Furniture Fixer: Woven Chair Seats, Part Two

This is a guest post by Carolynne Reina.

When shopping for antique or vintage furniture you will occasionally come across a piece with a woven seat.  But just what is that material on the seat?  As we discussed in Part One of this post, there are many different types: cane, rush, seagrass, shaker tape, and Danish cord.  In part two of this series, we’re going to focus on machine cane.

The chair seat you see above is probably the most recognizable type of woven chair seat around today.  But don’t be fooled, there are two types of cane that make this pattern, and to replace one is quite a bit more expensive than the other.

What you see above is called machine cane (or machined cane).  Machine cane differs from its cousin, hand cane (or hand woven cane) for a few reasons.  Even though they look similar, machine cane is very affordable to replace should it become damaged.  The reason is that machine cane is pre-woven and sold in sheets.  Compare that to hand cane — made by the lengthy, arduous task of weaving long, thin strands of cane into that distinctive pattern.

But how can you tell the difference?  From a glance the two look virtually the same.  But if you find a small groove running around the edge of the seat with a thick, rounded piece of cane (also known as a “spline,” shown in the closeup picture) that is a dead giveaway: it’s machine cane,.  Another way to tell: flip the chair over and check for individual holes that the cane has been threaded through.  Hand cane is woven through holes in the frame, while machine cane is not.

Replacing the seat is relatively easy compared to other types of woven seats, but it is somewhat time consuming and you have to pay attention to the details.  (It is important that everything line up and be neatly attached for the best look.)  If you have not tried it before you may want to get extra cane and practice first. You can also have a professional do the work for not a lot of money.

Keep in mind that cane shown in the pictures was stained a color and then finished with clearcoat.  Cane is normally almost a pure white colour and must be finished to add colour and protection.

Cane is a beautiful material that adds a lot of interest and charm to furniture, but keep in mind it is delicate and prone to drying out.  So no standing on the chair to reach the top of the refrigerator, don’t keep cane in direct sunlight or near a heating vent, and it will provide you with many years of useful service!

Carolynne Reina is a Chicago-based, alley scouring, dumpster-diving, vintage furniture fanatic who writes about faux finishes, repair & restoration in her spare time. Read her blog at Madcap-Design.Blogspot.Com.