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How to Make an Office Chair Higher: Tips and Tricks

Generally, office chairs are available in various designs and styles. You can adjust these chairs pneumatically with the help of a lever. It is of great importance to adjust the height of an office chair to make it more comfortable and practical.

The correct height of your chair is so the armrest can just go under the desk, but your arm is able to lay flat on top of the desk. Bending your writs up or down is a good way to hurt them!

However, if the chair doesn’t offer enough height to suit your needs, it is possible to raise it a bit. To do this, you have to follow some simple steps.

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Why it is Essential to Adjust the Office Chair’s Height

While using an office chair, it is necessary to keep it at a proper height. It will ensure a comfortable and healthy posture for your back and neck. It will prevent you from experiencing a wide range of issues that arise due to bad posture. 

For instance, when the seat is too low, it will make your legs uncomfortable. Additionally, a chair that is too high will force you to lean over the desk or table, which isn’t a good sitting posture either. Every time you sit in an office chair, you will need to adjust its height to be correct for your body.

Adjusting the seat angle is also vital to the ergonomics of your workstation; therefore, it’s a good idea to learn how.

Making the Height Adjustment

Here is the whole procedure to raise your office chair to a suitable and comfortable height. Or you could go with this low-tech approach shown in the video below

1. Identify the proper height 

Just sit on your chair and see whether your feet stay flat on the ground. Furthermore, analyze your knee position. If your knees are above your waist, this isn’t a proper sitting posture. To increase the height of the chair, you need to measure it.

After that, sit on the chair and measure the distance between your knee and the floor. Make sure to sit in the correct position when taking such a measurement. Now note the difference between the two measurements you have taken. This is the right height your chair must be set to. 

2. Detach the seat from the bottom of your chair

Before working on your chair, take it to an area where you can work on it. Now place the chair upside down. It is advised to put a cloth or towel to protect the chair’s cushioning. Then, take a screwdriver to open the mounting screws that hold the seat to the bottom part of the chair. 

The type of these screws depends on the model and brand of your chair. However, most office chairs come with a universal kind of mounting screw. If there are small nuts that secure the seat with its lower part, open them by using an Allen wrench. 

Note: Once the seat is separated from the bottom, place it in any other safe place. 

3. Raising the height with wood pieces

If you need to raise the chair a few inches, you can do it by placing a wooden piece between the seat and the lower part of the chair. However, to do so, it is essential to use long screws or nuts. Use a drill to make a hole in the middle of a 2×2-inch wooden piece. It will help to pass the screws through.

You need to prepare these wooded pieces in accordance with the number of screws. For instance, if there are four screws, make four of these.

Now, attach the seat with the bottom part of the chair while placing these wooden pieces in between the seat and the lower part. You will feel that the chair is raised to the required height. 

4. Raising the height of a chair with a threaded post

However, if you have an old office chair that came with a threaded post to make the height adjustments, the process of raising its height is slightly different. First, put the chair upside down and lubricate the threaded post.

Take a rag and clear the additional oil to avoid the chair slipping while working on it. This will also help you to clean the dirt and debris that may have accumulated after years of use. In fact, dirt can make it hard to lower or raise the chair’s height. 

Place one of your feet on the base. It will prevent the chair from moving right or left. The next step is to turn the chair clockwise or anti-clockwise to make the height adjustments as needed. If you want to raise the height, turn it anti-clockwise. 

Continue to raise the height of the chair by spinning it. If you see a considerable difference in the height of your chair, it’s time to measure the height. If it has reached the desired height, stop spinning the chair. Sit on the chair and analyze the difference in height. 

If you still think that the chair needs more height, give it a couple of additional spins. Each spin raises the chair approximately 1/4th of an inch. Hence, to raise a chair about 2 inches, you need to spin it counterclockwise approximately eight times. 

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Final Words 

A suitable sitting posture avoids the chances of experiencing the issue of backache or pinched nerves. To stay comfortable and keep your back in good health, you need to know how to make an office chair higher. In this article, we have shown you just how easy it is.

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