Mobilize Your Furniture with Antique Style Casters

Casters continued to be popular in the Victorian era and remained so throughout the early twentieth century when colonial revival furniture was all the rage.  While casters are less prevalent in homes today, they still provide the same benefits they once did.

How to Select Antique Style Casters

There are many things to consider when choosing casters for your furniture.  If you are replacing a broken or missing caster on an antique piece, examine the remaining ones and look for the same mounting type.  Given the potential difficulty of finding a caster with the exact same dimensions, it may prove necessary to replace all four.  House of Antique Hardware carries a wide selection of antique reproduction casters in brass and iron, with several wheel and finish options.  These vintage style casters are also a good way to add period flair to a newer piece of furniture

If you are adding casters to increase the height of a piece of furniture, such as a chair, desk, or table, pay close attention to the caster's overall height (stated in the product specifications).  Dining tables are typically 29-20" off the floor, and the seat of a chair is generally around 18" off the floor, both for seated comfort and to fit under tables.  Deviating from these dimensions when adding casters may prove awkward or uncomfortable.  Therefore, it is essential to factor the height of the caster into the desired height of the furniture to find the right fit.

Other important considerations are the shape of the furniture leg, the size of the foot, the bottom surface of the foot (flat/rounded), the weight of the piece (and what it will potentially hold), and how often it will be moved.  With so many types, sizes, and styles of casters available today, finding the right one can be a challenge. To simplify the process, we have outlined the options below.  Read further to determine which works best for your specific needs.

This type of caster is what you most commonly see on antique furniture.  It features a straight metal "stem" or rod that inserts directly into each leg or foot base.  The offset wheel may be brass, porcelain, rubber, or wood, and pivots freely 360 degrees. When comparing stem casters, pay close attention to the wheel diameter, as it impacts how high a piece of furniture is raised off the floor.  Stem casters offer various mounting options – stem only, stem & plate, grip neck, and pivot & plate – making them an excellent choice for virtually all household furniture.

Cup casters are integrated into the design of a furniture piece, rather than an accessory feature.  The wood leg ends in the brass cup, which essentially becomes the furniture foot.  The wheel is mounted directly to the cup itself, pivoting in all directions.  The tapered cups may be round or square, depending on leg design.  Due to the added stability they provide, cup casters are a sound option for sofas and chairs that see heavy use.

The key factor in selecting a cup caster is the interior dimensions of the cup. Ideally, it will fit like a glove over the leg, with no wiggle room.  We provide the diameter (or width) at the top and bottom of the cup, as well as the depth.  Be sure to take accurate measurements of your furniture legs before you order and anticipate that some adjustment to the leg may be required to fit.

Caster Accessories

From the early 20th century to the present, furniture arrangements within rooms have been much less mobile than in the Federal and Victorian eras.  Since most pieces with casters are never moved, the wheels can leave indentations on rugs and scuffs on wood floors. A solution to this problem is a caster cup, a small round dish that sits under each wheel. They provide a hard and stable surface that distributes the furniture's weight more evenly across the floor surface and helps the furniture stay in place (especially important for seating). Caster cups are available in clear glass or oak, which can be stained to match your flooring.

Trim rings are a decorative accessory that turns a standard caster into a piece of jewelry for your furniture.  For use exclusively with stem & plate style casters, they are held in place by the mounting plate, seated within the ring.  Compare the diameter of the plate with the inner diameter of the ring to find the right fit.

Toe caps are decorative metal casings designed to protect furniture feet from excessive wear.  In particular, table feet are prone to dents and scuffs from chairs and shoes, and in the days when wood floors were mopped, from damaging moisture. Made of solid brass, they provide an elegant flourish to the base of many antique tables, chairs and sofas.

Popularized by American furniture designer Duncan Phyfe in the early Federal era, toe caps were again a key feature of colonial revival pieces of the twentieth century.  The most common styles are the plain smooth "sock" and the more whimsical hairy paw foot.  Note - As toe caps are only attached with a small finish nail, they can come loose and eventually become lost.

Finding a replacement toe cap can be a challenge.  First, identify the style you need, then take careful measurements of the foot and look for a cap that most closely corresponds in size. To achieve a good fit, the wooden foot may need to be trimmed slightly (be aware that modifying an antique may impact its value).  If you can not find one that is a close match, or the original caps are damaged, you may wish to replace all four.

For help with casters, caps, or other furniture hardware questions, call our Hardware Specialists at 888-223-2545.