Picture of a Typical Wooden Glider Rocker with Cushions Well Used

Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Rocking Chairs

The glider rocking chair is the Cadillac of rockers. It features a smooth and quiet, to and fro motion that is far better tan the spring type rocker recliners. That is, when it’s working well.  But as gliders age, they can become squeaky over time. So in this post, we have tips on fixing squeaky wooden glider rocking chairs, to extend your pleasure with them.

Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider: Initial Remarks

Squeaks and squawks in a rocker are like age spots on a human.  They happen gradually as the years pass by. But you can remove them from a rocker without bad effect if you do it carefully. Having the right tools, potions, and procedures is critical though.

Picture of a Typical Wooden Glider Rocker with Cushions Well Used
Typical Glider Rocker with Cushions Well Used.

Now gliding rockers can be expensive (some running into many hundreds of dollars). So we couldn’t afford to replace them every time the squeaks, grinds, and creaks came.  But since we also like quietness, making due with the noise was not an option.  So, repairing the gliders when they got noisy was the only affordable thing to do. A shame to toss a chair when their cushions and finishes still look great. So doing a little maintenance gave us many more years with the chairs.  Some are twenty years old now, and going strong.

Summary of the Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Procedure

Here are the steps we take routinely, to silence the gliders.  Note that you need not perform all of them. Nor must you do them in the order we list them here.  But for the longest-lasting maintenance, doing them all periodically works best to keep your gliders rocking smoothly for decades.

Now if pressed for time, just perform the suggestions that seem like they might work. Try each in turn until you find the one that stops the squeaking. With a typical glider rocking chair, the bearings start making noise first.  So, for these types of rockers, we suggest checking these as the first step to quiet the squeaks.





Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Rocking Chairs: Suggested Tools

It’s helpful to have a well-equipped toolbox full of carpenters’ and mechanics’ aids when fixing glider chairs.  We recommend the following tools:

Screwdrivers

Well constructed screwdrivers or driver heads for electric drills, with Phillips, straight, and star heads.  Different models of the same brand of glider use a wide array of differing fasteners.  So its helpful to have a wide variety of drivers.

Allen Wrenches

A fifteen to thirty piece allen wrench set is best. This is because these usually contain the head sizes your wooden glider rocking chairs has.

Socket Wrench Set

This set should have heads with sizes in small increments from 1/4 inch on up to 1 and 1/2 inches. Also the set should have both metric and English sizes.  We keep the    Husky 16-piece Universal Socket Set   in the toolkit just for furniture fixes and restorations.

Rubber Mallet

Used to tap the chair sides loose, or back together after fixing squeaky wooden glider rocking chairs is complete.

Lubricants

3-In-One oil, white lithium grease (in both a spray and squeeze tube), and silicone spray.  Graphite lubes that dry immediately are great for those near-sealed  bearings.

Wood Glue

Elmer’s or Gorilla glue work best, just in case you snap a dow rod or other delicate piece.

Wood Clamps

Clamps or hand vices hold furniture for any re-gluing required.

Picture of a gliding rocking chair, bottom side up, showing carriage attached via the bearings.
Gliding rocking chair, bottom side up, showing carriage attached via the bearings.

Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Rocking Chairs: Procedures and Tips 

Before starting, remove any cushions and upholstered items from the chair. This prevents staining accidents.  Plus, without the cushions, hearing precisely where the squeaks are coming from is easier.

How to Find Noises in the Glider

Then, rock in the chair, listening for the squeaks.  Have a friend rock in it while you listen around its joints. This makes it easier to hear which one(s) are the squeaking culprits. Knowing where the squeaks are will help you choose the best repair procedure below.





We refer to a joint as follows.  It’s a place where the assemblers glue, nail, or bolt two pieces of the chair together. And the ways to stop squeaks here are different than noisy bearings that require lubrication or replacement.  Indeed, it’s often the bearings in gliding rockers that see lots of use, that start to squeaking.  So, check these first, to find the noises.

Picture of a gliding chair carriage, base assembly, attached to seat frame via a hardened metal bolt through the bearing.
Glider chair carriage, attached to seat frame via a hardened metal bolt.

Check the Bearings

The condition of the bearings largely determines how quietly the chair glides.  And most gliders have eight of these.  Now getting at the bearings often requires at least partially disassembling the glider chair. We illustrate this below.  Often the bearings also serve to hold the pivoting joints together through large bolts and washers, as we show above.  So flip the glider upside down to get access to these bearing bolts.

