Office Chair Casters

November 17, 2020

Out With The Old, In With The New

Over time, your office chair casters wear out & its time to replace your casters.
Some would rather replace the chair rather than replacing the casters.
Depending on the condition/how nice of an office chair your have, you may
not want to part ways with your chair. Sometimes, it just make sense replacing
the casters. For those of your interested in doing so, here's a bit of knowledge
to help make that project easier on your end. Speaking generally, most of f ice
chairs use stem casters

Guide to Getting The Right Stem

When replacing a caster, you have to start at the stem. The stem is the part
of the caster that resides inside of the frame of your chair keeping it attached.
You can't attach the caster to your chair if it has the wrong stem. It's
crucial that you get the right stem for your chair. To start off, we first need to
know how to identify the type of stem caster the chair may have & how to get
them off. The three most common type of stem caster you encounter will be
grip ring stem casters, grip neck stem casters & threaded stem casters

Types of Office Chair Stem Casters

Grip Ring Stem Casters

Most of f ice chair casters use a
grip ring stem caster that's held in
the chair by friction. T hese type of
casters can be pulled directly out
of the chair & pressed in; making it
a breeze to change casters. Grip ring
stem casters are common in plastic
& metal framed office chairs. They
typically have a stem size of 7/16"
(the most common), 3/8", 10mm &
come in a variety of lengths. 

Grip Neck Stem Casters

Wooden of f ice chairs tend to use
grip neck stems casters which are
also held in with friction as well & can
be pulled out & pressed in. When
you are replacing the casters on a
wooden chair in general, check to
see if   they have a metal or plastic
socket used to hold the
caster. Wooden office chairs tend to
have metal socket within them that
lose their ability to grasp the caster over time letting it fall off the chair when
its being lifted up. These socket can be removed from the chair by carefully
prying underneath the socket. Grip neck stem casters typically have a 5/16"
stem & in rare cases a 3/8" stem.

Threaded Stem Casters

Threaded Stem Casters
Threaded stem casters aren't as
common in office chairs but they still
exist. These are removed by
twisting the swivel section of the
caster f rom the chair. This can be
done with a wrench. Depending on
the how much room you have to
grab on to the swivel section, you
may need to get a caster wrench. 
When replacing a threaded stem
caster its important to find the correct thread pitch, size & length. 

Caster Wheels

Types of Caster Wheels

T hermoplastic rubber & polyurethane are the go to industry standard type
of materials used for f loor protective casters. You don't need a floor mat to
protect your floors with these type of casters. Whether your rolling on
hardwood floors or tile, you can't go wrong with these type of wheels rolling on
your floor. If you're going between tile/hardwood & carpet, a polyurethane
caster might suit you better as their treads tend to be bit smoother & less likely
to pull on the fibers of your carpet.       

Neoprene can be marking or non-marking (floor protective)
material used on caster wheels. This is determined by the caster itself. Not all
neoprene casters have the same characteristics, but they do share this
common characteristic; they provide superior cushion (more than
thermoplastic rubber & polyurethane) & rolls over debris quite
easily. Executive chairs or higher end office chairs tend to use neoprene
casters.                                                                                                 

Nylon & plastic caster wheels are great for rolling on carpet & floor
mats. These type of wheels don't grab the fibers of the carpet & allow you
chair to roll with ease. These hard wheels roll easily on hard surfaces like a floor
mat. They are not recommended for hardwood or tile as they could cause
damage to the floor. A floor mat would be suggested if you were going to use
these casters on a hardwood or tile floor so you wouldn't be rolling on it
directly.       
       

Metal caster wheels are okay to use on carpet or a mat. Metal
is the harshest on floors & can cause damage to the floor over time,
especially hard wood & tile. If you plan to use it on hardwood or tile, invest in a
mat. We would recommend this type of wheel for someone who is focused
on a specific look more than anything else. 

