How to Upcycle a swivel Office Chair? Step-by-Step Tutorial

Do you still have a swivel chair from your office that you never use? If so, why not upcycle it into something new and stylish?

This post will demonstrate that very process: the upcycling of a swivel desk chair.

Here are Some Things Needed for the Project:

• Chair from the past in the workplace (or another type).
• Blades for a utility knife or jigsaw (extra saw blades optional if wanted).
• A Ruler, Tape Measure, and Utility Square with a Straight Edge.
• Set of Dremel Multi-Max Plus QMT201 Carving Bits with Saw Blade for Rotary Tool
• Metal-Cutting Blade for a Table Saw (optional)
• The Drill and Bits
• Fixing hardware to replace broken chair components (screws, bolts, nuts, etc.).

The Benefits of a Good Office Chair

Create A Professional Image

Not only can fashionable, professional chairs make a good impression on clients and visitors, but they also boost productivity and morale in the workplace. Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment requires that employees be afforded some degree of comfort. Quality office chairs are built to last, and their construction ensures that they are both ergonomically balanced and able to support a wide range of weights with no sharp edges or protrusions.

Select The Best Office Chair

Seating materials for office chairs range from poly vinyl mesh to vinyl to leather to polyester. However, “green” fabrics are also on the market; these are created by dyeing recycled plastic bottles from the consumer market. Keep an eye out for the percentage of recycled materials before making a purchase.

Size Matters

Purchasing an office chair wouldn’t be difficult if everyone worked at the same height and weight. Thankfully, quality office chairs are designed to accommodate such adjustments. The same holds true for client and guest seating in the office. Chairs’ seat depths, back heights, and seat depths all vary just a little bit. It’s not a luxury to have chairs that can be adjusted to your body’s needs.

A Chair For Every Office Need

Chairs with arm rests, modest back heights, and height-adjustable seats are favored by some workers. Office climate plays a role in determining chair fabric. Select lobby chairs that are both comfortable and reflective of the company’s ideals to maximize the impression made on visitors and potential customers. Think about how easy it is to move around while seats are in use, and how much space you have around your desk. Executive chairs, on the other hand, almost always necessitate more space than, say, a receptionist’s chair or stool. Seating options like swivel and tilting office chairs should also be thought about. Make sure you’re aware of the foot rest areas in the base of your desk chair.

How do you Repaint an Office Chair?

First, take your office chair apart by removing the seat and back.

Second, give it a coat of paint; you could even experiment with a stencil! If you can’t change the color of the walls, consider getting new upholstery.

Third, put the chair’s seat and back on after painting them.

This furniture makeover will have you sitting pretty in no time at all!

Is there Fabric Spray Paint?

In little time at all, you’ll be sitting pretty thanks to our revamped furniture.

How do you Revamp an old Office Chair?

Step 1: Pick up a second-hand desk chair.

Step 2: Use a moist cloth and some dish soap to remove any dust, dirt, or grime.

Third, pad it so that nobody who sits on it will feel the hard edges.

Take it to a home improvement store and ask for help if you are still unsure how to reassemble it.

Step 4: Seal and finish all the new wood with polyurethane or another appropriate material. This will keep dirt and grime out while also giving your swivel chair a shinier appearance thanks to the added sealant.

How to Clean and Maintain an Office Chair

Vacuum Dust and Debris

Use the wand attachment of your vacuum cleaner to give your office chair a once-over every few weeks. Assuming the wand attachment has a smooth surface, it should suction up most particulate matter without harming your office chair. To clean the chair, back, and armrests, simply use the vacuum’s wand attachment and set it to the lowest suction level.

Look for an Upholstery Tag

• If the cleaning code on the upholstery label is “S,” then you should use a water-free solvent to clean your desk chair. Manufacturers of chairs upholstered in natural fibers like cotton, wool, or rayon often advise against using water as a cleaning solvent.
• Cleaning code W/S denotes that the office chair can be cleaned with either a water-based or solvent-based cleaner.
• Finally, the X cleaning code indicates that the office chair should be brushed or vacuumed. If your office chair has this cleaning code, you shouldn’t clean it with water or a solvent.

