24-hour chairs are the optimum solution for control rooms, call centres, surveillance operations, or anywhere that comfortable, supportive seating is required for long periods. There are plenty of excellent office chairs available that are specifically designed for multi-user, round-the-clock situations – simply search for them on a high quality office furniture website such as Business Furniture Online.

Concorde 24 Hour High Back Leather Chair

Just type 24 hour in the product search box and you’ll be rewarded with an impressive selection in a variety of colours, and in various styles, from 24-hour operator chairs to 24-hour executive chairs – ideal for extra-hardworking executives who frequently need to burn the midnight oil! Here’s a link to a couple of good examples. (Concorde High Back Chair and the Maxima Chair).

Although ordinary chairs can be beefed up a bit with a heavy-duty fabric – just specify the toughest fabric when you order – they simply won’t be up to 24-hour use, because they are not designed for that purpose. So, if you attempt to use an ordinary chair round-the-clock on a long-term basis, bear in mind that it won’t be warranted for such heavy usage, and will probably not withstand such abuse for long! A chair that’s designed from the start for heavy-duty multiple user applications will be much more solid and durable, and more comfortable to use for long periods.

Maxima 24 Hour Chair

The majority of chairs designed specifically for 24-hour applications are characterised by a high back, to provide the extra support that’s essential for long periods of work. And you’ll get heavy-duty fabric, of course. They also have a heavy-duty structure, as you’d expect, so that they can withstand unrelenting use for many years. Most of them are guaranteed for at least two years, but some feature a five-year guarantee for 24/7-use. Other desirable features to look out for in a 24-hour office chair include:

• Back height adjustment
• Independent adjustment of seat and back angles
• Inflatable lumbar support
• Tension adjustment to suit the individual user’s weight
• Large, shaped, deep cushions for maximum support, resilience and comfort over long periods
• Fira testing to severe level
• SATRA Certification to BS5459 part 2-2000 for 24-hour use by persons weighing up to 150kgs (23.6 stones)

Posturemax 200 Extra Large 24 Hour Back Care Chair – 30 Stone

For heavyweight users, you can find large-size 24-hour chairs that are tough enough to support users up to 190kgs in weight (That’s 30 stones, if you’re a metrication-denier!). Here’s a link to a really tough ultra-heavy-duty chair.

And finally, as with most things, bear in mind that you get what you pay for, so don’t buy a cheap 24-hour chair; it simply won’t be up to the task. Expect to pay quite a lot more than you would for an ordinary office chair – but considering the extra use it will be put to, you’ll get great value for money in the long term.

Now here’s a bright idea: colourful office furniture! Let’s face it; many offices are drab, dreary places that could benefit from adding a splash of colour here and there. Reception areas, waiting rooms, meeting rooms, breakout areas and canteens are often good candidates for a facelift. The easy, cost-effective way to achieve that is by throwing out the battered old dark seating and replacing it with some lively new, brightly coloured, soft furniture – or contemporary firm seating in low-maintenance polypropylene. Several ranges are available in an exciting variety of colours.

The transformation created by coloured seating is instantaneous, and often surprisingly effective. Staff and visitors alike respond well to brightly coloured seating, because it creates a more positive, lively mood within a friendlier environment. And colourful designer seating need not be expensive. Modern materials and mass production techniques enable exciting designs to be produced at very affordable prices.

Durable, wipe-clean, brightly coloured stacking chairs
A set of four brightly coloured Daly contemporary stacking polyprop chairs, for example, are currently available for just £100 (+VAT) instead of the RRP of £152.52 (+VAT) – even the full RRP is a very reasonable price, so the special offer price is an absolute bargain. They come in a choice of five great colours, and there are Daly designer high stools to match.

Modular low-level seating in a variety of colours and materials
Another upgrade option worth considering is Zig Zag modular low-level rectangular soft seating units. These wedge-shaped and rectangular individual seats can be configured in various snaking, curved and straight formations for a spectacular contemporary look.

Standard office chairs in non-standard colours
A way to add colour that works well in areas with desk chairs, is to include among the standard black or grey chairs a few new ones in a brightly coloured material. Operator, draughtsman and task chairs are available to order in a host of exciting fabric shades, such as lime green, bright pink, fire engine red, cool blue, electric blue, banana yellow, orange and purple. Why not complement the interior décor or match the colour of your corporate logo?

1. Get new office chairs
How long have those office chairs been there? Probably many years, or even decades! Unless they’re fairly up-to-date, they probably look awful (which reflects badly on the business) are difficult to adjust, uncomfortable, and provide poor support. That causes users to suffer from backache, leading to time off work. They also need to get up and stretch their legs more frequently. The few hundred pounds that a new seat costs will be amply repaid by higher productivity and lower sickness.

