How to repair the shock mount on an Eames chaise longue?

Designed and introduced by Ray and Charles Eames around 1956, the Eames lounge chair marketed by Stefano Design embodies comfort, luxury, art and exquisite elegance in its Scandinavian design.

The two bars connecting the base to the headrest make assembly easier and make the Eames seat lighter and more stylish.

The backrest is attached to the headrest by 3 screwing points on each bar.

When it came to securing the back to the base, Eames avoided the use of bolts on his chair by choosing to attach these plywood pieces with a rubber shock mount between them.

Over a period of several years, these supports can degrade through ageing and oxidation of the neoprene.
Rubber can become brittle and nothing can stick to it. If you’re in your chair when the rubber support link breaks, you risk falling backwards and landing on the floor, which can cause harm to you and your chair.

At this point, you’ll need to repair the broken shock absorber mount, and that means replacing the entire mount. It is not possible to repair or re-glue your office chair support using the old original parts. Many have tried, and most have or will fail.

At Stefano’s, we replace the rubber shock mounts with stainless steel ones, making the chair much more resistant over time. If you have your rubber support, here are the steps you need to follow to successfully repair the shock mount on your Scandinavian-style Eames chair.

The disassembly stage

To begin repairing your Eames chair, disassemble the shell and base. There’s no difficulty in doing it, just follow these steps:

• Remove the seat cushion by sliding it forward;
• Remove the armrests by removing the two screws securing each one;
• Remove the two inner screws from the steel arm supports ;
• Remove the swivel base to facilitate repairs

Your Eames Lounge Chair is now ready for repair. Before continuing, you’ll need to purchase a few items on Amazon, including your new shock mounts. We recommend that you do a little research and find the ones that suit you best. A multitude of shock mounts are available, so choose ones that are similar to the originals to keep the original design and structure of your chair.

You’ll also need to buy adhesive glue for armchairs. We don’t recommend any particular adhesive, but in our experience, 3M Scotch Weld two-part epoxy adhesive gives good results. To help you, here’s what you’ll need to order on Amazon for your chair repair:

• New shock absorbers similar to the originals;
• High-quality armchair adhesive

Enjoy free shipping and great prices with Amazon

The repair stage

It’s time to get down to business. Here, you need to follow a few steps correctly to avoid screwing up the repair of your Eames Lounge Chair.

Cleaning

You’ll need to carefully remove as much residue as possible from the broken rubber Eames shock mount, from inside the seat shell tabs. The amount of residue varies with each chair.

To do this, first put on a glove and mask, then wet a pad with solvent to break down the glue and rubber. Apart from a pad, you can use fine steel wool. Then, with paper tape, limit your washing area to the repair area to avoid any spillage. Start cleaning with circular movements.

Clean your tongue with a cloth and check its condition. If it turns black, continue the process described above until all residues have disappeared. If, on the other hand, the cloth remains intact, this means that the solvent used is unsuitable. Change to another solvent until you achieve the desired result.

Once the tongue of your wooden hull is clean, move on to the other side and repeat the process.

Fixing the shock mount

With the two pieces of plywood clean, you can move on to attaching your Eames shock mount. Open your jar of Armchair Adhesive and follow its instructions for preparation and use. If you’ve opted for the adhesive mentioned above, mix your epoxy in two parts, using equal quantities of parts A and B. You don’t need to mix too much, just a little is enough, and if not, you can always prepare another portion of epoxy.

Spread your epoxy over the cleaned area, but not all the way to the edge. This prevents glue spillage. Then fix your new shock mount and allow the epoxy to harden. Repeat the operation on the other side of your hull.

Once both sides have hardened, attach the metal brackets to the new shock mount. Hold everything in place with clamps for a few hours, or even a few days, to make sure the whole structure adheres perfectly.

The assembly stage

Once all the parts have hardened properly and the structure is fixed, you can start reassembling your chair. Secure the back of your chair using the two screws removed during disassembly.

To reassemble your lounge chair, simply follow the one-way disassembly steps. Your Eames chaise longue is now as good as new, and you can be sure that it will serve you well for many years to come. Now that your Scandinavian-style Eames Lounge Chair is in good condition, it’s important to know how to clean it to prolong its life.

How to clean your Eames chaise longue and its shock mount?

To clean your Eames armchair sold by Stefano Design or even your furniture made from leather or wood materials, simply take an old t-shirt and dampen it a little. Then gently wipe away any dust or grease from your furniture. The moisture in your T-shirt will keep the leather soft and supple. If you wish to polish the metal of your furniture, you can use a recipe based on oil and vinegar.

• Use a cloth to moisten it, an olive oil solution and a few drops of white vinegar.
• Rub your object, pressing firmly against the surface.
• Finish by wiping the object with a dry cloth or sponge.

This concludes our presentation on how to repair and maintain the shock mount on your Eames lounge chair. Apply our tips and enjoy your gaming, reading or resting sessions with your chair in your office or on your terrace.