Why do rocking chairs walk

Answer this question. Kathy Tharp Thompson on Feb 15, Lynn on Feb 20, Cindy on Feb 15, Helpful Reply. William on Feb 16, Turn the rocking chair upside down to allow free access to the rockers. Make sure they are not loose. Hold a piece of cardboard against the outside of one rocker. Trace the outline of the rocker onto the cardboard with a pencil. Hold the cardboard tracing against the inside of the opposite rocker and compare the two profiles.

Mark the starting and ending points of the differing radius on the rocker with the higher arc. Rocking chairs require both rockers to have the same profile radius in order to move back and forth in a straight line. Reduce the arc of the higher rocker to match the flatter radius with some sandpaper.

Glue a strip of felt or velvet ribbon onto the bottoms of the rockers. This should stop rocking chairs from sliding around on smooth surfaces, as it creates more friction between the rockers and the floor. Make sure the material you use is evenly spread out over each rocker and that there are no bubbles, otherwise your rocking chair might give you a bumpy ride.

Hillela G. Good luck!!! Kathy Conley on Feb 16, I was thinking maybe you could use those little rubber bumpers the rails to help keep it in one spot.

Chatycms on Feb 17, Cindy on Feb 20, Well, after much thought Lightly spray any springs or moving metal parts with lubricant. Put the rocker right side up in the place you wish to use it. Sit in it and rock. Move on to the next step if it still walks. Turn the rocking chair upside down. Use a soft cloth barely damp with rubbing alcohol to wipe the rockers, which are the parts of the chair that make contact with the floor.

Wipe along the most worn area where the rockers touch the floor. Measure the width of the rockers. Use the rocker measurements to select gripper pads.

The pads are made out of vinyl and can be cut to fit--get two rectangular strips, or one strip if the rockers are narrow. Use scissors or a utility knife to cut the gripper pads to fit the width of the rockers. You may have noticed that some rocking chairs will move forward or from side-to-side when you rock in them. Fortunately, there are several ways to stop rocking chairs from walking. Turn the chair over and plane the bottom of the larger rocker to match the size of the smaller one.

This way, the rockers will be even and should therefore stay in place. Then tie a piece of stout cord between the screws to hold the chair in place and keep it from moving forward. If you lack the tools necessary to do the above, another simple solution is to glue a strip of material such as rug padding or felt onto the bottoms of the rockers.