Fitting a large, bulky chair into your car or trailer can be a difficult task, and there may come a time when you have to move all of your office furniture and transport it to another location.
There may be a time when you need to transport all of your office furniture to a different location. It can be challenging to get a big, bulky chair into your car or trailer, especially if it doesn't fit. You might not know where to start when trying to disassemble an office chair so that it will fit inside the original box if you intend to return it to the seller or manufacturer. Whatever your motivation, there are a few things to keep in mind, tricks to keep in mind, and a variety of ways to disassemble your office chair to make it more transportable.
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How To Take A Desk Chair Apart
Taking apart an office chair
Whatever your reason for disassembling your office chair, you must take care to avoid damaging it. As previously stated, if your chair came with any assembly instructions, adhere to them. I'll go through each component of an office chair and demonstrate the general disassembly instructions to assist you in taking apart your chair. Be aware that if certain chair parts arrived fully attached to the frame, you might not be able to remove them from the chair. If you have any queries or concerns about disassembling your office chair, get in touch with the manufacturer of the chair.
1. Office Chair Headrest Disassembly
The majority of office chair headrests are fastened with a few bolts. Check to see if you need to remove a cover plate or tabs before attempting to remove the headrest from your chair. Utilizing a screwdriver or Allen wrench, take out all of the bolts from the headrest after those have been removed. Place the cover plate or tabs back onto the chair after removing the headrest. Remember to place all small, loose parts in a bag for storage
2. Office Chair Backrest Disassembly
The majority of office chairs have bolts at the back that attach the backrest, so you should be able to remove it with ease. Due to the backrest's attachment to the frame on some office chairs, such as the Steelcase Leap, this cannot be removed. Utilizing an Allen wrench or screwdriver, remove the bolts holding the backrest in place from underneath the chair. After removing every screw and/or washer from the chair, put them in a bag so you won't misplace them and keep the bag with the chair.
3. Office Chair Armrest Disassembly
When absolutely necessary, armrests should only be removed. It is best to keep in mind the sequence in which you are removing the chair's armrests because they can have multiple parts. Begin by using an Allen wrench or screwdriver to remove the chair's bolts. Take any washers or plates out next. All of the hardware should be put in a bag and kept with the chair. In some chairs, the armrests can be simply removed by yanking them out of the slot from underneath the chair and pulling the adjustment lever.
4. Office Chair Cylinder and Base Disassembly
Keep in mind that attempting to remove the cylinder could easily cause damage before you do so. You'll require a large pipe wrench to remove the cylinder. Protect the floor and the surface of your table before you begin. Put duct tape on the pipe wrench's teeth to improve grip and protect the cylinder.
Clamp down on the cylinder near the mechanism's bottom using the pipe wrench. When the pipe wrench is snug to the cylinder, turn it a quarter turn or until it releases. Cylinders do not screw on, so you must first make it loose enough to remove it from the mechanism.
Use a rubber mallet to pry the cylinder free from the base. Flip the base on its side. Don't forget to safeguard your floor and surface. So the cylinder won't strike your feet, step back. Pull the cylinder away from the base using the rubber mallet. If the cylinder is really stuck, tap the sides of it.
5. Office Chair Casters Disassembly
The majority of office chairs' casters simply snap into the base. Casters shouldn't need to be removed unless a replacement or a return is required. Place the base upside-down with the casters facing up in order to remove the casters. To remove the casters, pull up on them.
7 Things To Take Into Account When Deconstructing An Office Chair
Observe how the chair arrived.
Remembering how your office chair was delivered may be helpful before disassembling it. Some office chairs are made of multiple pieces, so you can probably disassemble it in the opposite direction from how it was assembled. When other chairs arrive, all that needs to be done is to place the chair on the cylinder and base. This means that in order to disassemble the chair, you will probably need to remove it from the cylinder. If your chair came fully assembled, you must determine what you can and cannot remove in order to prevent damage to the chair. When taking your chair apart, some manufacturers provide disassembly instructions that can be useful.
Avoid disassembling anything that is not necessary.
Think about why you need to disassemble your office chair before you begin. Ideally, you shouldn't needlessly disassemble parts of the chair. With some chairs, you might not even need to remove the backrest from its cylinder. To avoid harming your chair, try to disassemble the chair as little as possible. To find out which components of the chair you should and should not remove for disassembly, you can always get in touch with the manufacturer. Never disassemble the mechanism's internal components.
