How to fix wicker chair seat

This article will provide you with the most manageable steps on how to repair a wicker chair. Having a piece of nice wicker furniture gives your home a lovely vintage or cottage style — whether it is a sunroom, patio, or in an indoor living area.

You have to remember that when you own a wicker chair or any furniture, it will require you to exert an effort to maintain your chair. However, all that effort will be well worth it if you follow these three easy steps. In addition to this article on repairing a wicker chair, we’ll also provide tips on maintaining and restoring your wicker pieces.

What Are The Tools And Materials Needed?

Before proceeding to the procedure, make sure you have the following items. If you have the complete set of materials, you are good to go!

• Needle nose pliers
• Scissors
• Utility knife

Materials

• Glue
• Water
• Wicker caning
• Spray paint
• Tacks

Fixing Your Wicker Chair

Step #1. Repair loose wrapping on the legs 

For you to repair a chair leg on which wicker wrapping became loose, you must cut a length of wicker caning and soak it in the water for 30 minutes to make the wicker caning flexible. Then you should apply a dab of glue under the end of the loose wrapping. After that, you’ll need to insert the end of the brand new strand and tap it in place using a small tack.

After everything, you have to wrap the length of the new cane that snuggles around the leg of the wicker chair and then add a dab of glue at the end. Make sure to secure the end with another tack and cut off the extra canning.

Step #2. Repair broken strands in the body

This step will teach you the technique to repair a broken strand of caning of a wicker chair. To replace the strand, you have to soak a length of a wicker strand in the water for about 30 minutes.

Using your utility knife, cut off any protruding ends of the old strand. As much as possible, it would be better that you apply glue at the end of the underside of an intersecting piece of cane. When the new strand is soft enough, you need to cut off a slightly longer section than the original piece being replaced.

The next thing you’ll do is place a small amount of glue into the woven strand. You’ll need to tuck one end inside the woven wicker next to the broken strand and weave the new piece with the same pattern from the old weaving technique.

Note: To do this step, you need to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to assist. If the new strand is intact, cut off any excess, and tuck the end under the intersecting piece.

Step #3. Paint the piece

Once you’re done with the repairs from the previous steps and before proceeding to spray-paint the repaired areas, ensure that the glue has dried up.

Note: If your wicker chair is used outdoors, use an exterior enamel spray. 

Here are some wicker furniture tips

Like what we mentioned in this article, having an item of wicker furniture requires you to maintain the cleanliness and quality of the furniture that you own. That’s why we provided you three tips that you can take note of when you happen to experience these specific scenarios of your furniture.

When you have wicker furniture, you should take note that these materials are prone to mildew. In this scenario, you need to use a mild oil-based product.

We suggest that you buy a “Murphy Oil Soap.” You need to mix it with water to remove the mildew. 

Note: Ensure that your furniture piece dries up well after the cleaning, which can also prevent mildew.

Restoring unpainted or natural wicker to its warm glow using linseed oil

For you to restore the unpainted or natural wickers of your furniture to maintain its warm glow, rub it with linseed oil, then wipe off the excess oil gently.

Note: Let it dry for several days before sitting on it or add cushions to keep it from getting oil on your clothes.

If there is too much damage, seek out a furniture repair service or professional

From time to time, you have to inspect your wicker furniture to identify any broken pieces. In some cases, if the damage is widespread or if it looks like it will worsen, seek out a professional for help.

Conclusion

You’ve reached the endpoint of this article on how to repair a wicker chair and some additional tips on maintaining wicker furniture. With a bit of care and gentle cleaning, your furniture will look good for years.

Always take note that no matter what steps you follow when you try to clean a piece of wicker furniture that you purchased, you can also depend on the owner’s manual or instructions from where you bought the piece and follow their guide.

If you have to repair wicker furniture where the wicker reed is missing or damaged and you are looking for someone to do it for you, your probably in for a rude awakening.  Finding someone that is knowledgeable and willing to help you will be difficult to find to say the least and the cost will most likely be prohibitive if you have significant damage.  In some cases, you may find that the repair may cost more than the value of the furniture.  In which case you need to think about repairing it your self.  If the furniture piece is from a matching set or just one you really like, you will most likely want to pursue fixing it rather than replacing it.  A reasonable solution in such a case is to do it your self and save your damaged piece from the scrap pile.  It’s a bit tedious but worth while and definitely doable.

The accompanying images of this article show repairs of a wicker love seat that was damaged by a dog that chewed the reed.  The color and size of reed match was not possible.  So, we used the closest matching reed we could find.  The customer was very satisfied because we were able to save her furniture which was part of a matching set that was no longer available.

Broken Wicker Reed of Love Seat Arm

Broken Reed on Love Seat Arm

Broken Wicker Reed

Tools You Might Need

• Conventional Pliers
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Wire the consistency of a Paper Clip

Replacing Missing or Damaged Wicker Furniture Reed

Repairing wicker furniture sounds hard and in some cases it can be.  However, this lesson concentrates on replacing missing or damaged reed that is woven in one direction and not intended for highly complicated woven sections.  Small repairs are very easy and doing it yourself can be a very rewarding experience. Once you get the feel for it, it’s not bad at all and it does however, take a little patience.  

Repaired Wicker Reed

Wicker Reed Repair

Wicker Reed Repair

reed

10-Steps to Replace Missing or Damaged Reed

1. Identify Damaged Reed

The first thing you need to do is assess the damage you want to repair and determine if simply re-weaving will do a satisfactory job.  If the damaged wicker reed is easy to view, determine how extensive the damaged or missing reed is.  You want to have a good handle on what repairs you need to make.

