Frequently Asked Questions

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Your cylinder most likely needs a new application of grease to work properly. Use this cylinder maintenance guide for instructions.

For further assistance please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your purchasing dealer.

Often, this problem is due to a faulty control mechanism or pneumatic cylinder, and can be easily replaced on most HON chair models. Please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your purchasing dealer.

Often, this problem is due to a faulty control mechanism or pneumatic cylinder, and can be easily replaced on most HON chair models. Please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your purchasing dealer.

A wobble in a chair can be caused by a faulty control mechanism or chair base. To fix the wobble it is important to verify which of these is causing the wobble.
•    Control Mechanism: With the base of the chair set on the floor, pivot the seat from side to side by alternately putting pressure on the right, then left side of the seat. If the seat “wobbles” where the pneumatic cylinder and control mechanism join, the control mechanism is faulty and may need to be replaced.
•    Please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact the original purchasing dealer.

The washer and the spring clip that hold the cylinder in place have fallen off. Please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your purchasing dealer.

The base and cylinder will most likely need to be replaced. Please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your purchasing dealer.

First check to make sure grease or oil has not been transferred from the user’s shoe or pant leg to the floor. The user may have rubbed their feet across the grease applied to the cylinder and transferred it to another surface. 
This issue could be caused by one of the following:
•    The seal on the cylinder has broken.
•    The chair's hubliner has come loose causing the cylinder to become misaligned.
•    If the chair is new, there has been too much grease applied to the hubliner in the base.
•    To resolve this issue with your chair, please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your purchasing dealer.

For instructions on how to disassemble your HON chair, visit HON's Disassembly Instructions.

You can find most chair functionality instructions on the chair functions section of our website.

The concealed “European” hinges on HON doors allow easy three-way adjustment of door alignment.
•    To raise or lower the door, locate the recessed Phillips screw farthest to the rear of the hinge. Rotate this screw to adjust the height of the door. You do not need to loosen the center locking screw to make this adjustment.
•    To adjust the side-to-side gap between the doors, adjust the Phillips screw closest to the door on the surface of the hinge body. You do not need to loosen the center locking screw to make this adjustment.
•    To adjust the in-out pitch of the doors faces, carefully loosen the center locking screw and slide to the correct position. CAUTION: Do not move this screw outside the adjustment seat range or the door may dislodge and fall. Tighten the center locking screw when the correct adjustment has been made.

The tape used to hold the unit in place is industrial strength. Do not use force to remove the unit, as the laminate surface will be torn loose before the tape releases.
To remove the tape:
1.    Apply mineral spirits along the bottom edge where the tape is holding the end panel to the desk surface. Allow this to seep under the edge and begin to dissolve the tape’s adhesive.
2.    Take one end of a strong, thin piece of wire (piano wire works best) in each hand.
3.    Slowly work the wire between the bottom of the end panel and the desk surface.
4.    Apply firm pressure to gently slide the wire between the end panel and work surface. Take care in this process not to damage the end panel or laminate surface.
5.    Once the wire has separated the end panel and work surface, the remaining tape and adhesive can be removed with mineral spirits. Apply the mineral spirits to a cloth and wipe the tape residue away with firm pressure.
6.    Clean both surfaces with a clean, damp cloth to remove any remaining mineral spirits.
7.    Additional double stick tape can be ordered for reattachment. Please see your local HON Dealer for assistance.

Yes, since January 1997 all of our Laminate Desks come standard with a core removable lock system. You can order keyed alike replacement lock cores from your HON dealer. If your HON filing cabinet was made prior to January 1997, contact customer support to determine if your cabinet can be retrofitted with a replaceable lock.
Refer to the following if you have a variety of HON furniture in your office you would like keyed alike:
•    Laminate Casegoods (1997-present): F23B Lock Kit (Black Face Lock)
•    Lateral Files (1997-present): F23C Lock Kit
•    Vertical Files (1997-present): F24 Lock Kit
•    Steel Desks (1997-present): F23C Lock Kit (Chrome Face Lock)
•    Veneer Casegoods (1997-present): F23B Lock Kit (Black Face Lock)
•    If you are unsure about what you need to order, please locate the serial number on the sticker on the exterior right side of the upper most drawer, and contact your purchasing dealer..

You can buy a replacement key on our HON webstore www.honaccessories.com or you can contact our customer support team for assistance in ordering a replacement key.

If you need a key, you may purchase one on our HON webstore, www.honaccessories.com or you can contact our customer support team for assistance in ordering a replacement key.