Different Casters Styles

Office Chair Caster Styles

When it comes to selecting a style of casters, it's hard to really say if one is
better than another. Some casters styles might have a slight advantage over
another caster in some specific aspect, but for the most part, the styles are
really for style. Casters that have a crowned tread (rounded tread) or a tread
that allows it to pivot on a smaller single point like a ball caster tend to swivel a
bit better than flat treaded caster wheels. In general, the less material of the
wheel touching the ground, the easier it is f or the caster to pivot. 

Hooded or Non-Hooded Casters

Hooded casters are casters that have
the wheels covered or protected.
Non-hooded casters have the wheels
exposed. Now is there really a benefit
to having one over the other? The
answer to that is no. Its really more
about style. The only benefit of
having a non-hooded caster would
be that nothing would get stuck
between the hood & wheels (which can seize the casters movement) when
you roll over debris in your office chair.

Brakes for Your Office Chair

Brake casters on an office chair
aren't as common because an office
chair is meant to let you move
around freely. If you still prefer to
have a brake caster on your chair I
would steer clear of a brake caster
with pedal on it. You might find
yourself accidently pressing down on
& then jerking the chair when you
want to move.

For those of you who prefer a
break on their chair,I recommend compression & decompression brake
casters. Compression brakes on a caster are engaged when there is
weight on the casters. When the weight is lifted off the casters, the casters
are able to move around freely. For example, a person sitting in the chair
wouldn't be able to move the chair until they got up out of it. Decompression
brakes on a caster do the complete opposite. When their weight is on the
casters, they move freely. When their is weight off the casters the brakes are
engaged. If your interested in casters like these, contact us.

Putting Everything Together

Purchasing Tips

When its time to purchase your casters, it's recommended to replace all
casters as opposed to just one because the overall height of one caster 
could be off from the others. This can cause your chair to tilt one way or the
other while putting unnecessary strain on a single caster. The weight needs to
be evenly distributed among the casters otherwise you could break a caster.
Also consider the overall size of the casters as well.  Larger casters roll easier
than smaller casters & are able to get over debris easier. On the other
hand larger casters change the overall height of your chair. If your chair doesn't
have an adjustable height you might reconsider the larger caster or perhaps
get smaller one depending on your situation. Now that we have an idea of how
we're going to approach the chair, lets look at how to select the right caster for
you.       

Identifying the type of stem you need for your chair is absolutely
crucial otherwise you can't install your casters. So you need to measure the
diameter if the stem & length of the stem. It's generally okay for the stem to be
a bit smaller in length (if you absolutely cannot find the exact stem length you
need), but it can never be longer.       

Next, Identify the floor your chair will be rolling on. Does your floor need
protection f rom scratches & marks? If so, a floor protective caster is what
you need. Nylon, plastic & metal casters work well on carpet & floor mats.
Polyurethane tends to have a smoother tread (less likely to pull on the fibers of
your carpet) than thermoplastic rubber which is great  If your between carpet &
tile/hardwood. 

Caster Installing Tips

When it comes time to install the casters, they must be inserted all the way
into the chair where the frame is sitting directly on the swivel section. The
swivel section (the flat area or where the stem is attached to) must be
pressing against the the f rame of the chair with no space between. The
stem shouldn't be visible if its pressed i all the way. When the stem isn't
completely in, the stem has unnecessary stress on it which can cause it to
break. If your need a bit of help getting the caster into your chair. We
recommend finding a place on the caster rig to tap rather that tapping the
wheels to get it in (which can damage the caster). For your dual wheel casters,
you can use a piece of wood to put between the caster wheels to help press in
the casters into the socket.

Final Thoughts

If you need any assistance or help with your chair feel free to contact us.
Not every chair is the same & we run into special cases every now & then. We're
more than happy to give you the assistance you need to get your chair rolling.

Check out our most popular office casters https://mappcaster.com/collections/office

check out all of our furniture casters https://mappcaster.com/pages/furniturecasters

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