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Posted by Mike Phipps on May 26, 2022
Chair raisers are a safe and effective way to get furniture 'raising' off the ground. The raisers make it easier to get on and off chairs, helping to make everyday activities simpler for those with limited mobility.
These disability aids quickly and easily attach to your existing furniture, so they are a great way to avoid the expense of buying new chairs and beds, and can be used for a wide selection of different furniture.
Some of Ability's range of chair raisers have been designed in consultation with leading and trusted occupational therapists, physiotherapists, as well as other medical professionals in rehabilitation, so you can be assured that these disability aids are safe, secure and stable.
You may not realise it, but you may already be sitting in your chair too low.
Your chair seat is wrong if your hips are below your knees when you sit. The correct position should have your hips in line with your knees.
Chair raisers make sure that you’re sitting correctly and that the height of your furniture is right and therefore not putting any pressure on your back.
A perfect height for a chair raiser will make your hips level with your knees however, do be careful not to raise furniture too high, as this could be very uncomfortable!
Furniture raisers are extremely versatile – you can raise beds, chairs, sofas and tables. To start off with, we recommend raising a single armchair to see if you can work with the extra height. With an armchair, you still have the armrests to help you push when standing, or sitting, giving you extra stability that you may need.
It is possible to raise a two, or three-seater sofa, but please take care, as it is communal furniture, so more people will be using it and you need to make sure the raisers will support the extra weight.
First, measure the distance between the floor and the back of your knee – see Fig 1. You should take this measurement when you’re wearing the shoes you would normally wear around your house.
Now you need to take the measurement of your chair. Measure the distance between the floor and the top of the seat when it is depressed, as if you are actually sitting in the chair – see Fig 2.
If you are looking to raise a bed, you need the measurement from the back of your knee to the floor, and you also need to measure the height from the floor to the top of the mattress, as though someone were sitting on the bed’s edge.
To get the height of the raise in both instances, subtract the Fig 1 measurement from the Fig 2 one – the number left is the measurement that is the correct height you need to raise your chair, or bed by.
It may sound obvious, but it is important that each of the legs are raised to the same height. All castors, or legs, support weight, therefore the balance of the furniture is key.
No, you can’t do this however, the Leg-X Adjustable Chair Raisers do allow your furniture to be moved with raisers in place.
The Leg-X Chair Raisers are ideal for dining and office chairs with a maximum leg width of 3.5 cm (1.4 inches) square. Although, all sorts of chairs can be moved with these mobility aids on. At the bottom of each raiser, there is a smooth, dome base that allows the chair to be moved easily across the floor.
As with other furniture raisers, the Leg-X Chair Raisers will hold your chairs firmly in place without damaging them, and are ideal for straight, curved and splayed legs.
Drop-in blocks can be added to raise chairs to the desired height, from 7.5 to 12.5 cm (3 to 5 inches) and can take a maximum weight of 380 kg (60 stone).
We have a wide selection of furniture raisers available for sale on the Ability Superstore website – elephant feet chair raisers, Langham Suregrip Furniture Raisers, Langham Linked Chair Raisers and some very stylish wooden bed raisers made from bamboo, plus many more!
We are often asked which chair raisers are the best, so we have compiled a comprehensive guide on the top 5 furniture raisers at the bottom of this blog.
We recommend that furniture is positioned against a wall, ideally in the corner, for extra stability, but it’s not always necessary, as it all depends on how you interact with the furniture and what best suits you and your house.
Quite simply, no!
Reclining chairs come with a mechanism that lifts the front castors when on the floor to prevent movement. This can make them very unstable and dangerous if not used correctly.
Beds can be raised by using single furniture raisers…
… but you need to make sure you are supporting the wider area.
For increased stability, it is much safer to use multi-purpose raisers and for the separator bars to be positioned like this…
Yes, both two and three-seater sofas can be raised using the Morris Settee Raisers.
These mobility aids come with long spreader bars, or link arms, to allow for a wider area providing more support.
With three-seater sofas, we recommend that there is a support at each end, running from the front of the sofa to the back, so underneath the sofa arms. An extra support needs to be under the middle of the sofa, even if there are no castors there.
A sofa should always be placed against a wall, or across the corner of a room, for additional security.
Linked raisers provide the safest method of raising furniture, as they are very stable, even for those who sit down forcefully. It is therefore a good idea to use linked raisers on armchairs, as the level of stability and safety is increased.
If a chair raiser is knocked, then the mobility aid needs to be checked to make sure that it is still in firm contact with the floor.