2. Get new office furniture
While you’re in the mood to sort out the seating, take a close look at your office furniture as well. Battered desks demolish the slick image of the business in a glance. So get new ergonomic desks, preferably with built in cable management so that staff don’t have to crawl under them to connect mobiles and laptops for charging. Sleek new desks will look great, motivate your staff, and help them to work more efficiently.

3. Get some decent plants
Nothing livens up an office better than plants and flowers. And the good news is that apart from cheering up people, they also generate oxygen that freshens the air. Delegate someone in the office to look after them, or take out a maintenance contract.

4. Get larger computer monitors
Large monitors are very low-cost nowadays, and they make a huge difference to users. Apart from reducing eyestrain, they make it easy to view two pages side-by-side – and that’s much better for productivity, compared to toggling between two pages.

5. Get happier staff
Upgrading your computers, office furniture and office chairs will create better working conditions, and in the long term, your investment in refurbishment will save you money. After the changes you should find that you can operate more efficiently and with fewer employees, so why not use the extra money to reward the staff you retain with a bit more in their wages. Now there’s a thought.

If you are suffering from general backpain at work and you don’t have a specific back condition the Health and Safety Executive have produced some simple yet effective tips to reduce discomfort during the working day.

Activity is the name of the game and sitting in one position at a desk for the majority of the day engaged in computer use is a likely cause of your aches and pains. Humans are not designed to sit continuously so get up and move around, vary your work and check that your chair is set up to support the natural S-shaped curve of your back.

The HSE gives the following advice to individuals who experience back pain at work:

• try to take regular breaks;
• get up and stretch;
• sit up comfortably in a chair that supports your lower back;
• during computer work, ensure that you adjust your chair height so that your forearms are comfortably resting on the desk and your elbows are roughly at right angles;
• vary your tasks, so that you are trying to avoid the same movements for prolonged periods using the same part(s) of your body.
• co-operate with arrangements your employer introduces to reduce risks. This may be through systems or equipment in place for you to use or a system of reporting accidents, near misses or symptoms of ill health

To maximise comfort when seated check that your existing chair is providing you with the maximum support possible and that you are sitting in it properly. If you have developed some bad habits you might have to actively remember to sit correctly until it becomes natural by checking your posture regularly (From personal experience this can take a week, but is worth the effort!).

Sit back into your seat so that your back is fully supported by the back rest. There should be a 2-3 finger space between the back of your knees and the seat – if your seat is too deep you will creep to the front edge and away from the support of the backrest (we’ve all done it!).

If you have adjustable armrests on your chair make sure that your arm is bent to form a right angle at the elbow when resting on the the armpad. An armrest that is too high will result in you hunching your shoulders and creating discomfort in your shoulders and neck. Without armrests you should still have that right angle shape with your forearms resting on the desk in front of you at your keyboard (if used).

Adjust your seat height to ensure that you can reach your desk comfortably in this position and if necessary get a footrest if your feet can no longer touch the ground. If you wear shoes with different height heels be prepared to adjust your seat height on different days.

Some chairs offer minimal adjustment with the seat adjusting for height and the back rest adjusting for height and forward/backward movement. If you still require more support to avoid back or shoulder aches or discomfort it is worth considering changing your chair for one with more adjustment such as a seat slide for longer legs, seat tilt to allow you to realign your back when seated or a differently shaped backrest or added lumbar support. This might cost a little more than a less adjustable chair but when you think how much more comfortable you will be and therefore how much more productive and it is easily justifiable!

Where you do need to purchase a new chair we offer extensive ranges of made to order chairs where you can add just the options you need to help you sit comfortably. If you use a computer all day look at our Operator Chair Range. For people who engage in a variety of tasks see the Task Chair Range and for those who require more support than the standard ranges see the Posture Support Ranges of chairs developed specifically for back pain. Alternatively contact us to talk through your requirements.

When buying an office chair you may just be given a a few colours to choose from but here at Business Furniture Online our chairs are often made to order which means you can have whichever fabric and colour you need!

With all this extra choice most people need a little extra help to find the right fabric. It is not difficult but with so much choice it can sometimes seem so.

The FAQs below should help you decide what is best for you but if you can’t find the answer to your question just contact us and we will do our best to help.

I am using my chair for 8 hours a day in a standard office environment which fabric should I choose? A low hazard fabric should be fine unless your insurance states differently. The most popular are Stirling and Advantage (woven tweed with some wool) or Phoenix (crepe finish).

