Whether you're in a bar or at your home the swivel bar stool is great for all social activity. For those who are unaware, the swivel bar stool is able to rotate 360 degrees in either direction; however, how far it can rotate is a matter of design. Often these stools are made of dark hardwood (like the oak swivel bar stools found in bars), can have leather cushions, may be backless or have a back and arm rests; but one thing is certain, there are many custom made stools available to suit your tastes.

They're not just for bars anymore. You can find a swivel bar stool in almost any social setting. The most popular setting is the kitchen and a close second is a coffee house. It gives you great mobility when you are in a group and want to be able to see and talk to everyone.

If you are replacing older stools or just looking for a new design for your kitchen, the swivel bar stool is a unique opportunity to improve your interior while adding functionality to your seating.
They sit nicely and provide comfort for long periods of sitting. One reason they work so well is that they are naturally ergonomically designed. Everyone changes positions in their chair whether they realize it or not. In a stationary chair this can lead to discomfort and possible back ache. Swivels chairs allow free movement without taking up a lot of room at any kitchen bar counter or kitchen island.

They are a sturdy, durable stool that can take some abuse from climbing children or if you live by yourself or as a couple you may want something a little more practical in design and weight. A note on quality is that most are designed to have a low equilibrium so they won't tip easy.

Regardless of your intention, when you go to purchase your swivel bar stools be sure they are the right height for your counter and provide enough leg room. A good rule of thumb is to have 10 to 12 inches between your lap and counter top so that you can move freely. However, more and more are being made with an adjustable height lever so that you can choose any design in a one size fits all style.

Eventually you may run out of swivel. Not really, but swivel counter bar stools can wear out in the swivel department over time. This does not mean you have to replace the entire stool. On the contrary, you can just replace the stool swivel. You want to carefully remove the cushion and seat making sure not to get any remaining grease on any fabric that might be covering the cushion.

First you need to determine what kind of swivel you need. There are two basic models to choose from: the flat swivel and the tilted swivel.

The Flat Swivel

With this piece both sides are parallel with the other, the edges are equidistant apart all the way around. If you are not certain what kind you have once you have removed it, simply twist it and see if the plates move apart at any corner. It will turn on a track called the race. The plates are attached to the race and pivot on ball bearings within the race. With a flat swivel the race is made of nylon and is spaced apart with a few ball bearings in pockets called tabs.

The Tilted Swivel

As you can imagine, the tilted swivel has plates that are not parallel to one another. It will have a 3 degree tilt and contains a full race. This means it has a continuous ring of ball bearings all the way around the track. Wooden swivel bar stools will most likely contain a full race swivel.

Swivel back bar stools typically use flat swivels, but to be sure which kind of swivel you need a simple way to tell is to measure the front of your stool seat to the floor against the back of the seat to the floor. If one side is higher then you have a tilted swivel.

To get the right fitting swivel you need to measure mounting screw holes from center edge of one slot to same edge on another slot. Standard measurements will be 5 1/4". The cost to replace the swivel will vary but expect to pay around $30 to $50 for quality swivels.