Caning Options

Pressed Cane:

• Pressed cane seat repair is not usually effective, so replacement is preferable.
• Usually found on more modern chairs.
• Identifiable by a reed around the outside edge recessed into a groove routed into the top of the wood frame.
• This system was developed to allow the mass production of caned pieces, and has been in use since the late twenties. At the factory they are "stamped" into place.
• A pre-woven sheet of cane is driven, and glued, and finally secured by a spline into the wood frame.
• There are pattern options available for press cane material. Variations in the size of the cane hole pattern from 3/8" to 1", cross weaves, and others are available. The standard is a 3/8" hole pattern.

Hand Cane:

• Hand cane seat repair is not usually effective, so replacement is preferable.
• Usually found on older chairs and some fine newer items.
• Hand cane is easy to identify because there are individual holes in the wood frame for each strand of cane.
• The thickness of the wood frame is usually about ¾", but if thicker like 1 ½" the difficulty level increases several fold and, accordingly, increases the cost.
• The pattern of the hand weave is controlled by the holes in the wood frame. The cane pattern usually appears to be about 3/8" spaced, like the standard press cane pattern.
• The reference to "hand cane" is because it is hand woven through each hole.
• Sometimes we encounter a chair that was originally fitted for hand cane that has subsequently been covered over by leather, fabric, plywood or who knows what else. In those cases if the line of holes in the wood is intact, or can be recreated, it is possible to put the chair back to its original appearance with any needed wood repairs.
• Hand cane replacement is almost a lost art performed by only a few craft people.

• French cane seat repair is not usually effective, so replacement is preferable.
• Usually found only on older fine chairs. It can be on the seat and/or back.
• The blind hole approach involves the drilling of shallow holes only part way into the frame, and then working the cane - all six courses - and the binding into each hole, and then finally completing the job with a wooden peg in each hole. The hole does not go all the way through the wood frame. We have never been able to find anyone who would perform such blind hole French caning. It appears to be a lost art.
• A variation is the back spline approach that involves a groove routed into the back of the chair frame. This allows the frame to be hand caned. Then once the caning is installed, a solid spline is added to fill the groove.
• You often see the back spline system of French cane on the backrest of fancy chairs, since the loops of traditional hand cane would show through the back.
• From a practical standpoint, replacing back spline French cane is very costly and usually involves refinishing the chair due to removing and replacing the wood spline on the back. The cost question is controlled by how hard it will be to remove the current wood spline without causing other damage.

Related "Seating" Options:

• Rush rope seat repair is not usually effective, so replacement is preferable.
• Usually found on older items, especially rockers and larger chairs. Sometimes found on the center of backs.
• Identifiable by it being small diameter "rope" wrapped around a four-edge frame. The frame can be dowels or flat slats with rounded edges.
• Originally rush reed plants were harvested, dried, and used for this purpose. Never found today except very rough versions that are imported that can not be duplicated.
• Modern rush rope is man-made twisted Kraft paper like used for grocery sacks. It is very strong.
• The shape of the frame controls the weave pattern. The pattern is always four wedges meeting at the center of the area.
• We do not recommend applying finish to this material.

• Split ash seat repair is not usually effective, so replacement is preferable.
• Usually found on older items, especially rockers and larger chairs. Sometimes found on the center of backs.
• Identifiable by it being flat strips of ash wood usually about ½" wide.
• Originally it was narrow strips of ash tree outer surfaces to include some bark cut from the tree sapling while it was still green, then dried and used for this purpose. Ends were often tied together. This version is not available today.
• Modern split ash is made-made from actual ash wood. Lengths of the strips vary and the ends are fashioned with a keyhole joint system to allow end-to-end joints. Every effort is made to locate all such joints on the bottom of the seat.
• The shape of the woven pattern is always a herringbone shape controlled by the wood frame.
• We do not recommend applying finish to this type of seating.

• Usually found on imported items.
• Ruttan is furniture made using bamboo for the main frame parts that is then wrapped at the joints with split reed and woven between the frame with round or flat reeds.
• Repairs to replace broken wrappings can be performed, with finish work as required.
• Repairs to strength broken frame pieces can be performed, with finish work as required.
• Not much else can reasonably be repaired.