I need a fabric with medium hazard/Crib 5 fire retardency for my office chair. Which fabrics can I choose from? For standard office chairs the most usually chosen medium hazard/Crib 5 fabrics are Mainline Plus, Flamblend (also has an inherent stain repellant), Xtreme Plus.

I would like a pure wool fabric for my office chair because I have heard it is more comfortable. What are the options? There are a number of crepe fabrics made from pure wool and the most popular of these are Aquarius (100% wool), Blazer (100%) and Oxygen (90%), or for a very funky option try Smarty (90% and very spotty!).

My chairs will be in use 24/7. Are there fabrics which will cope with this additional use? Yes there are specialist fabrics designed specifically for intensive use. The most popular of these is 24/7 but you can also look at Flamblend, Presidio (only on certain chairs) and of course quality leather is particularly hard wearing.

I am looking for a sustainable fabric for my seating. What are the options? Camira fabrics prides itself in developing sustainable fabrics which can be used on office seating. In their ranges they now have fabrics made from 100% compostable fibres such as wool, hemp and even nettles. In addition they manufacture fabrics from recycled materials eg. Urban which is 100% recycled polyester. Any of these fabrics can be used on our made to order chairs. If the fabric you want is not listed just contact us for a price.

I am buying soft seating for our office reception. Which are the most suitable fabrics? Wool fabrics work well on soft seating and tend to look better for longer. The quality of wool fabric means that it suits the curves of soft seating where synthetic fabrics are less giving and are more likely to pucker or pull on curved soft edges. Synthetics may last for longer but need more regular care and attention than wool and as they are non-absorbent stains tend to remain on the fabric surface becoming unsightly and duller with age. All in all we would recommend that you consider a wool fabric for your soft seating  – a little extra investment at the beginning is likely to give you longer lasting results.

I want to cheer up the office with chairs with more interesting fabrics but I don’t want to spend a fortune? Any ideas? Yes plenty. Try mixing colours on chairs or combining patterned and plain fabrics. Some are designed to work together such as the Blazer plain and patterned fabrics and the Smarty and Blazer fabrics which one of our adventurous manufacturer’s have tried on the Q2 Task chair.

I want to match our new chairs with our decor and don’t want to make a costly mistake with the colour. What can I do to make sure that the colours match? Just contact us with your fabric ideas and we can send you a fabric card so that you can see the colours in situ. Never try to match colours from a computer screen as all screens show colours differently.

I need a waterproof option for our seating. Can you advise? For certain areas a vinyl will be your best bet and there are many ranges and colours to choose from. In other circumstances a vinyl may appear too utilitarian and in these instances we would suggest that you take a look at the large ranges of waterproof fabrics. Many of these have the added benefit of being antibacterial, stain resistant and breathable as well as appearing like a normal fabric. See our list of Healthcare Fabrics for options and ask for a fabric card to see the colour options for individual ranges.

The use and availability of antibacterial and waterproof healthcare fabric and vinyl has increased greatly in recent years. Much in demand in the healthcare sector and leisure industry the range of styles and colours has improved and is now far removed from the old style vinyl found commonly in hospitals in the past.

Properties

Encouraged by the increased use in leisure industry, and the current infection control requirements of healthcare environments such as hospitals, clinics and surgeries, manufacturers have improved their ranges in style and colour choice. These healthcare fabrics and vinyl usually benefit from the following attirbutes:

• Fluid proof, including water, urine,etc
• Stain repellence or resistance
• Antibacterial and antifungal - the resistance to different bacteria is dependent on the individual properties of that fabric making some fabrics more suited to certain functional areas than others but treatments usually include the control of MFSA, C. Diff, E-Coli, etc
• Breathable This is a crucial difference to vinyl which is not breathable

Cleaning

Cleaning regimes differ in different environments and many of these healthcare fabrics and vinyl have been designed for use in the nhs and with current infection control regimes.

All healthcare fabric and vinyl used on our chairs is tested to industry standards for strength and flammability.

As many of our standard chairs are made to order we are able to specify them with your choice of fabric. This ensures that you can combine the most appropriate style of seating with the best fabric for its use thereby ensuring it is fit for purpose. As we offer web prices they are not only bespoke but also excellent value for money.

For the latest information about the healthcare fabrics available on our made to order seating please click the link. This document provides information about the most popular fabrics and vinyl but is by no means exhaustive so if you have already specified your fabric just contact us for a price.

