How to Stop an Office Chair From Rolling (7 Simple Ways)
You’re sitting in your office chair, going about your day, and whoa. Did your chair just roll? Indeed, it did. Each time your chair moves independent of your wishes like this, it breaks your concentration. How can you keep your office chair from rolling?
Here are the best methods for preventing an office chair from rolling:
- Lock the casters (if they lock)
- Put a yoga mat under your chair
- Sit properly
- Make or buy caster stoppers
- Take the casters off
- Buy new casters
- Get a new chair
In this guide, I’ll elaborate on the 7 methods above for controlling your office chair’s casters. If your chair ever rolls seemingly of its own volition, then this is one article you’re not going to want to miss!
7 Ways to Stop an Office Chair From Rolling
Lock the Casters (If They Lock)
The first tip I recommend is to determine whether your office chair’s caster wheels lock.
This might be the first time you examine your casters, but it’s a good habit to get into in the years you’ll own your chair.
Pull out your office chair and lay it somewhere flat so you can turn the chair upside down.
With the casters in front of you, look for a lock lever. This lever might look like what you’d imagine. It can also be a plastic hood over the caster wheel with a protruding lip.
By pushing down on the lip, that caster wheel shouldn’t spin.
You can test this out for yourself with your chair still upside down. Try rotating the caster wheel. Does it budge? It shouldn’t.
If the wheels still spin even when the casters are locked, then here’s what you should do. Take the casters off from the five-star base and clean them. I’d especially recommend this if you’ve had your office chair for a while but you’ve never cleaned the casters.
How do you remove the casters? That depends on the type of wheel included with your office chair.
Try taking one wheel of the chair in your hand and pulling it away from the chair base. Some casters may detach from their socket just like this. You can use a towel or wear gloves to get a better grip on the caster.
If your caster is threaded into your chair’s base, you’ll need a flathead screwdriver to take the wheel off. Push the screwdriver between the leg of the chair and the caster. Then rotate the screwdriver to lift the caster.
With a pry bar inserted under the caster, you can begin separating it from the base of your office chair until the caster comes off.
Now you can examine your caster up close. It’s probably covered in dirt, dust, and possibly pet hair if you work from home.
Clean your caster with a mixture of water and dish detergent. Air-dry or towel-dry the parts fully before reassembling.
Repeat this for the other four caster wheels and try locking them. They should lock now that they’re clean.
Put a Yoga Mat Under Your Chair
What if your caster wheels don’t lock? You’ll continue to experience instability on smooth, hard surfaces such as tile, hardwood, or linoleum unless you do something.
Rather than move your office or cubicle, neither of which is realistic, you can put a pad or carpet underneath your chair to control the caster’s behavior.
At the very least, a yoga mat will get the job done. You might already have a yoga mat at home. If not, you can buy one rather inexpensively.
Otherwise, a long strip of foam will certainly prevent your chair from moving. Depending on how thick the foam is though, you could elevate your office chair a little too high.
You might not be positioned at an optimal angle from your computer monitor, which could cause eye strain and potential muscle aches to boot.
A thin strip of foam is better then, but you have to be careful every time you get up from your chair. You don’t want to accidentally snap the foam!
Even a throw rug will work. You don’t need shag carpeting or a wool carpet to keep your office chair in place, or at least, you shouldn’t.
Besides preventing unwanted rolling, a throw rug will also decorate your office nicely.
Of course, if you’re going to use a throw rug, you should be sure that your office chair’s casters are rated for carpeting and hard surfaces alike. If it’s just the latter, then don’t use a throw rug. Your casters will move even more erratically.
Sit Properly
Here’s a quick, easy, and free little hack. Check how you’re sitting in your office chair and then adjust. Yes, seriously!
You might find that you inadvertently begin moving your body nearer the front of the chair by the seat lip. If so, then the weight distribution of your chair is off. Of course, your caster wheels are going to move.
The next time you’re using your office chair and you’re conscious of the wheels rolling, stop what you’re doing and assess how you’re sitting. You may just be scooted up to the front of the chair.
Is this how you normally sit in chairs? If you answered no, then you have to ask yourself why you’re sitting in your office chair this way.
Perhaps the armrests are too low, so you’re trying to brace your forearms on your office desk.
Maybe the chair height isn’t right and you’re trying to accommodate by scooching up to the front of the chair so you can see your computer monitor.
The seat of your office chair might be uncomfortable. If that’s the case, then I’ll talk about how to fix that with my last tip.
For now, try adjusting your office chair, especially if you haven’t in a while. Once the settings are to your liking, sit in the chair and carry on like business as usual.
Hopefully, you’ll feel comfortable enough to sit back in the chair, which will allow the weight distribution of your chair to stay balanced. Your wheels should stop rolling as a result.
Make or Buy Caster Stoppers
If none of the solutions to this point are helping with your problem, I’m not done going over options yet.
