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How to fold a director's chair

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have an aluminium folding chair that will not close, and the same shove is the wrong move for every mechanism in the house. A director's chair closes by lifting the seat frame. A low camping chair and a six-position recliner do not. The eight listings, including which ones are directors, are on the [aluminium folding chair comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/aluminium-folding-chair). Seat height and load sit on the [aluminium folding chair buying guide](/hub/garden-furniture/aluminium-folding-chair/sub/aluminium-folding-chair-buying-guide). Carry and bags are on the [lightweight aluminium camping chair](/hub/garden-furniture/aluminium-folding-chair/sub/aluminium-folding-chair-for-camping) page. If you are still deciding between metals, use [aluminium vs steel folding chair](/hub/garden-furniture/aluminium-folding-chair/sub/aluminium-folding-chair-aluminium-vs-steel). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have an aluminium folding chair that will not close, and the same shove is the wrong move for every mechanism in the house. A director's chair closes by lifting the seat frame.

Our top picks

Hyfive Hyfive blue director chair

Best overall

Hyfive Hyfive blue director chair
8.9/10about £49.99
View offer
Grand patio Grand patio black reclining chair

Rank 2

Grand patio Grand patio black reclining chair
7.8/10about £79.98
View offer
HomlyPro HomlyPro green camping chair

Rank 3

HomlyPro HomlyPro green camping chair
7.2/10about £24.30
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Close a director's chair
  2. 2.If it will not move
  3. 3.Camping chairs and recliners
  4. 4.When to stop and send it back

Close a director's chair

A director's chair in this set is the Hyfive single, the Hyfive pack, the Outsider and the Garden Pride. You close it on a flat floor, not on a slope and not with one hand on a single leg. EZ UP's UK sheet for a standard director describes the usual movement: brace your forearms on the armrests, take hold of the seat frame, and lift so the scissors come together. Keep your fingers off the pivot while the frame moves. If it has a separate lock, find the lock before you lift.

If it will not move

A new hinge, a film of factory plastic, and a bent tube are three different faults. Pick factory plastic out of a Hyfive pivot before you oil anything. Oil on top of plastic does not free the joint. Stop if the tube has to bend for the chair to move. A maker's general warning, not a test of these ASINs, is that forcing a long-unoiled fold can distort the frame. That is a stop rule, not a repair procedure. The Ever Advanced pair is stiff and heavy. Do not treat it as a director and do not flip it on the off-chance.
Hyfive Hyfive blue director chair

Testsieger

Hyfive Hyfive blue director chair
8.9/10about £49.99
View offer

Camping chairs and recliners

A low camping chair such as the HomlyPro does not close with a director's seat-frame lift. It is a quad-style fold. Follow the hinges you can see. If a brace is still locked, pushing the arms together only loads the tube. Fold it on flat ground. Its frame is listed as metal. The folding motion does not turn that row into aluminium. The Grand patio chair is a powder-coated aluminium Textilene recliner with six positions, listed at 8 kg, and the spec does not print the lock order. Do not invent a six-step sequence and do not use the director lift on a locked back. Put the back through its positions until it is free to fold, then close the frame. If you cannot find a release, stop. The UK style row says armless, so do not search for a wooden catch that the UK page does not list.

When to stop and send it back

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you 30 days to reject goods that are not of satisfactory quality or not as described. A chair that will not lock at all in that window is a different path from a hinge that is stiff on day one and then eases. Keep the plastic, and note whether a leg arrived short or a seat arrived torn. Hyfive reviews include both. If a tube cracks or a rivet pulls through, stop and contact the seller. None of these listings cites BS EN 581, so the folding method cannot supply that file.

Common questions

How do I close a director's chair?
Set it on a flat floor, brace your forearms on the armrests, hold the seat frame and lift so the scissors close. Keep your fingers clear of the pivot. Open it by spreading the arms if it is that scissor type. Bag it only when a bag was in the components list. Hyfive, Outsider and Garden Pride do not list one. This movement is for those directors, not for the Ever Advanced pair or the Grand patio recliner.
What if it is stiff the first time?
A firm push on the first open is common on directors, including chairs outside this folder, and Garden Pride is described as very stiff to unfold. Give it two careful cycles on a flat floor before you decide the hinge has failed. Keep your fingers off the joint. If the chair still will not travel, or a tube is bending, stop. "It loosens with use" is a shop note on other models, not a promise for a Hyfive that still has plastic in the joint.
Does oil fix plastic film in the joints?
No. Hyfive reviews repeat plastic film left in the pivots, and oil on top of that film does not free the hinge. Pick the film out first, then oil if the joint still squeaks. On the Hyfive pack, springs can open suddenly, so stay to the side. Oil is a second step for a clean pivot. It is not a repair for a kinked tube or a torn seat.
How is a low camping chair different?
You do not lift a seat frame the way you do on a director. The HomlyPro is a low fold with a carry bag, and reviews call the seat low. Release whatever brace you can see, and fold it on flat ground. Pushing the arms together while a brace is locked is how a tube bends. The frame row says metal, so the folding advice does not make it an aluminium chair.
What do I do with a six-position back before I fold it?
The Grand patio listing says six positions and does not print the order of the locks, so this page will not invent one. Move the back until it is free, then fold the frame. If there is no obvious release, stop rather than copying the director lift. Ignore wooden arms from non-UK review text. The UK style row says armless, and the chair is listed at 8 kg.
When is stiffness a return, not a technique?
Use the 30-day rejection right when the chair will not lock, arrives torn, or is not as described, not when a new hinge eases after you clear factory plastic. A bent tube, a pulled rivet or a spring that has already hit you is the point to stop and contact the seller. A folding method cannot produce a BS EN 581 file, and none of these listings cites that standard.

Related pages

Folding bench comparison

Aluminium folding chair

Aluminium vs steel folding chair: read the frame row

Best aluminium folding chair: the pick in this set

How to choose an aluminium folding chair, in order

Lightweight aluminium camping chair for a UK pitch

Sources

Sources from the research digest. Page updated 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Notice 0149/26 (8 October 2026), GPSR designated standards (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN 581-1:2017 outdoor furniture general safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BS EN 581-2:2026 outdoor seating strength and stability (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, satisfactory quality (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22, time limit for short-term right to reject (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Harbour Lifestyle: care guide for aluminium garden furniture (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Camp Gear UK: how to choose camping chairs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. EZ UP: director's chair instructions (retrieved 22 October 2026)