For a Box drawer:
1.    Fully extend the box drawer.
2.    Depress the black tab located in the center of the slide channel.
3.    Continue to pull the drawer out.

For a File Drawer:
1.    Open the file drawer slightly.
2.    Depress the black tab located on the slide behind the drawer front.
3.    While pressing in on the tabs, lift up on the front of the drawer.
4.    Once the front of the drawer has separated from the slide, continue to pull the drawer out along the slide.
5.    If you have any questions at any point, please locate the serial number on the sticker on either the outside, knee space side of the top drawer or the underside of the top and contact your purchasing dealer.

You can use the following document to find where the hardware pack is located for your product.  Hardware Pack Locator. 

For instructions on how to disassemble your HON desk, visit HON's Disassembly Instructions.

Please visit www.honaccessories.com to purchase a replacement key or you may contact HON Customer Support for assistance.

Please download the Lateral File Troubleshooting Guide. Most common issues are addressed in this guide. If you have further questions, please contact your purchasing dealer.

Please download the Lateral File Troubleshooting Guide. Most common issues are addressed in this guide. If you have further questions, please contact your purchasing dealer.

Please download the Lateral File Troubleshooting Guide. Most common issues are addressed in this guide. If you have further questions, please contact your purchasing dealer.

Please download the Lateral File Troubleshooting Guide. Most common issues are addressed in this guide. If you have further questions, please contact your purchasing dealer.

Please download the Lateral File Troubleshooting Guide. Most common issues are addressed in this guide. If you have further questions, please contact your purchasing dealer.

•    The thumb button is a replaceable part, and is quite simple to replace. Three small parts will need to be replaced: the thumb button, the latch bar and the spring.
•    Please locate the serial number on the sticker on the exterior, right side of the upper most drawer and contact the purchasing dealer.

The follower block is used to keep hanging files from shifting in the drawer when the drawer is not full. It slides along the track in the drawer keeping the files from sliding to the back of the drawer. Please refer to the Installation Instructions. If you need a carton of follower blocks, you can buy one on our HON webstore www.honaccessories.com.

•    First, insert a stiff card (driver’s license, charge card) in the left side of the cabinet, between the case and the drawer. The card should be inserted approximately parallel to the location of the thumb button.
•    Push in on the card to disengage the latch bar. The drawer can then be opened.
•    Another option is to remove the drawer directly above the locked drawer, remove the drawer back, and disengage the lock.

The lock is made up of three pieces: the lock core/cam, the lock link, and the lock clip.
•    If the lock spins, the lock clip may be loose or missing. This piece can easily be replaced.
•    If the lock does not work, the lock link may be missing or loose. This can be reinstalled or replaced. Or the lock core may not be functioning. Again, this part is easily replaceable.
•    To resolve either of these issues, please refer to F24 instructions or locate the serial number on the sticker on the exterior, right side of the upper most drawer and contact the purchasing dealer.

Please visit www.honaccessories.com to purchase a replacement key.

Yes, since January 1997 all of our vertical files come standard with a core removable lock system. You can order keyed alike replacement lock cores from your HON dealer. If your cabinet was made prior to January 1997, contact Customer Support to determine if your cabinet can be retrofitted with a replaceable lock.
Refer to the following if you have a variety of HON furniture in your office you would like keyed alike:
•    Laminate Casegoods (1997-present): F23B Lock Kit (Black Face Lock)
•    Lateral Files (1997-present): F23C Lock Kit
•    Vertical Files (1997-present): F24 Lock Kit
•    Steel Desks (1997-present): F23C Lock Kit (Chrome Face Lock)
•    Veneer Casegoods (1997-present): F23B Lock Kit (Black Face Lock)
•    If you are unsure about what you need to order, please locate the serial number on the sticker on the exterior right side of the upper most drawer, and contact your purchasing dealer.

Please view the following PDFs below:
•    Hangrail Information - Steel Products
•    Hangrail Information - Laminate Products
If you would like to purchase hangrails for your HON file cabinet, please visit our HON webstore at www.honaccessories.com.

For instructions on how to disassemble your HON Filing Cabinet, visit HON's Disassembly Instructions.

The casters have a B-stem and are 7/8" tall and 7/16" in diameter.

No. A general rule of thumb is that soft casters are for hard surfaces and hard casters are for soft surfaces. Please consult with flooring manufacturing for specific glides or casters to be used.