Remove all Bearing Bolts  

Use a socket set and needle-nosed pliers to hold still the part of the bearing that rotates. Then loosen and remove it.  It may want to turn, while you loosen the bolt with your socket. But hold in place with the pliers.

Test Bearing Rotation

Then, with the bolts out, try turning each shaft with your fingers.  The bearing shaft (pictured above) should be quite easy to turn. The motion should be smooth and quiet; not rough or grinding.  If it grinds or squeaks, then you must lube it as follows.





Lubricate the Chair Bearings when Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Chairs

In our experience, greasing hard-to-turn bearings is problematic. Why? Because it’s hard to force enough new grease into the bearing housing. But doing this is essential where the actual ball bearings reside.  A thick oil may be easier to get in there, but does not last as long as grease.

Completely Remove Bearings from Chair for Best Lubricating

Working with the bearing away from the chair is best.

But most of the time, you need not take the bearing entirely out. Why not?  Because there is often enough inner workings visible to lube it from the front.

However, to assure the longest-lasting work, remove the bearing from the chair frame. Then grease both the front and the back of it.  On the chair pictured next, there are two hex-head black wood screws that hold it in.  Take these out. Then pry the bearing assembly out of the wood with a wide, straight screwdriver.

Picture of an exposed bearing shaft with base fastener bolt removed. Can be lubed by applying oil to area around shaft where grease is visible.
Exposed bearing shaft with base fastener bolt removed.

Replace Defective Bearings as Needed

If after greasing, the bearing still turns roughly, then replace it.  It may have excessive wear. This means that most likely, the internal ball bearings are no longer smooth.  In this case, all the lube in the world will not fix it.  The best overall strategy therefore, is simply to replace the rough bearing.  These have become pretty standard in glider rocking chairs. In fact, there are only a few different sizes and shapes of them in wide use today.

The remaining procedures apply to any wooden rockers and gliders too.

Tighten all Screws and Bolts 

If however, the bearings are not noisy, then try tightening all loose fasteners.  Gliders often have many screws, pins, nails, nuts, and bolts holding them together.  These are typically Philips heads, hex heads, or nuts that gradually loosen, causing joints to rub and squeak excessively.





Tap In Loose Nails

If nails hold the joints together, you can try lightly tapping them tight with a mallet or hammer.  But be careful not to pound too hard. You might split the wood, especially in older wooden glider rocking chairs.

Glue the Joints Piecemeal

If, after tapping the joints, they still squeak, try saturating them with a high-quality wood glue.  You may have to drill small holes in inconspicuous places at the joint. This allows the hardening agent into the critical areas that need bonding.  Maximize bonding to minimize rubbing within the joints.

Oil the Joints when Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Rockers

If you can’t stop the rubbing, then try oiling the noisy joint with 3-In-One.  While rubbing will still occur, it will be quieter. That is, it will not squeak while you rock on the chair, at least until the oil dries out.

Rebuild the Glider Rocker

Now if you have many squeaky joints, you may have to completely disassemble the rocker. Then you will have to re-glue everything from scratch.  This isn’t an easy task. Indeed some of the joints will still be quite tight.  As such, this method is best for when all the other techniques above fail to stop the noise.

Again, tapping gently with a soft mallet works well at loosening the old glue.  Here, patience is a virtue. Why?  Because it may take hours of gently tapping, tugging, twisting, and pulling, just to pry one chair joint apart.  You also need some good size band or vice clamps. These will hold the chair together while the glue hardens when you reassemble the chair.

Be Careful when Re Gluing Joints

When re gluing the joints, the surfaces must be free of dirt, sawdust, oil, and old glue.  So, depending on the sort of joint it is, choose the best cleaning technique for that joint.  Sanding the joint works well to strip off old debris, but can take significant time.  A wire brush head attached to a power drill also works very well, and quickly too.  Just be careful not to scratch the finished and visible spots on the chair with it.

Will add more advice on silencing the bearing squeals as our work with gliders increases.





Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider Rocking Chairs: Warnings

Greases and Lubes can Stain

Be careful when applying graphite-based sprays and liquid lubes. These can stain your chair’s finish. They may also drip onto the carpets and floors on which the glider sits.  So use only enough lube to restore smooth working to the bearings.

Related Posts to Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider

    1. Blaster Graphite Dry Lube Spray Review
    2. Blaster Spray White Lithium Grease Review
    3. Husky 16-Piece Universal Socket Wrench Set 702200 Review

References for Fixing Squeaky Wooden Glider

    1. Where to buy   Bearing Assemblies for Gliding Rockers
    2. Where to buy   Gliding Rocking Chairs