Home  >  Blog

In terms of stacking potential, the best steel frame stacking chairs have skid bases - a development that harks back to the fantastic PEL stacking chairs of the 1930's. Kirkhouse' Vesta upholstered stacking chair is incredibly lightweight and comfortable. We look at our new Vesta upholstered stacking chair, explain the history of skid base chairs and the various advantages of our Vesta skid base stacking chair.

Click here to order Vesta Stacking Chair

About skid base stacking chairs

The original 1930's commercial skid base stacking chair from PEL & Cox were amongst the most popular designs ever produced.  Using very heavy 14 gauge (2mm) steel, the chairs we practically indestructible, but not very easy to move.

PEL's design must be considered one of the most successful stacking chairs of all time, thousands of PEL stacking chairs are still in use today and good models are currently worth over £50 each.

In 1951, David Rowland (1924-2010) developed the 40/4 skid base stacking chair. 40/4 is still in manufacture today, although ergonomically it is now outdated - with an adult seat height some 30mm below current European recommendations.

40/4 skid base stacking chair frame is of steel rod which, coupled to an exquisite seat and back pan (in ply or plastic), allows the chair to be no more than 11mm thick at any point. The thin profile of 40/4 allows it to stack 40 chairs high; without it's skid base, the thin rod would bend under the least weight.

Model 40/4 was a phenomenal success, being manufactured in the USA and Denmark (for the European market). Perhaps naturally, the design was copied by many manufacturers, however few made any real impression on commercial furniture sales until the introduction of 'Curvy'.

Curvy skid base stacking chair looks very similar to 40/4, however the design is not a simple copy: Curvy is a marked improvement on 40/4. Curvy stacking is available with ply or plastic seating pans, on a steel rod skid base frame. Curvy stacks 45 chairs high and is cheaper to manufacture than 40/4: The various versions of Curvy stacking chair use only one footprint design - where 40/4 relies on numerous chair frame variations.

Curvy stacking chair is available with padded seat and / or padded backrest in any of colour from the Kirkhouse upholstery range.

Curvy has proven very popular, however it is too expensive for some customers. We've been looking to develop a low cost alternative utilising the benefits of a skid base frame, and now we have Vesta.

New - Vesta Stacking Chair

The real advantage of a skid base frame is the improved chair strength and the subsequent capacity to use narrow rod (as with 40/4 and Curvy) or large section, thin steel (Vesta). Kirkhouse Vesta chair will stack 25 chairs high.

Vesta's frame is much lighter than steel rod alternatives: Kirkhouse Vesta upholstered stacking chair weighs just 5.6kg. Vesta upholstered stacking chair is low cost, comfortable and stacks well.

Vesta chair frame is chrome plated for a lifetime of stacking. Vesta is a low cost alternative to the incredible Curvy series - with the advantage of being lightweight. It's the ideal choice for many Churches and local Conference rooms.