Wicker:

• Usually found on imported and much older items.
• Small diameter reed is woven between the frame parts that are usually made of round wood parts or even "branches" of trees.
• Selected pieces can sometimes be repaired or replaced with finish work as required.
• The main problem is that this material becomes extremely brittle with age and any repair might break more pieces than it replaces.

Care and Use:

Chairs that have any of the above types of seating should be protected against moisture from swimming suits, jogging outfits, and generally anything wet. In addition, they should never be used to stand on. Finally, they should be protected from snagging by anything sharp like pocket combs.

Finishing:

• Many modern manufactured items with cane, usually press cane, were originally stained and finished along with the wood. Most older or antique items have cane that is natural in appearance, but has discolored from use and age.
• In replacing such cane, decisions have to be made regarding whether to recreate the finish.
• If the chair is being refinished and recaned, there is the decision whether to recane it before finishing or after.
• New unfinished cane will appear much lighter in color, but it too will discolor naturally with age and use.
• The top surface of the new cane, whatever kind is involved, is very hard and glossy. It therefore will not take a stain easily or very dark.
• If the new cane is being finished along with refinishing the chair, the cane normally receives the same stain and lacquer coats. Since it will not take the stain very dark, we usually have to darken it with special applications of color in the lacquer.
• If the new cane is being replaced in a chair without refinishing, and the desire is to finish the cane to blend with other chairs that might exist, then we have to mask off the cane area after it is applied. We then spray the area with toned color lacquers to approximate the other chairs.
• A chair back requires this process to both the front and back surfaces.
• Because of this process we must warn the client that such finish is susceptible to chipping and flaking if not used with care.

Upholstered Options:

Upholstery added to a wood chair comes in several versions. All are added after any wood repair and any related refinishing or finishing. Most can have buttons or button tufting added.

• Usually are thin plywood seat panels that have had padding and upholstery added to them.
• Frequently have been reupholstered so many times, or the plywood’s glue has broken down and the panel is weak, that the plywood panel should also be replaced.
• We use ½" fir plywood for replacements.
• We normally use 2" high-density foam that is covered with muslin for a deluxe seating feel. Foam that is only 1" thick is an option.
• We then apply your selection of fabric that is folded on the corners and tacked on the bottom surfaces.
• We make and apply a welting of the same fabric around the bottom edge for the quality look.
• You can supply the fabric or select from our fabric books. We only guarantee our supplied fabric.
• Usually ½ yard of fabric is required per seat, but if a large pattern is involved be careful about needing extra fabric.

• The deluxe approach.
• The top edge of the seat area has a fabric welting made of the same fabric that frames the seating area.
  

• The seat pad involves a wood frame that usually has wide elastic straps or burlap webbing stretched between it for a somewhat softer feel.
• We replace the straps or webbing with new material.
• The upholstery options are the same as for Pads and Welted Pads.

• Much like the webbed frame above, but the seat pad is usually some 5" or 6" thick because it also has in it larger coil springs that are held at the bottom by burlap webbing. The webbing and springs are frequently sagging out the bottom.
• The coil spring frame is always removable and usually it just drops into place in the chair.
• We replace the webbing with new material and retie the springs to restore them to original condition.
• The upholstery options are the same as for those above.
• Depending on the size involved, clearly more fabric is required.

• This involves a wood framed item where some of the wood shows and the upholstery is tacked directly onto the surface of the wood.
• The concealed wood parts are frequently of lower quality wood and some structural problems may come just from this fact.
• Restoring such items involves removing all fabric, padding, and webbing.
• Once reduced to the wood only condition, the wood frame frequently requires some regluing or rebuilding. Some times such requirements can not be determined until the fabric has all been removed.
• The exposed wood surfaces can then be stripped and finished to desired colors, darkness, and sheen.
• Only at that point can the full spring system, padding, muslin, and final fabric be recreated.
• It is advisable to have the upholstery experts remove the materials before our rebuilding and refinishing so they know what they will be required to do to recreate it.
• Only the upholstery expert can advise you on how much fabric will be required based on the item and the fabric pattern you select.
• We can work with your upholstery firm or you can use ours.