In the office, every detail matters. It seems like there are wheels on a chair. However, this small detail can have a significant impact on the productivity, comfort, and even health of employees. Let’s figure out why it is so important to change the office chair rollers in a timely manner.
Table of Contents
Why do you need to change the wheels on office chairs?
1. Comfort in the workplace
Over time, the wheels on office chairs wear out, which can make the chair uneven and difficult to move. This creates discomfort when moving and can distract the employee from work.
2. Avoiding floor damage
Worn wheels can leave scratches on the floor, especially if it is natural wood or laminate. By replacing wheels, you can avoid unnecessary costs for repairs or replacement of flooring.
3. Security
Broken or worn wheels can cause an accident – the chair can suddenly get stuck or tip over during sudden movement.
4. Increasing the service life of furniture
Regularly replacing worn parts, including wheels, will help extend the life of your office chair.
5. Office aesthetics
Worn or broken wheels can detract from the appearance of a workspace, creating an impression of neglect and negligence.
6. Cost savings
Buying new wheels is much cheaper than buying a new office chair. If the rest of the chair is in good condition, it is logical to replace only the wheels.
7. Taking care of your health
Poor posture caused by an uncomfortable or poorly functioning chair can lead to back and neck problems. Changing the wheels will help ensure that the chair moves evenly and smoothly.
Coating
Manufacturers make two types of rollers – regular plastic and silicone-coated (rubberized). The first ones roll great on all types of floor coverings. But when “meeting” hard floors, such as parquet, laminate, tile, etc., and so on. – become obscenely noisy. An additional disadvantage is that over time, scratches, potholes, and abrasions form on them, i.e., mechanical damage, as well as dirt, dust, sand, and hard, but not resistant to damage, floors begin to be severely scratched. Rubberized rollers solve the problem. This type of roller has a soft silicone coating no more than 1 mm thick, which significantly reduces noise and minimizes mechanical damage to the rolling surface. In the case of having hard floor coverings that are not resistant to mechanical damage,
Diameter
One of the main criteria will be the diameter of the wheels. There are three types:
1. Standard. They have a diameter of about 50 mm
2. Elongated. They usually have a diameter of 60 mm
3. Big ones. Here, the diameter is about 65 mm.
You won’t notice much of a difference between them. However, it is worth saying that large wheels will help you overcome obstacles in the office, such as a threshold. It will be difficult for you to move it with small ones. From the point of view of proportionality, of course, large wheels will look quite massive on a small chair, and vice versa; small wheels on a large chair will not look confident.
Maximum load
All rollers/wheels on our website indicate the maximum load they can withstand. It’s clear that the more weight a person has, the more load-lifting rollers need to be chosen.
What wheels are used in the production of office chairs?
Office chairs and armchairs are equipped with furniture swivel wheels. Such a unit is needed for furniture for:
- smooth movement of chairs of different sizes on smooth and fleecy surfaces;
- safe load distribution when sitting;
- possibilities of transportation within the premises;
- practicality when using.
The comfort of office furniture is ensured not only by soft seats but also by wheels, as they make the furniture maneuverable.
For ease of selection, furniture casters are classified according to the following criteria:
- type of design – rotary and non-rotary;
- type of fastening – bushing, thread, furniture screw, mounting pad;
- rotation axis – linear, rotating 3600;
- presence of a stopper;
- type of material – rubber, polyamide, plastic.
Before you buy wheels for an office chair and install them on furniture, you need to calculate the permissible load on them. The exact date is indicated by the manufacturer in the accompanying documentation. According to rough calculations, it is assumed that plastic can withstand up to 30 kg, and polyamide with a rubber contact layer up to 75 kg.
Material for furniture wheels
You can determine the quality of chair casters yourself. First, you need to figure out which wheels for furniture craftsmen and sellers consider the best.
Plastic
A budget solution is not very popular among furniture manufacturers due to the following:
- instability due to the lightness of the material;
- high smoothness, due to which the wheel does not scroll but slides;
- violence that causes scratches on the floor;
- low maneuverability, especially when moving along surfaces with differences in height.
Equipping plastic parts with a polyurethane contact layer helps mitigate the shortcomings.
Rubber
The material gives chairs and armchairs a smooth ride due to its elasticity and shock-absorbing properties. The disadvantages are:
- rapid abrasion during active movements;
- marks on rough surfaces from black rubber (gray leaves no marks).
Pure rubber without improving additives is rarely used; a more common option is polyamide rubber.
Polyurethane
Synthetic polymer is stronger, more elastic, and more durable than rubber but has a high cost. Manufacturers optimize costs by wrapping a nylon rim in a polyurethane tire. Advantages of polyurethane wheels and rollers:
- long-term operation;
- moving on rough and rough surfaces;
- anti-slip properties;
- tensile strength;
- inertness to water and salt solutions;
- preservation of qualities at high and low temperatures;
- possibility of cleaning.
It is advisable to clean polyurethane with water and detergent without using organic solvents (alcohol, acetone, etc.).
Polyamide
Nylon is a synthetic polymer of the polyamide class. Wheels from it are made by casting using high pressure. The one-piece base has increased service life and performance qualities. They are more expensive than polyamide ones.
They have the following advantages:
- abrasion resistance;
- long service life;
- visual appeal;
- ability to withstand loads;
- resistance to water and aggressive environments;
- the ability to adjust to the surface; they ride on carpets and tiles equally.
