a budget after splurging for an office chair who would prefer to spend as little cash to raise the chair’s height as possible.
You can put paper towels in the gas cylinder to artificially raise its height.
You won’t have height gains as significant as you would if you bought a taller cylinder, but some height is better than none.
First, follow the steps above to detach the gas cylinder from the base. In the column, your cylinder will be in an area surrounded by springs. Take the cylinder out.
Please work carefully as you do this. Gas cylinders are pressurized, and they could cause serious damage if they come loose!
With the column empty, ball up some clean paper towels and stuff them in the column. Again, you want room for the gas cylinder to be able to reinsert.
When you’re pleased, carefully place all the parts of the gas cylinder back together and reattach your chair’s base.
Buy a Height Extension Kit
For those office chair owners whose chairs are no longer covered by a warranty, you’re free to completely modify your chair, such as with a height extension kit.
Known as a drafting stool kit, the kit includes everything you need to take your chair to new heights (quite literally, in this case).
The reason the kit is called a drafting stool or drafting chair kit is because that’s the height you can raise your chair.
Here’s some clarification. Most office chairs are between 16 and 21 inches tall. A drafting chair is meant for use with a drafting table, so it’s naturally taller. These chairs can be 30 inches tall, which is a full nine inches taller than your office chair.
You’d use size extenders in the kit for raising the height of your chair. For only moderate height gains, the parts in the kit allow you to raise your chair by five inches. Should you want the full height, then your office chair will look more like a drafting chair.
If you’re okay with that, it will be nine inches taller. You will certainly not have any issues with your chair being too short.
Use a Seat Cushion
Here’s a fast, easy, and convenient way to make your office chair feel taller right now. You don’t need any screwdrivers, power tools, or height extension kits either. All you need is a seat cushion sized to the seat of your chair.
I’d recommend a bonafide chair cushion rather than an old pillow. The pillow will not hold its shape the more you use it as a cushion. Once it flattens, you’ll have barely any extra height than if you used the chair as is.
A memory foam cushion will stay fluffy and dense for longer. Try to buy an ergonomic cushion if you can. After all, using the cushion can cause some of your office chair’s ergonomic features to be less effective since you’ll be sitting higher on the chair.
Cooling gel is also a nice feature in your cushion. If you’re working or playing hard, you won’t have to work up a substantial sweat.
The best part about using a seat cushion is that this isn’t a permanent change to your chair. If you want your chair back at its default settings, just remove the cushion. You don’t have to worry about voiding your warranty since you’re technically not modifying your chair.
Size Up the Caster Wheels
Does your office chair have two-inch casters? Many chairs do. Maybe the casters are 2.5 inches tall, but that’s about the highest they’ll go.
Raising your chair’s height doesn’t have to mean altering the cylinders or even the thickness of the seat. You can buy taller casters and your chair will gain a few inches of height. Four-inch wheels will make your chair up to two inches taller!
You can always go through your chair manufacturer and buy bigger wheels. Swapping out the wheels shouldn’t count as going against your warranty but be sure to read the terms carefully before you begin working.
For those with office chairs that are already well outside of warranty range, you can replace the current casters with any set you want.
The instructions I provided earlier will help you detach the casters. I again remind you to take this time to clean the five-star base where the casters were. Screw in the new casters and take your chair for a spin!
Conclusion
If your office chair is a little short, you have plenty of options to raise its height. You can buy a memory-foam seat cushion, upgrade the caster wheel size, or raise the threaded post if your chair is still covered under warranty.
Should a warranty not be an issue, try stuffing the cylinder with a paper towel, adding wooden blocks under your chair, or making your office chair into a drafting stool. That’s the best way to get the max height. Good luck!