Fabric and Vinyl Manufacturer’s

For further information about fabric ranges from our main fabric manufacturers please follow the links below:

Camira fabrics: http://www.camirafabrics.com/

Agua Fabrics: http://www.aguafabrics.com/

Panaz Fabrics: http://www.panaz.co.uk/healthcare

Sunbury Design: http://www.sunburydesign.com/

Chieftain Fabrics (vinyl): http://www.chieftainfabrics.com/home/

CTP Textiles: http://www.ctptextiles.co.uk/

A successful business will often have appropriate areas designated for each activity that occurs throughout the day. Many larger companies have separate boardroom tables and meeting room tables in different rooms, smaller companies often require their tables to cover both functions.

A great example of meeting room tables is the barrel meeting table. The barrel meeting table comes with a variety of options. You can choose from different leg styles and multiple finishes so that it fits comfortably into your office environment. The table is large enough to fit eight to ten people comfortably and it comes with a 2 year manufacturer’s guarantee.

Many companies need meeting tables to be flexible and one range which provides this versatility is the congress rectangular meeting table. The congress rectangular meeting table is available in many different sizes to accommodate your needs. It can also be combined with trapezoidal and semi-circular tables from the Congress range  to allow them to be reconfigured to create versatile meeting solutions where the tables are to be used by groups of varying size. Congress tables can be easily stored without legs in a separate area when not in use. This is a great option if your business has limited space. The table is available in a variety of different finishes, is made in the UK and comes with a 6-year guarantee from the manufacturer.

Before choosing a meeting table, it is important to consider the dimensions of the room and your preferred table layout (or layouts, where the room is regularly reconfigured) to ensure that you have sufficient space for seating and access. Additionally you may need to provide communication or electric points and this may affect your choice of table as some have access points for wiring.

There is still time to order your new office furniture before the end of the financial year.

Many of our office furniture ranges are held in stock and are available for delivery and installation in 5 – 10 working days. Our install team are specialists in contructing and installing your new furniture in your office space so that you don’t have too ….. and this service is free to offices on mainland UK!

We have many ranges of office furniture from standard workstations to executive office furniture, storage cupboards and tambour units to bookshelves. All are accompanied by a manufacturer’s guarantee and are available in a variation of styles, shapes and finishes so that you can choose to set just the right impression to your staff and customers.

Due to the outstanding durability of the hugely popular  Mata Range of classroom and multi-purpose chairs and Mata beam seating units we are pleased to announce that the manufacturer’s guarantee for these chairs has been increased to 10 years for all chairs bought after this date.

Mata Chairs stacked

Consistently high levels of customer satisfaction over the last 10 years and further recent durability testing have confirmed the strength of the Mata chairs which are manufacturered to BS 4875: Part 1: 2001 Test Level 4 (strength and durability), BS 7945: 1999 (stability) and BS EN 1729 (sizing standards).

A strong swivel chair for students and internet cafes

The strength in the Mata chair comes from its specially engineered ribbed back which can even withstand a large car being driven over it – yes really! Watch this space for the photographic evidence.

Apart from the strength, the S-shaped back is also supportive and comfortable and the seat can be fitted with an upholstered seat pad if you want to increase that level of comfort still further.

These popular and versatile multipurpose seats come in 6 sizes to suit all ages, with a choice of a 4-legged or cantilever frame, a swivel option and on a beam with 3 – 5 seats

There are a variety of different types of office chairs available. Two of the more common options are task chairs and executive office chairs or managers chairs. Task chairs are adjustable in height and are designed for those who use a computer extensively as part of their working day. Executive chairs are designed for executives or managers who spend their day engaged in a variety of tasks including the use of the computer but also time spent in meetings and reading or writing at their desk. Executive chairs tend to be constructed differently and  often have generously upholstered one-piece seat and back and a knee tilt mechanism which allows the seat to be locked into various positions or allowed to move freely according to the tasks the user is engaged in.

Although they tend to be more expensive executive leather chairs are popular with executives and senior managers as they create a great impression as well as providing comfort and support throughout the day.

Executive office chairs are often made to order with either fabric or leather upholstery in a wide variety of colours to allow you to create exactly the right impression. Many of these chairs are available with high back or  medium back options. Some of these chairs also feature adjustable neckrests, which can make them even more supportive.

If you are considering purchasing an office chair, first consider who will use it and how it will be used. Executive and manager’s chairs meet the needs of people who perform a variety of tasks during the day whilst operator and task chairs are designed for those who tend to use a computer at a desk for the majority of their working day. Choosing a chair which matches your working style will result in a higher level of comfort and a greater productivity. Executive, manager’s, task and operator chairs can be found on the website to meet all budgets.