We have several different types of casters:
•    Hard Casters – 1st Class Polymide (nylon)
•    Soft Casters – 1st Class Polymide (nylon) comolded with a urethane overcoat/Neoprene faced wheels. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber.
•    All Surface Casters – Neoprene with a softer durometer than a standard hard caster.

•    Hard casters are recommended for use on “soft surfaces”, i.e. carpet. Soft casters are recommended for use on “hard surfaces”, i.e. wood floors, tile, chair mats.
•    Most HON chairs can be ordered with either hard or soft casters. You will need to check with your HON dealer to verify if the model you plan to order can be ordered with soft casters.
•    If you already have a HON chair and would like to switch caster types, they are available for purchase from The HON Company. To ensure you are ordering the correct caster for your chair, please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact your HON Dealer.

While it may appear the casters are “shredding”, in actuality, dirt has built up on the surface of the caster over time and is now flaking off. Most often this situation is the result of using a “hard” caster on a hard surface (wood floor, tile, chair mat).
•    First, thoroughly clean the flooring area where the chair will be used and the casters to remove any built up dirt. Periodically clean the work area to remove the surface dirt and eliminate the build up.
•    Consider switching to a “soft” caster if the chair you currently have has hard casters. Soft casters are available for purchase from The HON Company. To ensure you are ordering the correct caster for your chair, please locate the serial number on the sticker located on the underside of the seat and contact the original purchasing dealer..

Silver is a highly effective, natural agent. Silver ion technology is already present in everyday products (cell phones, touch screens, textiles, clothing, etc.) and has been proven safe to humans, animals, and plants. Silver ion technology resists and inhibits the growth of microorganisms by forming a protective surface against microbes, pathogens, and bacteria, such as E. coli and Staph. It also suppresses the growth of harmful mold, mildew, and fungus. In helping prevent the growth of stain and odor causing microorganisms, this protection provides stain and odor control. Additionally, tests have shown that on unprotected surfaces, bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes. Mitigating the effects of this rapid escalation, Silver ion technology inhibits bacterial growth by 99.94%, keeping surfaces cleaner, longer.

For the core graded in line any of the vinyls would be resistant to fluid permeation and have more stain resistance than other fabrics.
•    Contourett (UR) in Grade 1 has a silver based ion technology finish (See FAQ Above)
•    Silvertex Vinyl (SX) Grade 3 has Urethane topcoat
If they are interested in going above our standard grade fabrics, then they should look at the options available to them via CF Stinson, which is available on the HON Surface Materials Site. CF Stinson is high durability, high performance textile solutions made with healthcare applications often in mind.

•    Tectonic - Grade 1
•    Centurion - Grade 1
•    Inertia - Grade 1

Nanotex delivers permanent textile protection from soil and stains, while maintaining breathability and comfort.  Nanotex bonds with the fabric, allowing lighter colored and delicate fabrics to repel liquids and stains, while preserving their natural beauty.

There is no difference, they are the same. A double-rub is the ability of fabric to resist surface wear caused by flat rubbing contact with another material. In the Wyzembeek abrasion test, fabrics are rubbed along the warp and weft of the fabric, with one back and forth motion equaling a double rub. The abrasion rating is determined by the number of double rubs made before two yarn breaks occur.

•    Light Use: 9,000 double rubs
•    Medium Use: 15,000 double rubs
•    Heavy use: 30,000 double rubs
•    Maximum use: more than 30,000 double rubs

The Signal fabric is extremely durable (exceeds 350,000 double rubs) and is Solution Dyed Nylon which is bleach cleanable.

Click HERE for HON fabric offerings that meet Healthcare requirements.

Crypton is a treatment for textiles used to prevent stain, moisture, mold, mildew, bacteria, and odor-resisting protection. Several of our textiles feature this treatment.

Polyurethane (PU) is a compound fabric made by laminating a cloth fabric to a thin film of polyurethane.

Yes, HON does allow for customer provided fabrics to be used on its chairs, provided it passes a manufacturing feasibility test. Your HON dealer can explain the COM (Customer’s Own Material) process to you in greater detail. To locate a HON dealer in your area please visit our Dealer Locator.

A fabric grade is a designator assigned to a certain fabric pattern which determines the associated pricing upcharge. For The HON Company, seating fabrics are numeric grades and panel fabrics are alpha grades.

Yes, touch-up pens are available as a Finished Goods order and model information can be found in the Pricer. Additionally, 0.6 oz. brush bottles are available or 12 oz. spray cans are available as a parts order.

The paint used on lateral and vertical files is an Ultra Low VOC High Solids Polyester Baking Enamel.

See Table Below: