Introduction: Fix the Squeak in Your Herman Miller Aeron Chair

By @Riptide360

Does your Herman Miller Aeron Chair squeak when you shift around in it? What's with that?

We'll the fix might be as simple as adding some lubricant to the correct place.

Here's what you'll need:

  1. Get two rags. One to dust off the chair, the other to wipe away excess lubricant. We will use 2 rags to minimize the chance of the dust getting into the lubricant, which is what probably caused this problem in the first place.
  2. A 3/16" Allen Wrench/Hex Key. Hopefully you'll have one of these. If not head to Home Depot or Harbor Freight and ask for an inexpensive SAE Allen Wrench set (around $8 on sale).
  3. A can of silicone lubricant spray. You want silicone spray over other types of lubricants because the silicone doesn't degrade when exposed to the existing grease, and is the best ranked lubricant for plastic to metal. You can use silicone enhanced with fluoropolymer (Teflon) for even less friction.

Try to see if you can make the squeak happen consistently and if you can isolate where it is coming from. That way you'll know if you've fixed it before you put everything away.

Steps:

  1. Give your chair a good wipe down. You'll be amazed at how much dust can accumulate under the char and behind the web netting.
  2. Take your 3/16" allen wrench and remove the 4 hex bolts that hold the chair backing.
  3. Wipe down the inside rails to remove all the dust.
  4. Use the Silicone spray to lubricate the side rails, the hex nut holes and the bolts. You may need to use the clean rag to prevent overspray. Avoid getting the Silicone spray on your clothing as it is water proof and may be hard to get out of your clothing.
  5. Wipe down the excess silicone spray with the clean rag.
  6. Put the lubricated bolts back in and tighten the bolts back up.
  7. Get back in the chair and try to recreate the squeak. Hopefully it is gone.

I went ahead and cleaned and lubricated the rolling wheels, the central pneumatic shaft and the armrest adjusting knobs.

If you need help identifying other areas where the squeak could be coming from you can take a look at the part assembly for the chair: http://www.hermanmiller.com/content/dam/store/asse...

Note: Herman Miller offers an unparalleled 12 year warranty where you can have a service representative come out and fix the problem: http://www.hermanmiller.com/customer-service/warra...