How to Make an Office Chair Taller: 8 Simple Methods

A comfortable and supportive chair can help you reduce stress or pain in your body. But not all chairs have the right height. The wrong office chair height can even affect your health problems, so we need to adjust your office chair to the best state.

There are several ways to adjust the height of your office chair; some are free and quick, while others require relatively simple repairs and DIY solutions.

Today, we will recommend some methods for adjusting the height of office chairs in this article, as well as some height-adjustable office chairs, so that you can save more work time.

Find the Ideal Height for Your Office Chair

Generally speaking, the posture is considered to be the right height if it meets the following conditions:

• Your feet are flat on the floor or a footrest.
• Your knee angle is 90 degrees.

Troubleshooting and precautions:

If your usual chair feels uncomfortable, becomes shorter, or cannot be adjusted to its original height. This is because the chair has sunk. When your office chair sinks, it may be that your gas lift is worn. You need to replace the gas lift to prevent your chair from sinking and restore it to the same height as before.

Related articles:

How to Fix a Sinking Office Chair?
How to Find the Ideal Height for Your Office Chair

How to Make an Office Chair Taller

1. Use the Adjustment Lever

Most office chairs are equipped with a cylinder, through which you can easily adjust the height:

• The cylinder is usually located under the seat to connect the seat and the bottom.
• If the gas lift has an adjustment lever, use the adjustment lever to raise or lower the seat. Pulling the adjustment lever upwards will usually raise the seat, and pushing it down will lower the seat.
• After adjustment, make fine adjustments based on their body comfort.

This is the most common method for adjusting the seat height. But if you required height exceeds the maximum height of the office chair, please continue to check out our other methods:

2. Replace the Gas Cylinder

When you want to raise the office chair beyond the original maximum height of the office chair, you can replace the existing cylinder with a longer cylinder.

Preparation for replacing a longer gas cylinder:

• Check the type of gas lift you have. You can ask the store where you made the purchase or check the manual.
• Buy a longer gas lift that matches the office chair you are using.

A brief process for replacing the longer gas cylinder:

• Wear protective gloves.
• Invert the chair or lift it to the highest point and place it on the table.
• To separate the cylinder from the wheelbase of the chair base, push down on the bottom collar and separate the base from the cylinder.
• Remove the cylinder from the tilt mechanism of the chair, which will push up on the top ring and remove the cylinder from the unit.
• Before turning the chair back to the upright position, make sure to insert the new cylinder into the base and tilt mechanism of the chair.

Related articles: How to Remove Gas Lift From Tilt Mechanism and Wheelbase

Notes on replacing the longer gas cylinder:

The replacement gas lift needs to have the same diameter as the original gas lift. The taper of the core in the middle of the gas lift also needs to be adapted to the inside of the tray; otherwise, the tray may not respond after adjustment, and the chair may not be able to adjust the height.

When replacing the gas lift, ensure it meets the BIFMA requirements. If you need to raise it very high, you need to replace the large-diameter five-star wheel base.

3. Replace Casters With Larger Diameters

An easy way to increase the height of a wheeled office chair is to replace the old casters with larger ones. Standard office chair casters are usually 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter. Switching to 2-3 inch casters can increase height.

How to replace casters:

Step 1: Turn the chair over and measure the size of the existing casters.

Step 2: Select larger casters.

Step 3: Insert the new casters into the chair base. Once secured, turn the chair back to an upright position.

Step 4: Test the chair to see if it is stable. If not, reassemble and check.

Pros of replacing casters:

• Larger casters not only increase the height of the chair, but also provide more room to move on different types of flooring.
• Add height without sacrificing the flexibility of the chair.
• Easy to install, only a few tools are required.
• More durable.

Cons of replacing casters:

• Precise measurements are required to ensure that they fit the base of the chair.

Tips for replacing casters:

• Sturdy and durable wheels should be selected.
• Need the torque of the original chair's five-star feet to replace the wheels. If the five-star feet are of poor quality, they may break after replacing the wheels.

Boulies office chairs have an aluminum wheelbase, PU wheels, and top-class gas lift to ensure your safety and use.

4. Use Pillows or Cushions

If you want to increase your office chair height flexibly, you can increase the seat height by adding a hard cushion or pillow to the seat, which is a simple and affordable solution. It can be raised or lowered at any time.

Here is how to choose and use:

• Choose a cushion: If you need to work for a long time, you need to choose a cushion that is supportive enough.
• Adjust the height: The height increase of the cushion is limited. If one is not enough, please add more cushions according to your needs.
• Place the cushion: Place the cushion on the seat and fix it.
• Test: Test the comfort.

Tips: A cushion that is too soft or too hard will add pressure to your hips and thighs, causing blood circulation problems. Choose a suitable cushion.

5. Use a Footrest

If your office chair cannot be raised any further, you can also use a footrest as an office chair height extender.

Office chairs with footrests allow you to lift your feet while sitting. This way you will sit deeper and find a more comfortable posture when you lift your feet.

The free-standing footrest can be slightly away from some office chairs, and the back of the chair is tilted a little, generally between 100-110° is the best angle. Also, check that the footrest is at a height that allows your knees to be at a 90-degree angle when you sit.

Related article: Best Ergonomic Office Chair with Footrest

6. Use Chair Leg Extenders

Using the chair leg extenders, you can raise the chair to a desired height. Especially those with extremely low factory heights.

Chair leg extenders have two forms, one is to lengthen the original chair legs. The other is to completely replace the existing chair legs.

Office chair extenders are available in a variety of materials, depending on price and functionality, including various metals, rubber, or plastic. When installing, you need to follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure that the installation is easy and quick.

7. DIY Adjustment Method

If you are a handy person, you can try a DIY method to adjust the chair seat height. A common DIY method is adding spacers between the seat and base of the chair. You can use wooden blocks or metal spacers. This will increase the height of the chair. But after you add the spacers, remember to test the stability of the chair and that it does not tilt in any direction.

8. Change the Heavy-Duty Office Chairs

If none of the above methods are available, you can consider changing to an adjustable-height office chair:

The Best Height Adjustable Chairs Available:

• Boulies OP300
• Boulies Master

Tips:

One suggestion is to contact us. We will recommend the most suitable office chair according to your specific needs. In addition, if you purchase an office chair from us, we will give you a detailed report to tell you how to adjust it.

Another suggestion is, if you are raising your office chair just because your desk is too high, then you can try a standing desk.

Related article: Best Office Chair for Tall People

Summary

In short, the purpose of raising office chairs is to make you sit more comfortably. Everyone's body shape is different, so please take the time to try and find the perfect setting that suits you best. It can allow you to work better and stay relaxed in your workspace.

Whether you work from home or in a traditional office environment, Boulies office chair and standing desk are working hard for your health.