How to Assemble an Office Chair the Easy Way

Your long-awaited new office chair has just arrived, and we know how excited you must be. But before you can sit down, get comfortable and get to work, you’ll have to figure out how to put it together.

While it may seem like a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be. With these four simple steps, you’ll be settled into your chair in no time.

Before You Start Assembling an Office Chair

When you purchase an office chair, it should come with a small tool kit that has everything you need. However, these tools are often poor-quality, so we recommend you have your tools ready to go to make your life a bit easier. We recommend having these tools at-the-ready:

  • Screwdriver
  • Allen wrench
  • Rubber/wooden mallet

Having safety gloves is a good idea but not necessary if you feel comfortable working without them.

How to Easily Assemble an Office Chair

Unpack Your Office Chair

how to assemble an office chair

The first step is to get everything out of the box and all the protective wrapping. Open up the box and remove all of the contents, but make sure to keep small pieces together in a secure place.

Locate the instruction manual and check that all of the necessary pieces were in the box. If anything is missing, you should contact the manufacturer to get replacement parts as soon as possible.

Remove all the plastic and bubble wrap that may be around these pieces. While this may be a somewhat annoying process, getting it out of the way early on will save you frustration when putting the chair together.

Getting this stuff out of the way early will save you frustration while putting the chair together.

Assemble the Starbase

Flip over the starbase so that the five points are sticking up in the air. Most chairs have five, but the process is the same regardless of how many you have. Stick the casters, which are removable wheels, into the slots.

This step does not require any tools. The casters should lock into place when you twist them into the bottom of the starbase. But if you are having trouble getting them in, gently tap with the mallet.

Flip over the base so the wheels are on the floor, and then insert the gas lift into the top center of the starbase. The wider end of the gas lift, which is usually black, goes in first. Most gas cylinders are held in place by the seat’s weight, but some have a small pin you insert underneath.

Assemble the Seat

Flip over the seat cushion, so you are looking at the underside. Take the chair mechanism, and line it up with the holes on the underside of the seat. It should be apparent how the mechanism fits in the seat. If it isn’t, take a look at the instruction manual.

Insert the bolts into the holes and tighten them as much as you can with your fingers. Use the wrench to tighten the bolts as much as you can. Sometimes there is a plastic cover to put over the mechanism. If your chair came with one, you can clip it into place now.

The armrests and back should now go on the seat. These are screwed on with bolts and should be simple to do. Put the armrests on first with two or four bolds depending on the size of the armrests. The back should only require two bolts to be held in place.

Put It All Together

This is the easiest part of the process: Just lift the assembled seat and place it onto the gas cylinder and push down with your weight. That’s all it takes!

Tips to Remember

  • Do not force any screws or bolts. If they aren’t fastening, take them off and try again.
  • Do not throw away your instruction manual. Not every chair goes together the same way, and you may need it for some hints about your particular chair’s assembly.

Bottom Line

Don’t let that brand-new chair in a box intimidate you when putting a chair together can be done in a few simple steps. Putting together an office chair is easier than most people think. Luckily, most have similar parts, so after you do it once, and future chairs will be a breeze.

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