If your office chair doesn’t have an upholstery tag, the owner’s handbook should provide information on maintenance and care. Cleaning and maintenance instructions comparable to those found on the tag attached to the chair’s upholstery should be included in the owner’s manual.

Spot Clean Using Soap and Warm Water

Spot clean your office chair with soap and warm water unless the upholstery tag or owner’s handbook specifies otherwise. If your office chair gets dirty from time to time, you can clean it by blotting the soiled area with a damp washcloth and a drop or two of liquid soap.

In order to clean your office chair, regular dish soap will do just fine. Simply use a dish soap with a mild composition. Wash a clean dishcloth in running water, then add a few drops of dish soap. Then, blot the stained area(s) instead of scrubbing them with a sponge or towel. In order to remove the stain-causing chemicals from the fabric, blotting is essential. Scrubbing a stain only serves to further embed the stain-causing elements in the fabric. When cleaning a spill on your office chair, remember to blot it.

Test Stain-Removing Products in a Discreet Area

Soap and warm water should be sufficient for removing most surface stains from an office chair, but for deeper stains, you’ll need something stronger. Products designed to eliminate stains can be found on store shelves, and many of them use potent cleaning agents. You should do a test on the underside of your office chair before utilizing any of these products.

The stain remover shouldn’t be slathered throughout your entire office chair. Instead, try it out in a hidden spot where no one will be looking. That way, you can observe the product’s effect on your desk chair. You can use the underside of your office chair as a test area for stain removal products. Even if the product does leave a permanent stain, it won’t be noticeable, which is obviously the best case scenario.

If you want to clean your office chair, you should test a small, inconspicuous area before using any stain remover on the entire chair. If the fabric of your office chair isn’t damaged or altered in any way, you can move on to the next step.

Apply Conditioner to Leather

The leather on your office chair can last longer if you condition it once every several months. Full grain, rectified grain, and split leather are just a few of the many varieties available. In terms of quality, full-grain leather is at the top of the heap, whereas corrected grain leather is in the middle. However, the porous surface of all varieties of natural leather means that it absorbs and retains moisture.

Countless tiny holes can be seen on the surface of genuine leather if you look closely enough with a microscope. In leather, these voids (pores) are what maintain a constant moisture level. When moisture condenses on a leather office chair, it seeps into the material and prevents it from drying out. The pores will dry out and the moisture will evaporate over time. Eventually, the leather will peel or even crack open if nothing is done about it.

Applying a leather conditioner to your office chair will help prevent damage from occurring over time. Mink oil and saddle soap are two examples of leather conditioners that help maintain the material’s natural moisture balance. They help prevent leather from drying out and cracking because of the water and other compounds they contain. Applying a leather conditioner will help keep your office chair’s leather from cracking and drying out.

Besides those already mentioned, here are some additional ways to care for your leather office chair:

• Make sure you don’t get any drinks or other liquids on your leather office chair.
• The optimal humidity range for a workplace is 40–55 percent. Your leather office chair could crack if the relative humidity is below 40%. Contrarily, if it’s over 55%, it could get overly saturated with water.
• Leather furniture in the workplace shouldn’t be conditioned more frequently than once every several months. If you condition leather too much, you risk oversaturating it with water.
• You might want to invest in some leather protection. When it comes to leather care, protectants should not be mistaken with conditioners.
• Keep your leather office chair away from any heat sources like radiators or vents.

Clean and Lubricate Casters

Cleaning and lubricating the casters of your office chair are necessary for the chair to roll easily. Office chairs’ wheels are mounted on casters, which are housing units. Plastic, rubber, steel, aluminum, cast iron, and polyurethane are just some of the elements that go into making wheels. The housing units, on the other hand, are nearly invariably metal.

To the contrary, most modern office chairs roll easily and with minimal effort. However, if you’ve used the same office chair for a year or more, the casters may be clogged with dirt and dust, making it difficult to move.