2. Identify Reed Material: Shape, Size & Color (Resin or Natural Reed)

To prepare for replacement you need to identify what type of material you need along with the diameter and color of the reed.  Wicker can be manufactured using natural or synthetic resin materials. Whether you use natural or resin reed, the style and size of the reed can vary and so can the colors. 

3. Take a Sample of Reed if Possible

In order to acquire the correct replacement reed, you might need to take a sample from the damaged reed or from a piece of reed that has excess sticking out from a concealed place under the furniture.   If you can acquire a sample you can show the vendor, you have a better chance of getting the right replacement or one close enough you can live with from them.

4. Determine Quantity of Reed Needed

You will have to estimate the amount (length) of each piece of reed you will need to do the repairs.  Make sure you estimate and then add a little more.  When you place your order remember, having left over is a good thing.  When you order, consider having some spare reed on hand for the future.  It’s a cheap insurance policy if you have to make repairs again. 

5. Contact Wicker Dealer and Acquire New Reed

The first place to go to get replacement reed is from the place you purchased the furniture in an attempts to acquire the same reed.  If that does not work, you will need to talk to a wicker dealer that can obtain repair supplies. Natural wicker reed is rather easy to acquire whereas resin reed is more difficult because there are so many different vendors with many different types, sizes and colors.  Not all reed will be able to be replaced with an exact match and you might have to settle with an off color or off size.  Our experience is that the war wounds add a little character to your furniture.  

6. Observe and Take Note of the Weave Pattern

Before you begin, you will need to study the weave pattern.  Once you remove the damaged reed, you may not recognize the pattern that you need to copy when you wave the new reed back in. So look at it closely and understand how you must weave the new reed back in.  It’s helpful to look on the opposite side of the furniture (Example: Left arm v.s. right arm.) and see what it looks like in an area that is not damaged or missing reed.  Taking a clear picture might help as well.

7. Remove Damaged Reed

Cut and remove the damaged reed with a pair of wire cutters or similar tool.  Back out the end of the remaining reed so that the end is aiming down away from the surface.  Leave at least 1-2 inches of the original reed tucked down under the surface.  To keep a piece of reed in place properly, the more you weave it in the better it holds.  So, if you can, try to remove enough original reed so that you can weave back in a pice over and under the cross members at least four to seven times, more if you like. In small areas you may have no other choice but to use a short weave over and under 2-3 cross members. In those cases, you might have to live with it being a little loose when you weave the new piece in.  But its perfectly acceptable as long as the woven piece does not fall out.

8. Make a Wire Tool to Assist in Pulling the Reed Back Up

When you prepare to weave the new reed in place, you will need a tool to assist you in performing the weave.  The reed will be woven over and under the cross member.  You will not be able to pull the reed back up to the surface without a wire tool to hook and pull up the reed.  Form a wire tool from a paperclip or similar sized wire so that when you feed the end of the cane down over a cross member, you can grab it with the wire and pull up up again from under the adjacent cross member.   You need to bend one end of the wire to form a hook sufficient to grab the reed and pull it back up to the surface.  You might have to experiment a bit to get it to work the way you want it to.  Keep the hook slender because it needs to pull the cane up and between the laterals.  Bend the opposite end so that your it gives your finger something to pull up on the tool when your pulling the reed up. 

9. Cut and Weave New Reed Into Place (Tuck In Ends Where Necessary)

New reed is usually available in lengths of more than 36 inches.  This will usually be longer than what you need to repair any one reed piece.  If you can, use the whole length when weaving then cut the excess off when your almost done so as not to waste what you purchased.  If waste is not an issue or the length is too bothersome, it might be easier to cut lengths that are easier to work  Just don’t cut them short or you will be wasting reed.  Use the wire tool you made to help you weave the reed in place.  The tool has a hook on the end that help you grab the end of the reed that is down below the surface so that you can pull it back up above the surface to complete the pattern.

Note: Natural wicker reed will need to be soaked in water for at least 15 minutes to make it flexible enough to bend prior to weaving.

10. Stain and Seal Natural Wicker

If you are repairing a natural wicker product, you will need to stain or paint it to match your finish.  If you are staining and not painting, you should seal the stained reed with a clear acrylic paint after its stained and dry.  You won’t need to paint or seal if your wicker is natural and untreated. Go to your hardware store and buy the smallest amount of stain you can find.  Follow the manufacturers instructions for staining.  Buy a can of acrylic spray clear coat and paint the affected area to seal it.  You can use the can to reseal the entire piece if you like.

If you need to paint the repair, you can do just the area that has been repaired or do the whole thing to make the finish even. You can refer to our Painting Wicker Furniture or Tips for Painting Wicker Furniture articles for guidance.

     Its important to remember two things:

1. You will need more length than the linear distance between start and finish of your weave because the weaving action takes up more reed than you might otherwise expect.
2. Leave at least an additional  2 inches excess at the end of each side of the new reed so that it can’t pull out the you put the finished ends tucked under the surface where they can’t be seen.

Summary

After you have replaced each piece of damaged or missing reed, the weave should be tight, not too loose.  Sometimes its indvitable to have a loose weave in a repair, but it much better to be loose than broken or missing. In most cases you will have repaired your wicker furniture with great success and you will feel pretty good that you learned how to repair it yourself and be surprised how good it looks.  Recognize that the new piece of reed will generally withstand the same wear that the original did.

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