How to get the casters on an IKEA desk chair
June 25, 2017 1:56 PM   Subscribe

My husband, who is skilled at assembling furniture and has a lot of experience with IKEA, put together a LÅNGFJÄLL desk chair, and we can't figure out how to get the casters (feet) to stay on. There doesn't seem to be any way for them to lock in. They look like they're staying, and then as soon as you move a tiny bit, one or more fall out.

I contacted Ikea support, and they told me to search on YouTube or their website for video instructions. Of course I couldn't find anything useful.

Any suggestions, Ikea fanatics of MeFi?
posted by radioamy to Home & Garden (6 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Looking at the instructions (pdf), they look like pretty standard casters - you gotta push 'em in HARD, until the little ring at the top of the stem of the caster "clicks" into place.

If you're pushing them in until the wheel is right up against the bottom of each leg and they're still falling out, then you might well have a defective base.
posted by soundguy99 at 2:06 PM on June 25, 2017 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I have an Ikea chair like this. What the soundguy99 said. Push them in hard. Real hard. If they still fall out, there is something wrong with either the base or the casters.
posted by AugustWest at 2:13 PM on June 25, 2017


yeah, I have the same chair, and it just required a fair amount of force to get them in.
posted by advil at 2:41 PM on June 25, 2017


Similar IKEA object recently assembled with casters, and I gave 'em a soft whack with a rubber mallet. The click and fix was clearly audible.
posted by cobaltnine at 2:48 PM on June 25, 2017


For future reference, this issue is not limited to Ikea chairs. I've had the same problem with rolling office chairs from Office Depot, Staples, Target, etc. A trick I've learned (if you don't have the strength to push the casters in or a rubber mallet handy) is to attach them before you've attached the back and arms of the chair. Turn the seat of the chair upside down and assemble the base, then, on the floor, add the casters one by one and lean HARD on each one using the weight of your upper body, rather than trying to push them in. If the chair seat and back is all one piece like yours, do this on a strong table, but you might need a friend to hold it still and keep it from sliding around.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 4:36 PM on June 25, 2017 [1 favorite]


Seconding the recommendation to use a rubber mallet for an assist. I use one a lot when assembling Ikea furniture though it's rarely in the instructions. Why huff and puff trying to get something together with your hands when you can use a hammer? (Caveat: be gentle with materials that might dent.)
posted by purple_bird at 9:47 AM on June 26, 2017


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