Finding the best waiting room chairs for a medical office has different requirements than a standard office. Because many of the medical practices require antimicrobial and antibacterial components to their upholstery, your options may be limited. These types of upholsteries are generally more expensive than standard vinyl and fabrics. Making sure you have all of the required information, prior to making a purchase, will ensure a smart purchase is made.
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Best Medical Waiting Room Chairs For 2025
- Lesro Lenox Series – Best Wood Waiting Room Chairs
- Lesro Newport Series – Best Metal Waiting Room Chairs
- Office Star WD Series – Best Budget Waiting Room Chairs
- OFM 400 Series – Best Budget Anti-Bacterial Waiting Room Chairs
- HPFI Trados Series – Best Fully Assembled Waiting Room Chairs
- 3 Things To Consider Before Buying
1. Lesro Lenox Series
The Lesro Lenox series is our number one selling waiting room chair series. This line is available in six hardwood frame finishes: medium, cherry, mahogany, walnut, maple and black. Each chair is made in the USA and the overall quality definitely shows. You can choose from more than 120 healthcare grade vinyl options and seven crypton upholsteries. Even better, we have the ability to get these frames upholstered in all of the mentioned colors within ten business days. That means that we can have them delivered almost anywhere in the USA within three weeks from your order date.
Lesro utilizes a matrex seat support system underneath all seat cushions. The matrex material is stretched tight and fastened to the outside of the wood seat frame. Matrex is a resilient mesh type of material that allows your patients to sit comfortably in the seat without the possibility of bottoming out on a wood core. Once they get up from the chair, the material will instantly return back to its original form. It has been tested with large weight loads and performed well over extended periods of use. I personally like the way Matrex makes the chair sit, it provides good support and doesn’t have the sagging sensation found in cheap waiting room chairs.
Lenox Features:
- Quality product made in the USA
- Solid hardwood construction on chairs and table tops
- Over 120 healthcare grade vinyl options
- Limitless additional upholstery options with grade-in materials
- Ship from factory within ten business days
- Matrex seat support system for long-life comfort
- 275 lbs. capacity on standard size chair
2. Lesro Newport Series
The Lesro Newport Series is another popular option for our healthcare customers. Offered in a durable steel finish, the Newport series is only about 10 percent more expensive than the Lenox Series. The steel finish is more durable than hardwood and allows the Newport series to maintain it’s original form many years after use. Lesro offers the same upholstery options across all series of furniture; including the Newport. The frames are available in three finishes silver, black and white. All options will ship within the same lead time as Lenox and most will arrive to your door within three business weeks.
The Newport series doesn’t have the same ganging system available to link chairs together. For some facilities, this could actually be beneficial though since none of the chairs will share an armrest. Unfortunately, this will take up some additional space and ganging brackets are only available at an additional cost. Because the Newport series is available in steel, Lesro has a true bariatric option with 29.5” wide seat and 750 lb capacity.
Newport Features:
- Quality product made in the USA
- Durable powder coat finish available in silver, black and white
- Back and seat feature 1″ separation for easy cleaning
- Wallsaver design
- Limitless additional upholstery options with grade-in materials
- Ships from factory within ten business days
- Matrex seat support system for long-life comfort
- 275 lb. capacity on standard size chair
3. Office Star WD Series
The WD Series by Office Star (Buy on Amazon) has been a popular option among our healthcare providers over the years. It is a customizable wood frame chair, that has a handful of healthcare grade vinyl options from the Dillon vinyl series. The Dillon vinyl is made from 100% polyurethane, which has a high double rub count of 200,000. With eight solid vinyl colors to choose from and four wood finishes, it will provide a decent amount of flexibility for your space. This is our least expensive option for a custom upholstered product with healthcare grade vinyl.
To create a more unified space you are able to purchase the WD Series in a ganged chair option. This will create a shared arm between seats, but will also allow you to keep chairs looking more uniform than when they are separate. Overall, the WD Series is a good product. When compared to higher priced items from Lesro, you will likely notice the seat cushion isn’t quite as supportive and the wood frames aren’t as high of quality.
Features:
- Thick Padded Seat and Back
- Built-In Lumbar Support
- Oak, Cherry, Mahogany, and Espresso Wood Finish
- Shipped Ready to Assemble
- Rated for 250 lbs
- Meets industry standards for ANSI/BIFMA
4. OFM 400 VAM Series
The OFM 407VAM and 409VAM series is a durable metal frame chair from OFM. This chair comes standard with a 400 lb capacity and extra wide 23” seat configuration. The 407VAM model includes arms and the 409VAM is armless. Pick from five standard antimicrobial/antibacterial color options: black, grey, teal, navy and wine. This series isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing option available, but it is very durable. The price point is an added bonus and they are available to ship quickly, typically within 1-2 business days. OFM also has smaller chairs that will match this series, which are available with or without arms. The corresponding model numbers are 403VAM and 405VAM. This is a good option for healthcare facilities that like to mix the big and small chairs throughout their space.
