Patio Chair Glides and Feet Replacement

Missing or worn glides are the cheapest repair on a patio chair and one of the most ignored. The parts cost about $1 to $2 a glide. A glides-only visit typically runs a $75 small-job minimum; when a chair is already in for slings or straps, it is just the parts. Glides go on at your patio or with other shop work.

What a glide does

A glide, also called a foot, cap or “nylon foot,” is the plastic or nylon plug or cup on the bottom of each leg. It keeps the aluminum off the deck, levels the chair and lets it slide instead of scraping. Tropitone’s care guide puts it plainly: glides are sometimes lost or worn with use, and should be replaced when lost or worn for stability and safety.

Signs your glides are gone

• A grinding or scraping sound when a chair is pulled out.
• Gray or silver marks on pavers, travertine or a pool deck coating.
• A chair that rocks on a flat surface.
• The tube end worn flat or ground at an angle.

Our missing glides scratching the pavers page covers the five-minute check.

Why they go missing in Tucson

Glides are small plastic parts, and dragging chairs across rough concrete and pavers grinds them down. Once one is gone, the chair rocks and the others wear faster.

Typical prices

Parts prices come from published patio parts supplier listings. The visit minimum reflects how small repair jobs are typically priced in this trade (one repair shop publishes a $75 shop minimum). All of it matches the pricing page.

Getting the size right

Glides are not one size fits all. Size is usually set by the tube’s outside diameter, a few by the inside diameter, and there are round, square, rectangular, oval and domed styles. We match them on site where we can; odd ones get ordered.

Do it yourself?

Absolutely, if the size is easy to match. Pull an old glide, take it to a supplier or measure the tube, and press the new ones in. If the tube end is worn through or flared, though, a new glide will not seat properly, and that leg may need a frame repair.

Kinds of glide

Supplier catalogues list a surprising range: insert cups for round and rectangular tube, cap glides that fit over the outside of the tube, stem bumpers, weld cups, vinyl cap glides in square and teardrop shapes, sled, oval and triangle glides, pop-rivet glides, and adjustable screw glides. Most are US standard sizes made for aluminum frames, not metric. Which one your chair takes depends on how the leg ends:

• Open round tube usually takes an insert cup or a cap glide.
• Rectangular or oval tube takes a matching insert in that shape.
• Sled-base chairs (a continuous bar instead of four legs) take sled glides along the bar.
• Swivel rockers use their own base glides.
• Riveted glides have to be drilled out and a new one pop-riveted in; Tropitone’s care guide describes exactly that.

How we replace them

1. Pull or drill out what is left of the old glide.
2. Check the tube end. If it is ground flat or split, it gets trimmed or repaired first.
3. Measure the tube and match the glide.
4. Press or rivet the new glide in and set the chair on a flat surface to check that it sits level.

Glides and warranty

Makers treat feet as wear parts. Brown Jordan’s residential warranty says chair feet are subject to wear and tear and are not part of the frame. Winston, Tropitone and Homecrest each give glides one year. So a glide job is nearly always on the owner, which is one reason it is good to know how cheap the parts are.

Glide questions owners ask

Will new glides stop my chair scratching the travertine? If the scratch comes from bare metal, yes. Glides themselves pick up grit, so sweep the deck and check them each season.

Can I use felt pads or generic furniture feet? We fit glides made for the tube size and shape, because a glide matched to the tube is the one that seats properly and stays put.

Bundle it

Every sling replacement and vinyl strap restrapping job is a good time to put fresh glides on the whole set, since the chairs are already in our hands. Brown Jordan’s care guide also mentions protecting glides.