To clean the casters, you need to turn your chair upside down and remove any lint, hair, or dirt from the wheel housing units. The casters can be be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner or bottled air to remove any stubborn debris.

It is recommended to use a lubricant such as WD-40 after cleaning the casters of your office chair. To make your office chair glide more easily, simply spray some lubricant into each housing unit. The casters on your office chair should be cleaned and lubricated regularly (at least once every six months).

Tighten Fasteners

As a matter of course, you should also check the bolts on your office chair and make sure they are secure. Whether your office chair is held together with screws, bolts, or both, it’s a good idea to tighten them up every so often. And if a bolt or nut isn’t tight, your office chair won’t stay put.

You can find out where all the screws and bolts are by consulting the instructions. One office chair may contain a handful of screws, while another may have dozens. Once you have located the screws that hold your office chair together, you can tighten it with a screwdriver.

Turn the screwdriver to the right to tighten a bolt. However, if you turn a fastener to the left, you will loosen it. The phrase “righty-tighty, lefty-loosey” can be used to quickly and easily remember which way to turn a fastener.

Replace Gas Cylinder

Does the moment you lift your office chair off the ground it go back to its original position? If this is the case, the gas cylinder may need to be replaced. Pneumatic lift is generated by a gas cylinder in most height-adjustable office chairs. The office chair is lifted and held in place by compressed nitrogen gas contained within this cylinder.

You won’t be able to elevate your office chair if the gas cylinder is leaking or malfunctioning in any other way. As a positive note, most gas cylinders are inexpensive and simple to replace. Simply remove the old gas cylinder from your office chair with a screwdriver, and then install the new cylinder in the same location. After the new gas cylinder has been placed, you can test its functionality by lifting your desk chair.

Keep Away From Direct Sunlight

To avoid skin cancer, avoid placing your workplace chair in the sun. Most textiles and materials, including those used to make office chairs, degrade when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) sunlight. It’s not something that can be done in a day. But an office chair left in the sun for too long might fade and dry out.

To prevent sun damage to your office chair, it is not necessary to work in complete darkness. Consider putting your desk chair in a shady spot instead. Partially closing the blinds or drapes can help reduce the amount of direct sunlight that reaches your office chair during the day. Taking these measures will prevent your office chair from fading or drying out as a result of exposure to sunlight.

Replace When Necessary

It’s possible that your office chair will need to be replaced at some point, even if you keep it clean and maintain it regularly. One study found that office chairs typically last between seven and fifteen years. Whenever your office chair reaches the end of its useful life or is damaged beyond repair, it is time to get a new one.

A warranty is a sign of quality for any product, and it should be present on a name-brand office chair. During the warranty term, the manufacturer will fix or replace any defective parts at no cost to the customer. When shopping for a new office chair, it’s important to find one whose maker stands behind its quality with a warranty.

Keep these cleaning and upkeep guidelines in mind after purchasing a new office chair. It will be protected from early failure if you do this. Additionally, if you keep your office chair in good shape, you’ll enjoy a higher standard of working comfort.

The best office chairs in 2022

Best office chair overall

The advantages include its high height, appealing design, and wide range of adjustment.

The lack of a locking mechanism and the limited pivot range of the armrests are drawbacks.

I ignore the recommendations of ergonomists and do my job at the kitchen table. My desk is 30 inches from the floor, so I have to strain to keep my wrists straight. There are padded armrests I’ve used before, but they’re fixed in place. I’ve tried a few different office chairs over the years, but the Branch Ergonomic Chair is the first one that actually works well with my less-than-ideal desk and chair arrangement.

The Branch chair, with the armrests completely extended, is the ideal height for my dining table. However, I need a footrest to prevent my feet from hanging off the edge of the seat.

This chair has a lot of adjustability, but I had to refer to the how-to video to understand what all the levers do. Once I had the chair set to my specifications, I didn’t need to touch them, though. This is an exceptionally sturdy and versatile chair for the asking price.

