Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Chair Repair


A few years ago I found these two country French style chairs in a local shop.
They sit at a small table in my kitchen and have been used hardily.
This is where most meals are eaten and where
 morning coffee & papers are consumed.
I sit here to knit, work crossword puzzles and read.



Sadly, one is ready to retire.
But I love the chairs and am not ready to replace them.


I have re caned chairs in the past and felt sure I could repair the chair.
However, after inspecting the chair
I discovered the bottom, decorative piece of wood is attached
directly over the holes for caning.
Impossible to re cane!!!
I took the chair to my Dad,
who, by the way, can fix anything.
I thought perhaps he could take the chair apart,
I could re cane the seat,
he could reassemble it.
No.  He was having none of it.
Next I took it to a local furniture repairman.
No.  He was having none of it either.
Time for me to get creative...
...or make a last ditch effort to save my chair.



First I cut away the old cane.


Underneath the cane was some twine...


...which was also removed.


Next, painting the edge with the drilled holes.



I wanted to camouflage my next step as much as possible.


Other than the paint, these were the other two items purchased for my repairs.


My plan was to create a basket weave seat with
black webbing.


Because of the holes drilled for the previous caning
I had only a small lip on which to tack the webbing.


Not a totally elegant repair to my chair,
but at least I'll still get a bit more use from it.


I've added some cushions to the chair bottoms,
to hide the repair.
Of course, the new cushions necessitated a new tablecloth,
which I'll tell you about at another time.

This week I'm sharing with
Wow Us Wednesdays  at Savvy Southern Style
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage

14 comments:

Unknown said...

What a great save! With the cushions you can change as often as you like! Sometimes we have to take the bull-by-the-horns and do things ourselves, right? Great Job! Hugs

NanaDiana said...

Well, aren't you clever? And smarter than both men (even if one of them IS your Dad). I really like the looks of it with the cushions on it. How does it sit now that you are raised up a tad? xo Diana

Elizabeth and Gary said...

What a great save!!! and so creative of you...I love your quilt on the table its beautiful and made with all the colors I love. I will look forward to reading about it.
Have a sweet day, Elizabeth

Jan said...

A great idea, but probably only a stop-gap for chairs that are heavily used; the webbing will tear sooner or later or start to sag in the center. But with that little bit of a "lip" where the old caning used to be -- the same lip you tacked the webbing too - I can see you tracing out a new hard seat bottom that could be slotted to fit around the arms and rest on top of that lip; glue it down or nail it in with tiny but long carpenter finish nails (I think that is what they are called), and put your cushions on top of the "hard" seat. But I'll bet you could figure out a way to upholster the seat and then attach it to the chair so that it could be screwed on and screwed off when you want to redo the upholstery. As you know, where there is a will, there is a way :) Love those chairs!

Rooms by Ann said...

You are one smart cookie. I love those chairs and would do anything to keep them too. Great job and great idea. Happy to be your follower.

Ribbonwood Cottage said...

Wow what a great job you did. The chairs look wonderful and I love how you displayed them with that table and gorgeous quilt. I love quilts, and this one is lovely. Great wall too. Love that red!
Blessings,
Debbie

My Dream Canvas said...

Wow, I love that chair. I look forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas. I am visiting usvia Wow Us Wednesdays.

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

I think you did a fantastic job! I love the chairs too! Oh, love the quilt table cloth too!

Tanna said...

Great job, Susan! I love the chairs with the cushions now. Softer to sit and knit! ;) blessings ~ Tanna

Unknown said...

Exactly what an awesome keep! With the fabrics you will can shift typically since that appeal to you! This is what I like in all about repairing and replacing your old chair design. Thanks for the great info again and again.

Ergonomic Chairs

Unknown said...

It Is really exceptional and that i believe every man who sit will soon be comfortable.
Thanks

Unknown said...

It Is really exceptional and that i believe every man who sit will soon be comfortable.
Thanks

Đồ gia dụng said...


sửa khoá két văn phòng
sửa khoá tủ văn phòng

sửa chữa bàn ghế văn phòng tại hà nội
sửa chữa ghế văn phòng tại hà nội

Đồ gia dụng said...


sửa khoá két văn phòng
sửa khoá tủ văn phòng

sửa chữa bàn ghế văn phòng tại hà nội
sửa chữa ghế văn phòng tại hà nội

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...