Get the most out of your mechanical keyboard by improving it with these DIY modifications.

Even amongst those who don’t spend their days typing, mechanical keyboards have long been one of the most popular peripheral choices for modern computer users. Not all keyboards are born equal, with many of the best options available on the market only available to those willing to pay a premium for them.

You don’t have to pay a steep price to get a great mech keyboard if you’re willing to invest some time into the keyboard you already have. But how can you improve a cheap or old mechanical keyboard? Let’s explore three simple DIY solutions that will truly enhance your typing experience.

This article has been written with Cherry MX-style mechanical keyboards in mind, and this means that you may have a different experience if your keyboard has switches of a different style.

This first modification is so simple that any mechanical keyboard owner should do it. Adding O-rings to your custom keycap set will lower each cap's travel distance, but it will also reduce the sound that they produce when they bottom out and make the keys feel softer.

You can buy O-rings from websites like Amazon and eBay; you just need to make sure that you choose O-rings that have been designed to fit on Cherry MX keycaps. You only need a keycap puller, a set of O-rings, and a degree of patience to carry out this mod.

Remove each keycap from your keyboard using your keycap puller, followed by slipping an O-ring over the cylindrical post found on the underside of the keycap. You can leave your keycaps off the keyboard if you plan to carry out the next modifications in the article, but those who are stopping here can add them back to the keyboard.

From here, the following tips are likely to void any warranties you have for your keyboard.

Adding foam to your mechanical keyboard is a good way to reduce the vibrations and sounds that are created when you type. This can have a dramatic effect on the experience you have while you type without too much cost or work, though it is worth noting that some keyboards won’t have space for foam inside their case.

We used neoprene foam for this, with A4 sheets at 5mm thick available on websites like Amazon. Alongside the foam, you will also need tools to open your keyboard case, and this can vary depending on the mechanical keyboard you own. We used a Phillips screwdriver, a pair of scissors, and a couple of expired bank cards as shim tools to open our keyboard and add our foam.

Getting your keyboard case open is the trickiest part of this process. Our keyboard was held together with three screws in its base and eight separate clips; this meant that we had to remove the screws before using our shims to gently push the clips around the edge of the keyboard to separate its top and bottom.

The way that you get into your keyboard is almost certainly going to differ from our experience. If your keyboard is from a popular manufacturer, you may be able to find a guide to help you to take it apart. If not, though, you will need to be extremely careful during this process.

Once our case was apart, we only needed to remove one more screw before we were able to remove the PCB, backplate, and switches to access the bottom of the keyboard case.

The foam you have is unlikely to fit inside your keyboard right away. You will need to cut it with your scissors, reducing it to pieces that fit inside your keyboard. Clearance is a big consideration here, as the space inside your keyboard is likely to be limited. This means that you may have to reduce the size of your foam pieces to fit around your keyboard.

There are likely to be posts and other obstructions inside your case that will be hard to cut around. We made holes in our foam sheet to make sure that it could slip over these posts, and all it took was a screwdriver and a bit of gentle persuasion. You could also use a hole punch for this if you have one.

Lubrication is one of the key features of many of the most premium mechanical keyboards on the market. This process is usually done before the keyboard has been built, as it is easier to get inside the switches when they are free from a PCB. It’s unlikely that your mechanical keyboard will allow you to do this, though.

Instead, we will be lubricating our switches without opening them at all. We will only be able to lubricate the stems inside the switches using this method, but this will still have a dramatic impact on the quality of your typing experience.

Your keycaps need to be removed for this. We used simple silicone grease, the same stuff used to lubricate 3D printers, and it can be applied using either a very fine paintbrush or a small flat-head screwdriver. We went with the latter.

Start by adding a very small amount of lubricant to the end of your implement before using your free hand to depress the stem of a switch.

From here, you can gently apply your lubricant around the edges of the switch casing before letting the stem rest in its up position. You may need to press the switch a few times to make sure that you have an even spread of the lubricant.

It’s important to make sure that you wipe away any excess lubricant with a dry cloth before you put your keycaps back on. A small amount of lubricant is likely to leak over time, but this won’t cause damage to your switches or keycaps, and you can easily clean it alongside your other keyboard maintenance.

Mechanical keyboards are excellent tools for typing pros, casual computer users, and everyone in the middle. Getting the most out of your keyboard can take some work, but the results are well worth the effort, giving you the chance to turn your peripherals into tools you love.

Samuel is a UK-based technology writer with a passion for all things DIY. Having started businesses in the fields of web development and 3D printing, along with working as a writer for many years, Samuel offers a unique insight into the world of technology. Focusing mainly on DIY tech projects, he loves nothing more than sharing fun and exciting ideas that you can try at home. Outside of work, Samuel can usually be found cycling, playing PC video games, or desperately attempting to communicate with his pet crab.

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