I had to watch the instruction video to figure out what all the levers on this chair did. However, after adjusting the chair to my preferences, I found that I rarely used the controls. This chair has a lot of adjustability and is well-made for the price.

The Branch is not like most mesh office chairs because its seat is padded. The chair is hard, but it’s still more comfortable than the cheap one I usually use. Also a favorite is the fact that I frequently see my cats dozing on it. I don’t know if the chair’s mesh back will allow for enough ventilation to keep me cool throughout the summer because I haven’t used it then. — Senior reporter Jenny McGrath

Best office chair on a budget

Armrests can be adjusted to a comfortable height.

Negatives: Tricky assembly, finicky adjustment knobs

When I sit on an office chair with a backrest as high as my head and my feet can’t reach the floor, I feel like a fool. The Alera Elusion Chair is fantastic; even at its narrowest and tiniest settings, it provides ample comfort and support.

The curved seat provides lumbar support all the way to my knees, and the mesh backrest reaches the top of my shoulder blades. The shortest setting brings my toes to the floor, yet with the chair’s effortless swivel and mobility, I need only a gentle prod from my desk to get where I need to go.

When I’m working from home, I’ll prop one leg up on the seat or sit cross-legged. The wide and tall armrests allowed me to find a comfortable sitting position in a variety of ways. You do have to be careful with the arm width dial; the mechanism that you twist to adjust is the same piece that attaches the arms to the base. Unscrewing it too far may cause the arm to detach.

I have been known to sit cross-legged or with one leg up on the seat when working from home. This chair had a soft seat and arms that could be adjusted in width and height, so I could find a comfortable posture in a variety of settings. The mechanism that you twist to modify the arm width is also what holds the arms to the base, so you have to be careful. The arm may come loose if you unscrew it too far.

Best ergonomic office chair

Pros: Fully built, three size options, excellent adjustability, and back support.

Costs a lot and might not go with your current office décor.

Although I had never been particularly fond of any office chair I had tried, after spending more than a year away from my office desk (and matching chair), the notion of something other than a rickety wooden chair started to appeal to me.

Finally, the Aeron came. The chair’s lumbar support was immediately noticeable when I removed it from the box in which it came pre-assembled. It threw me forward in the seat, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I was able to maintain a stationary position. I sat still, maintaining a 90-degree angle between my knees and the seat, with my shins approximately three or four fingers from the edge of the chair.

The Aeron is fully functional as an office chair, with height adjustment, pivoting and vertically adjustable armrests, adjustable pitch, ultra-smooth wheels that roll silently on the floor, and the ideal amount of padding and tension. You won’t sink into this chair, but you can customize the lumbar support and the amount the backrest reclines by applying pressure.

The Aeron’s seat mesh is as tight as a drum, and the backrest is the same way. This helps me avoid the habit of slouching during the day.

It also comes in three different sizes based on height and weight, which is a really nice option to have. Size “B,” or medium, fits me well at 6’1″ tall; it’s meant for those 5’2″ to 6′” tall and up to 350 lbs.

Best office chair for heavier people

There are several positives to this product: it is fully assembled, has a weight capability of 400 pounds, is adjustable to fit any size person, and provides adequate back support.

Cons: High price, uncomfortable heat in the back and seat

While I’ve sat in a lot of different types of office chairs in my day, none have compared to the Steelcase Leap in terms of comfort. It may be adjusted indefinitely, is comfortable to use for extended periods of time, and is robustly constructed. Even though it’s pricey, it’s worth it because it has features that rival those of more expensive office chairs.

This chair can be altered in a variety of ways. Choices of frame colors, upholstery fabrics, and materials, and even the overall look of the piece, are all yours to make. While this is largely a matter of taste, we do suggest spending the extra $68 to get armrests that can be adjusted in whatever way you like. To accommodate heavier users, the Leap is also available in a “Plus” model.

There is no assembly required, however making sure your Leap is the right size is essential. When I first opened the box containing my chair, I was a little overwhelmed by the variety of features available to me. If you need some help, check out this video instruction made by Steelcase.