Features:
- Available in five vinyl colors
- 4.75″ thick fabric padded seat
- Sturdy 1 1/2″ oval steel tube frame
- Fully upholstered back
- 400 lbs. weight capacity
- Meets or exceeds ANSI/BIFMA safety standards
- Ships within 1 to 2 business days from 3 warehouses
5. HPFI Trados Series
The Trados series by HPFI is a cut above the rest and the price tag definitely shows that. With prices more than double the Lenox series, this line is considered a high end product. Based out of North Carolina, HPFI manufacturers all of their furniture in wood furniture in the USA. All Trados series feature a steel reinforced seat frame for added durability. This seat frame system allows all Trados chairs to have a minimum capacity of 350 lbs.
Trados series is available in over 70 healthcare grade vinyl options, with the ability to add even more with their grade-in upholstery program. Trados also offers the most wood finish options in our list, with 12 different hardwood colors to choose from. Even with so many options, the Trados series is still a fairly quickly produced product. On average, orders are shipped from NC within 15 business days and will arrive in most locations within 20 total business days.
HPFI Trados Features:
- Ships fully assembled
- Quality product made in the USA
- Solid wood frame
- Triarc arm design
- Separated upholstered seat and back for easy cleanout
- Steel reinforced seat frame
- Weight capacity of 350 lbs
- 70+ health care vinyl options available
- 12 standard hardwood finish options
6. Three Things To Consider Before Buying
1. Double Rub Ratings
Not all upholstery is the same. This is important to consider when buying commercial quality furniture. Medical practices not only deal with high traffic, but have more strict cleaning requirements than an average office space. Checking your upholsteries double rub rating will give you a good idea how durable that particular upholstery is.
A double rub rating is an industry standard that comes from the fabric wearability code. This process is performed with a piece of heavy canvas being rubbed back and forth on a piece of upholstery. The back and forth motion is called a double rub. Office grade minimums are 15,000, but we recommend starting at 30,000+. This will ensure your upholstery holds up to the wear and tear your waiting room furniture is likely to experience.
2. Antimicrobial / Antibacterial Components
Prevention is always the best way to limit issues arising with bacteria and microbe growth on upholstered furniture. You should always verify that the upholstery you have selected has real antimicrobial and antibacterial components.
If you prefer fabric instead of vinyl, you should consider Crypton upholsteries. Crypton is the only fabric that is resistant to stains, water, fungal, and bacterial growth. With their most recent 2.0 technology, the new process will not affect the look or feel of the fabric.
3. Check Upholstery Colors In Your Space
The rise of computers and commerce on the internet has opened the door to more selection than ever. Color options feel almost limitless and new high definition photography has made images found online look real. The truth, however, is that while manufacturers have done their best with photography, everyone sees a slightly different variation on their computer. Not only that, but lighting can significantly impact how a color is seen in your space. Many of the items you find online that have a wide selection of upholstery options are made to order and cannot be returned. I highly recommend taking the time to request samples before making your purchase.
Trados is available in an assortment of different configurations, and has the ability to gang chairs together for limitless configurations. Add in the bariatric seating with up to 1,000 lbs capacity and heavy duty hip chairs, you can see how Trados is designed specifically for healthcare facilities. This is our only option with a wood frame bariatric chair and guest seating that has up to 1000 lb ratings. As an added bonus, all Trados pieces will ship fully assembled.
Bottom Line
Finding the perfect waiting room chairs for your medical office doesn’t have to be difficult. Understanding what to look for in your new seating can make the process painless. Most medical offices require upholstery to prevent growth of bacteria; healthcare vinyl and crypton upholstery are the best options for this. While these types of materials cost most, they will be much easier to clean and will keep your waiting room looking nice. Vinyl has come a long way and many of the options available now do not feel like sitting on hard plastic. Some will even have prints that make them look like fabric upholstery.
If you are on a tight budget, the Office Star brand offers a nice option with their WD Series. With four wood finishes and eight vinyl upholsteries, you have the ability to customize your space. If you want additional options, the Lesro Lenox and Newport series will offer even more flexibility. Personally, I feel that Lesro will offer the best value for your money. Their products are made in the USA, have countless vinyl or crypton options and all ship out within ten business days. Lastly, if you prefer the best of the best, HPFI’s Trados series is the what I would recommend. They have a variety of upholstery options and a wide range of seating sizes. As an added bonus, all HPFI furniture ships fully assembled.
No matter what route you go, make sure that the furniture you are ordering will fit. Always measure twice.Then make sure to order color samples. Most of the items on my list are made to order pieces and cannot be returned. Monitor settings and the lighting in your waiting room will both affect the actual color you see. Cover these important aspects of your furniture purchase and the internet will open the door to options not found locally.
Anne Deleon
I cannot find the OFM 400 407 etc anywhere! Where might one find them?
Jonathan Brooks
Had a patient tell me about lobby chairs at the VA clinic. He said they were like high chairs very easy for geriatrics to get in and out of them. Any recommendations?
Richard Beziat
Is there a Lesro Lenox chair for tall people..?
BTOD.com
The Lesro Lenox chairs have a seat height of 19″. They are designed to fit a wide range of people in the waiting room comfortably.