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Cane and Rush Weaving
       
 

Chair Recaning

Cane seats deteriorate over time due to wear, age, and exposure. New rattan can give a chair new life and make it useful again.

I price pre-woven cane by the running inch on the longest rail. Hand woven cane is priced per hole depending on the size and method (traditional, blind, complicated weaves). Contact me to get a quote for your cane replacement. Feel free to email photos as well as this greatly assists me in determining what you have and what the costs and time will be.

NOTE: I do not repair wicker furniture.

There are two basic methods for recaning a chair. Machine-woven sheet cane is more common in newer chairs and involves a sheet of pre-woven cane that sits in a groove around the seat, held in by a binder. Hand-woven cane involves the actual weaving of the rattan through holes in the seat perimeter.

   
Machine-woven Cane

Hand-woven cane

 

Machine-woven Cane

Pre-woven (also called pressed cane or machine-woven) cane is much more common in contemporary chairs and therefore faster and more economical to replace.

I stock a number of different sizes and can custom dye the cane to your specifications.

Examples of pre-woven cane replacement
Machine-woven cane: Before & AfterMachine-woven caneFinished Cane SeatPre-Weave Cane Replacement Pre-Weave Cane Replacement
This chair is one of a set of four which were restored prior to caning.
Pre-Weave Cane Replacement Pre-Weave Cane Replacement Pre-Weave Cane ReplacementPre-Weave Cane Replacement
This is radio weave pressed cane.
Pressed Cane Replacement Machine Cane ReplacementMachine Cane Replacement Machine Cane Replacement Machine Cane ReplacementMachine Cane Replacement Machine Cane Replacement
 

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Hand-woven Cane

Hand-woven cane covers a pretty broad area. Generally it is a term applied to areas where holes are drilled around the perimeter and a series of rattan layers are woven through them. However, binder cane (wide) weaves are also hand-woven, but with different patterns and wrapped around a frame.

Hand weaving cane is becoming a lost art, and there are few of us who really apply the traditions to the craft. After several years of weaving, I've found that I have become very particular about how a weave is done. Hand caned chairs hold their value and are often sought after by collectors. Hold onto and maintain your caned furniture!

 

Examples of Hand-woven Cane

Hand Weave Cane
This chair was also refinished before the seat was replaced.
Hand Caned Chair Hand Woven recaned chair Caned Chair Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs
These chairs have blind caned backs. The seats are a different pattern consisting of a diamond weave of larger gauge cane.
Hand Caned ChairsHand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned ChairsHand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs Hand Caned Chairs
 
Some shops offer to convert hand caned seats to the machine caned variety to save money, but I highly advise against that as it greatly decreases the value of the chair. Machine caned seats also tend to have a shorter life than hand-caned seats.
I do not convert seats from hand weave to machine weave cane.
 
 
This loveseat had extensive damage. It was double caned - a layer both in front and behind the chair back and arms and a double layer across the seat. Damaged areas were repaired and the damaged area re-woven by hand.
double cane double cane double cane

 
These antique bed foot boards had badly damaged cane. One of them had damage that could be repaired while the other was completely rewoven by hand - all 240 holes around the permiter!
The cane was dyed and sealed to imitate the aged look it had before.
 
 
SPECIAL WEAVES
In addition to the traditional patterns, I also weave more complicated patterns such as herringbone, spider weave, etc. If you have a pattern I haven't seen, I'm up for the challenge!
Herringbone Weave
This chair had a damaged herringbone seat woven from wide binder cane. It was rewoven and dyed to match the original.
Herringbone Weave
This chair had a damaged herringbone seat woven from wide binder cane. It was rewoven and dyed to match the original.
This is a Mies Van der rohe cantilever chair. The front section was damaged, so it was replaced and dyed to match the original.
Danish Caned Chair
These unique Danish chairs were worn and tired. They featured wide binder weave in a strong, unusual pattern.
These unique Danish chairs were worn and tired. They featured wide binder weave in a strong, unusual pattern.
Philippine Binder Caned Chair
These Philippine binder cane chairs were a challenge, but came out beautifully.
Danish Cord Footstool Close Weave
This delicate chair had a close weave seat that is wrapped around the seat's frame.
Restored Rocking Chair

Rush Seat Weaving

Rush Seat Weaving

Rush seats are either natural cattail leaf rush, bulrush or man-made paper fibre rush. Most older chairs or fine pieces are woven with bulrush or cattail leaves for authenticity. Natural rush weaving is time-consuming and the materials are expensive, but worth it if the chair is valuable. Paper rush is more reasonable and is used in many newer chairs.

I offer 3 varieties of rush to chose from:

  • Fiber (Kraft paper) rush
  • Pre-twisted natural rush
  • Natural Cat Tail Rush - limited to availability

To obtain an estimate for your chair, send me a picture (if possible) with the seat measurements.

Fiber Rush
Fiber Rush

Pre-Twisted Natural Rush
Pre-Twisted Natural Rush

Natural Cat Tail Rush
Natural Cat Tail Rush

Examples of rush seats:
Fiber Rush Seat ReplacementFiber Rush Seat ReplacementFiber Rush Seat Replacement  Fiber Rush Seat ReplacementFiber Rush Seat Replacement Fiber Rush Seat ReplacementFiber Rush Seat ReplacementFiber Rush Seat Replacement Natural Rush Footstool
This is pre-twisted natural rush.
Restored Flooded Dining ChairsRestored Flooded Dining Chairs Fiber Rush ReplacementFiber Rush ReplacementFiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement
This chair was refinished prior to replacing the rush seat.
Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement
The customer asked to have the rush finished to match others in her set.
Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement
This is wheat wrapped rush - very difficult material to manage.
Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement Fiber Rush Replacement
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Check out my time lapse video of rushing a chair. It's 42 seconds of fast weaving!
 

 


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