You can always use a set of caster stoppers, also known as wheel stoppers or caster cups.
Caster stoppers come in a variety of materials, but most are plastic for durability and low cost. Others are coated with felt or soft fabric to further limit movement.
All serve the same purpose, which is to hold each wheel of your office chair in one place.
You’d slot the wheel of your chair into the depression in the stopper. Even if you wiggle and adjust your chair, it shouldn’t slip off the caster stopper.
You can buy a set of four caster stoppers for about $10.
Should you want to stop your office chair from rolling and not spend too much money, then you can make your own caster stoppers.
First, you want to take your office chair and flip it upside down. You need full access to the casters.
With a ruler or a measuring tape, calculate the size of your casters, including the height and width.
Then take a material of your choosing to make the caster stoppers. If you’re comfortable working with plastic, that’s a suitable option. Wood is another good material.
Cut the material so that each piece is larger than the height and width of your casters. The caster stopper must be larger than the casters themselves or the stopper won’t be very effective. Repeat this for all the casters.
Fit each caster stopper under your chair and try moving about in the chair. Your chair can’t roll anymore.
Take the Casters Off and Use Wood Blocks Underneath
Look, if you’re sick of casters altogether, I get it. The good news is that you don’t technically have to keep the wheels on you chair.
You can always detach them and put wooden blocks where the casters would go. If you read my post on how to raise the height of an office chair, then you may recall this tip from that article.
I should note that indeed, your chair will be higher than it was before you placed the wooden blocks. If you don’t want that much height, then you can use slimmer wooden blocks.
You’re free to cut the wooden blocks yourself, but each piece must be the same. If not, then your chair will be lopsided.
Can you really use an office chair without any casters? Sure, you can! Yes, it will look strange, and you may get some odd looks from your colleagues (unless you work from home).
The problem with your chair rolling will be a thing of the past, and that’s what you wanted.
As a caveat, modifying your office chair like this might go against some of the warranty terms if your office chair is still covered under a warranty. It’s up to you if you think it’s worth it to void the warranty.
Buy New Casters
You’ve tried several of the methods I’ve discussed throughout this guide, and nothing short of taking the casters off and leaving them off has worked.
Some people can sit in their office chairs day in and day out with no casters. Others can’t. If you’re in the latter camp and would prefer casters, but only casters that don’t roll like crazy, then it might be time to think of getting a new set.
Is your office chair new? Then I would check your warranty information. Faulty parts not caused by wear and tear are usually covered under the warranty. You might be able to get a set of replacement casters mailed out to you for free.
Even if you warranty expired, you should still check your chair manufacturer’s site for replacement casters first. That will ensure the new set fits your office chair.
Can’t find any casters through your manufacturer? Then you’ll have to go the third-party route. After a quick search online, you’ll discover there is no shortage of caster options out there.
You should measure your casters before you start shopping if you didn’t already measure them by now.
If you buy a new set of chair wheels that are too small, your chair could collapse when you sit on it. New casters that are too large can elevate your chair too much and make maneuvering in it difficult.
To replace your casters, you have to take the old ones off. Follow my instructions from earlier in this article for that.
Once the casters are disassembled, I’d suggest cleaning the wheelbase so the new casters go on seamlessly.
Installing brand-new casters in your office chair varies depending on the type. For a threaded caster, you want to align the caster over the slot in the wheelbase and begin threading it in. Keep turning until the caster won’t move anymore.
If yours is a non-threaded caster, then you can push it into place. The caster will have a hole you should insert it into. It’s not a bad idea to use some WD-40 or another brand of lubricant to help the caster into the hole.
Push with some elbow grease, but don’t apply too much pressure. You don’t want to accidentally break anything.
What if your new casters are swivel-plate style? You should still have a flathead screwdriver handy from uninstalling the old casters. You can use the screwdriver to position the new casters into place securely.
Get a New Chair
Most of the solutions I’ve presented require time and some elbow grease to make them work. If you’re short on time and the thought of finagling with your office chair is none too appealing, you still have one more option.
You can always buy a new office chair.
You might have to clear the expenses through your boss. If you explain that your chair rolls around too much, then your boss might agree that an upgrade is in order.
When shopping for a new chair, I recommend paying attention to the caster wheels especially. The wheels should be designed for hard and carpeted surfaces alike. You also want wheels that lock.
If it was your office seat that was uncomfortable and forced you to the edge (thus making your chair roll), then prioritize a plush, memory foam seat. Unlike cheaper types of foam, memory foam does not lose its shape or thickness over time.
Conclusion
When your office chair rolls, it can be hard to maintain productivity. Plus, sometimes you worry about falling out of your chair during a conference call or an officewide meeting.
Fortunately, you have plenty of measures you can take to stop your chair from rolling so freely. If you have a big budget, you can buy new casters, ideally locking ones. If you’re trying to scrimp but still stop your chair from rolling, you can make wood block stoppers. Best of luck!