Avoid using furniture raisers on uneven surfaces and be careful to avoid getting your fingers trapped in any of the adjustment slots.
With so much choice available, we thought it would be helpful if we let our Ability Superstore customers know what the best 5 chair raisers are?
So, here it is – our ultimate guide!
At number 5, we have the Homecraft Stackable Cone Chair Raisers.
These cone raisers offer great support at a phenomenal economic price.
These mobility aids can take an overall weight of 222 kg (35 stone) and are made from durable, industrial-strength plastic, so they are going to last a long time!
Each cone has a broad base with a secure hole for the furniture leg to fit into. This gives the disability aids a low centre of gravity, providing a safe and stable footing.
With each raiser weighing only 105g (3oz) with a raise height of 9 cm (3.5 inches) and sold in sets of four, these chair raisers really deserve their place in our list of top 5 furniture raisers.
At number 4, we have the Elephant Feet Style Chair Raisers.
Elephant Feet Style Chair Raisers are just like the feet of real elephants! They're sturdy, firm and offer great support for chairs, sofas, tables and beds – and are available in two colours – black, or grey.
These raisers come in two different sizes, 9 cm (3.5 inches), or 14 cm (5.5 inches) – so you can decide which are the best fit for you and your family.
With a maximum load weight of 381 kg (60 stone), you can be sure that these mobility aids won't break, or crack, and are ideal for two-seater sofas.
At number 3, we have the 4 inch Bamboo Furniture Raisers.
The Bamboo Furniture Raisers from Gordon Ellis are incredibly stylish and will suit any style of decor in your house. They have been finished with a clear lacquer to ensure a glossy and tough finish. The real bonus with bamboo is its natural strength.
Bamboo has a high strength to weight ratio, meaning these are very hard to break!
These mobility aids have different size recesses on different sides of the cube, so are ideal for a range of furniture legs, accomodating leg diameters of 3.2 cm (1.2 inches), 5.1 cm (2 inches) and 7.6 cm (3 inches).
These four sleek wooden cubes can also be purchased separately, so if you need more for a bed, or a sofa, it isn't a problem!
At number 2, we have the Langham SureGrip Furniture Raisers.
The Langham SureGrip Furniture Raisers are highly versatile raisers and are great if you would prefer your chairs, settees and bed all at different heights, as these mobility aids have the option of multiple height adjustments.
These mobility aids fit existing castors, legs, and solid divan beds. The best thing about the Langham SureGrips are the different heights you can choose to raise your furniture.
The height is adjusted in seconds simply by twisting the units up and down. The exact raise height is shown on the side as you raise it.
If your furniture has legs up to 7 cm (2.7 inches) thick, then you have a choice of rise between 3.8 and 10 cm (1.5 to 4 inches).
If your furniture has castors, you will have a choice between 7.5 and 13.8 cm (3 to 5.2 inches).
In tandem with the adapter, block feet, or solid bases, can rise between 10 and 16.3 cm (4 to 6.5 inches).
At the top spot, we have the Leg-X Adjustable Chair Raisers.
The Leg-X Adjustable Chair Raisers are at the top of our Top 5 Chair Raisers due to the flexibility and independence that these furniture raisers offer.
Unlike other chair raisers, once these disability aids have been fitted, you can move your furniture around your room, or house.
You also have a choice of different heights, as these chair raisers come with plastic inserts, allowing you to increase, or lower the height.
Inside the mobility aids are 'fins'. These 'fins' grip the legs and spread the pressure, which makes these aids suitable for furniture with odd-shaped legs, as well as for your favourite chair.
Many items on our website are available at VAT exemption prices. Disabled UK residents, or chronically sick ones are eligible to claim VAT relief on some items, saving money on a purchase if you are buying them for personal use and they are relevant to your condition. To be able to claim VAT exemption, you need to have a relevant disability, or be chronically sick, or be purchasing on behalf of someone with a relevant disability. If an item is eligible for VAT relief, the price will be marked on the page. If the price doesn't show a VAT free option, then that item isn't available for that particular purchase.
Ability Superstore is one of the top mobility and disability aid websites in the UK, and now with our first mobility shop, we are adding an extra level to our customer care experience.
We stock hundreds of items from simple jar openers right through to mobility scooters and more.
For more information, or advice, on anything in the mobility aid world, call our customer service team free on 0800 255 0498, or email us at heretohelp@abilitysuperstore.com for any support, or advice you need. You can also send us a message via this Contact Us form on our website. You will also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
