Thirteen parts that keep a chair working instead of sending it to the tip: Impulse castors in sets of four, gas lifts, five star bases in nylon or chrome, and headrests for the Victor II, Zure, Flex and Ergo Twist chairs. Most office chairs fail at one component while the seat and mechanism are still perfectly good, and swapping that part usually takes ten minutes with the chair upside down on a desk.
Choosing the right part
Measure before you order. Almost every UK office chair takes an 11mm castor stem, but check yours rather than assuming: pull a wheel straight out, it is only a push fit, and measure the pin. Gas lifts vary by cylinder diameter and travel, so note the height range you have now. Bases come as five star nylon or chrome, and chrome looks smarter but weighs more, which counts if the chair moves between rooms.
Match the castor to the floor, not to the chair. Hard wheels are meant for carpet and leave grey lines on wood or vinyl, where soft or braked castors belong. If a chair drifts on a sloping floor, braked castors lock as soon as someone sits down. A headrest is the one genuine upgrade you can add later, but it only fits models designed to take one, so check which chair range yours came from before ordering.
When a part will not save it
Some chairs have done their time. If the foam has flattened or the mechanism no longer holds tilt, no castor will help, and a new task chair or posture chair costs less than a fortnight of bad backs. Mesh chairs tend to outlast fabric in warm rooms, fabric task chairs are the safe all rounder, executive chairs suit long days, and a lumbar cushion from ergonomic accessories makes an average chair bearable while you decide.
Chair parts sent out from Ipswich
Office Masters is the web side of Neil Andrew Office Solutions, a family run outfit at Edison Close on Ransomes Europark in Ipswich. Neil came into the trade through his father Malcolm's business in the 1980s and relaunched under his own name in 2017. Along with supplying and installing furniture across Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and the wider UK, we keep the small parts that stop a working chair being thrown away.
Spares are light, so they travel well: standard UK mainland delivery is free within five working days, with a next working day option when a chair is out of action and someone needs it tomorrow. Customers in Ipswich, Felixstowe and Sudbury often just ask us to look while we are on site, and we go up towards Norwich too. If you are unsure which part you need, photograph the underside of the chair, send it over or call 01473 464644.
