Being tall has a lot of advantages, but one of the disadvantages is when it comes to furniture. Most furniture is sized for people of average height, so if you’re tall and sit in a chair that’s designed for people shorter than you, you might wind up with cramped legs.
That’s also true when it comes to a recliner. While you can stretch out in one, sitting down and standing up can be a bit uncomfortable, especially if you have knee pain of any kind.
A solution is to add some height to your recliner. You can do a few things with items around the house and there are some things you can buy to do it. We compiled some of them in this guide.
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3 Easy Ways to Make a Recliner Chair Higher
Because recliners are designed for movement, before you add height to them you’ll want to make sure that you’re doing it safely. Adding height to a chair and then folding it out only to have it topple runs the risk of injuring the person sitting in it.
Furniture risers
One of the easiest ways to add inches to your recliner is to put risers under the feet. You can find risers all over the Internet, but be aware that they are made for all kinds of furniture, from couches to regular chairs to recliners.
Purchase a set designed specifically for recliners. We’d also recommend that you consult with your recliner’s manufacturer to see if they have a specific kind that works the best with their chair.
If you use the wrong riser, you’re not only risking injuring a person sitting in the recliner, you could also potentially damage your recliner.
Power-lift recliners pose a special challenge for risers. You should contact your chair’s manufacturer to find out if they are safe to use with your chair. Because the electric motor makes these chairs heavier, they might not be.
Cushioning
The easiest and safest way to add height to your recliner is to add some additional cushioning on the seat.
You can get as fancy or as simple as you like. If you just need a bit more space, you can fold up a blanket and either put it under the cushion or on top. If you have a power recliner because of medical conditions, you can also purchase special gel-filled cushions that provide more support.
While this is the safest and usually the cheapest way to add height, also be aware that it adds the smallest amount of height. If you need a few inches, this might not work.
Build your own frame
A third option is to just build your own frame. This is a good option if you have a power-lift recliner, as you can build it solidly to handle the chair’s weight while also make it big enough to accommodate the entire frame.
One big advantage of this is that you can customize it endlessly. You can add a non-skid surface on the top to hold it better in place, or you can bolt your recliner to it. You can also make it as tall as you need it and even paint it to match your recliner.
A disadvantage is that it’ll take time to gather the materials and it’s helpful if you’re already familiar with DIY projects.
Is it possible to increase the height of a power-lift-style recliner?
One thing about power lift recliners is that they extend up to help ease people with physical disabilities into the chair. Before you start looking at adding height to the recliner that you’ve extended it out and still need some extra inches.
If you decide you need some extra height to your power-left recliner, first try to do with extra cushioning; either pillow, blankets, or a foam top pad.
Of all the ways to add height to a recliner, cushioning adds the least. So, you might need a little extra. You can always contact your recliner’s manufacturer and ask if you can use inserts under your recliner frame.
While these are made for regular recliners, power-lift recliners tend to be heavier and more prone to moving around due to the electric motor. So, something you slip under the frame is probably not ideal.
One thing you can do to increase your power-lift recliner height is to build a frame that you can slide underneath the frame of your chair and the floor. An advantage to this is that you can build to your need. You don’t need to rely on what’s available to purchase.
If your power-lift recliner moves around while opening and closing, you might risk it slipping off the edge of your frame. You can alleviate that by topping it with some non-skid material or bolting your chair to it. You can also build it a little wider and longer.
How safe is it to make a recliner higher?
Whether it’s safe to make a recliner higher depends a lot on your skills and experience in working around furniture, and whether you use the right parts.
If you do something slapdash and don’t take care to use the right parts, your added inches will come from sacrificing safety. If you use parts specifically designed to go with your recliner and are careful about how you do it, it’s probably pretty safe.
Also, if you’re doing something to add inches to the cushion — maybe some blankets or a top pad — those are pretty safe. The inherent risk comes in trying to add inches to the bottom of the frame, not the thing you sit on.
Conclusion
If you’re too tall for your recliner, you don’t need to spend a lot of money replacing it with a new one. You don’t even necessarily spend money adding a few inches to it.
Adding a few inches to your recliner can make a world of difference. You can either purchase things designed specifically to increase a recliner’s height, or you can do a few things without spending money.
We hope you found this guide helpful. If you did, we’d love to hear about it in a comment. If you have additional ideas, you can comment with those, too. We’d also invite you to share this on your social media networks. You never know who might find value in it.