What Connects and What Disconnects
You should be able to determine whether or not parts of your office chair can be removed by looking at it. You should be able to remove those chair components if you screwed it together. Your office chair's screw-connected components will be the simplest to remove. Typically, these are components like a headrest, backrest, or armrests.
It might be more challenging to remove components that are attached to the mechanism without screws. For instance, it might be challenging to remove a cylinder from the mechanism if the chair has been in use for a while. It can be difficult to release the tension because the cylinder is only connected by tension. Some office chairs, like the Herman Miller Aeron and the majority of other Herman Miller chairs, should not be removed at the cylinder.
Things You Can't Remove or Shouldn't
You shouldn't or can't remove some components of your office chair due to possible chair damage. For instance, the back and arms of a chair like the Steelcase Leap cannot be removed because they are a part of the frame. We strongly advise against removing the chair's mechanism from the seat. Parts being removed from the mechanism might cause it to malfunction.
Additionally, for some office chairs, like the Herman Miller Aeron, we advise against removing the cylinder. Your chair probably came fully assembled for a reason if it did. Removing components from a fully assembled chair could result in long-term harm. The act of taking out the cylinder could also result in damage.
Cylinder Ruining: Is It Worth It?
Most office chairs require the cylinder to be removed from the mechanism and/or base in order to be disassembled. Most people are unaware that it will be more challenging to remove the cylinder if they have sat in their office chair for several months or years. When assembling an office chair, the cylinder is typically placed in the base before the chair is placed on the cylinder. The cylinder is held in place by tension, and it can be difficult to release this tension.
Most of the time, you will require a tool to release the tension in order to remove the cylinder from the mechanism, such as a pipe wrench. The cylinder can be damaged even though a pipe wrench is the tool that makes removal the simplest. You should take precautions to avoid damaging your cylinder with the pipe wrench teeth if you intend to keep it. When you reassemble the chair and press the seat height lever to lower it, metal shavings and scratches that were caused by deep teeth gouges on your cylinder will enter its housing. Most likely, the height of your chair won't adjust past these scratches, making it challenging to move. In essence, your cylinder is damaged, so you probably need a new one.
You might have to take your cylinder out of the base once it's out of the mechanism. Additionally, this could harm your cylinder. To remove the cylinder from the base, you must strike it with a rubber hammer from the bottom. If you do this, make sure the cylinder lands softly so that the top of it doesn't get damaged.
The main issue is whether it is worthwhile to remove your cylinder if doing so will only result in damage. Despite the precautions you can take, removing your cylinder might have more negative effects than positive ones. When removing the cylinder from the chair, you won't need to be concerned about harming it if you intend to replace it.
The Equipment Necessary For Disassembling
You'll probably need to use tools before you start disassembling your office chair. You'll need a sizable pipe wrench and a rubber mallet to remove the cylinder from the chair. A screwdriver or Allen wrench may be required if you're taking out the arms, backrest, or seat. Make sure you have all the equipment required to assist you in disassembling your office chair.
Advice on How to Take Apart an Office Chair
When you are prepared to disassemble an office chair, make sure to follow these few pointers and tricks. These will make it easier to disassemble your office chair without losing or damaging any of its components.
- To ensure that you don't misplace any small pieces, place them all in a sealed bag and keep it with the chair.
- To avoid scratching the cylinder, tape some duct tape to the pipe wrench's teeth. Remove the tape if you can't get a firm enough grip on the cylinder.
- Keep the area you're disassembling the chair on safe. Use a discarded cardboard or old blanket. This shields your surfaces in addition to the chair.
- Consult the assembly instructions if you need assistance with disassembling your chair. Depending on the manufacturer, you can typically find them online. Then adhere to the directions in reverse.
- Keep in mind not to remove any unnecessary components. Just enough so that the chair fits in the available space.
- Never disassemble the mechanism of your chair to avoid problems.
- The cylinder should be removed from the base using a rubber mallet. Tap the cylinder's sides to help it become more easily dislodged from the base if it isn't coming out.
Final Reflections
Always handle an office chair gently when disassembling it to avoid damaging any components. Avoid taking apart the chair's components unless absolutely necessary. Make sure to follow the original assembly instructions and work backwards because every office chair arrives differently. We suggest contacting the manufacturer for advice if you have any concerns about any step of the disassembly procedure. We hope that these guidelines and illustrations will all be useful to you as you disassemble your office chair.