Adjusting the seat’s height, depth, lumbar support, resistance, and armrest locations takes some time and work, but the results are well worth it.

The seat and back of the Steelcase Leap are generously cushioned, and the armrests are solidly constructed. Frequently, I have spent an entire eight-hour workday in the Leap, and I have also used it for gaming sessions late at night. It helps me maintain a healthy posture while working, and during breaks, I can relax with my feet up.

There are no annoying noises or squeaks when you adjust this chair because of the high quality construction. After having it for over a year, it still functions and looks brand new.

The Steelcase Leap has some drawbacks, such as a tendency for the back and seat to become excessively hot on particularly sunny days. It’s hardly the most eye-catching furniture either. It’s understated and won’t draw attention to itself. Because of this, it is our top choice for a chair that can serve both as a gaming chair and an office chair. Contributor Simon Hill

FAQs

What type of office chair is best for back pain?

Chairs that provide back support and encourage healthy posture are ideal for those who suffer from chronic back pain. Your chair should support your back and assist keep your spine in neutral, but it won’t be enough on its own.

Even with the best chair adjustments, you can still have poor posture, as pointed out by Zielinski.

While many chairs include lumbar support that may be adjusted, some high-end manufacturers now offer chairs with backs that shape to your back automatically.

Having lumbar support that can be adjusted manually is preferable, but only if it is properly positioned. You can locate this area by feeling around the small of your back, as suggested by Zielinski. She elaborated, “About where you would reach back if it was hurting is where you want it to be.”

What type of office chair is best for neck pain?

Monitor location has been linked to neck pain. According to Timko, the best position for your head is directly above your neck, rather than craning your neck back.

A comfortable chair is important, but so is a screen that lets people see and do their work, as Stone put it.

It’s also important that your chair be at the proper height in relation to your work surface. Typically, desks are too high for chairs, according to Zielinski. Maintain a 90-degree angle between your upper arms and the floor. As a result of subconsciously shrugging your shoulders, which can occur if your arms are tilted up to reach the computer, Stone claims that you may also experience neck pain.

A footrest is recommended if the height of your desk requires you to raise your chair, as suggested by Zielinski.

What’s the best ergonomic office chair?

Though flexibility in configuration is desirable, Timko warns that too much choice can backfire. If a device has too many settings, even if it’s properly manufactured, it can break down over time.

People don’t know what to do with all the changeable features, according to Stone. She emphasized the importance of a height-adjustable design.

It’s important to find a chair with height-adjustable armrests, so Zielinski recommends looking for one with a pivoting seat and a mechanism that allows the arms to rise and lower. She also recommends seats that allow you to adjust the back and the seat depth so that you have a finger or two of space between your knees and the chair.

How should you sit in an office chair?

Feet flat on the floor or footrest, arms at 90-degree angles, and forearms parallel to the floor: that’s good chair posture.

According to Zielinski, “you should have the armrests positioned so that they are directly beneath you so that you are in that comfortable posture, and then have the back positioned so that you have that good support of the lumbar curve or the low back curve.”

However, it is not natural to remain in one place for an extended period of time. One thing we try to promote is that they don’t stay in one posture for more than 40 or 50 minutes at a time,” said Timko. Stone and Zielinski, two experts on the benefits of movement, shared this recommendation.

What’s the best place to buy an office chair?

All three experts, Timko, Stone, and Zielinski agree that the best way to choose a chair is to try out a few different models in person at a store or showroom.

You should give it a try before you buy it. That’s my standard advice,” Zielinski remarked.

What if I can’t afford an adjustable office chair?

If you’re stuck with a chair that can only be adjusted in height, there’s a good chance it won’t fit your body well. However, Zielinski argued that you probably already have a number of items lying around the house that might be used to modify the chair to better suit your needs.

You can get more support or gain extra space by using pillows, folded blankets or towels, or craft foam, she suggested. She suggested using a box or binder rubberbanded to a stack of paper as a footrest.

“The cheapest seats have very basic amenities, and they’re designed for the ordinary person, who doesn’t exist,” said Stone.