Answers to the topic of chair weave

The most common and best known is probably the chair weave made from the rattan plant. These are the strips peeled off the surface of the sprouts. This material, known as chair weave, is woven thread by thread into seating surfaces with the smooth and water-repellent outside facing upwards. Unfortunately, the quality of the material has deteriorated significantly over the last few years and importing has also become more difficult in recent years.

There are also chair weaves made from rush cord, paper cord and sometimes plastic, which I no longer repair.

Alternative cotton braided band

An alternative that I have now tried successfully is a thread made of cotton fabric with a very tear-resistant plastic thread braided into it. The material is optically very similar to the natural material and is available in the colors natural and antique. While the natural chair braid varies in quality year after year due to weather and environmental influences and availability has been severely limited for years, the cotton braid offers consistently consistent quality.

Ready-made braids are partially machine-made braided mats in various widths and lengths. These finished woven mats are not interwoven and are not suitable for chairs that have woven strips for manually woven chair wicker (with drill holes).

You can come across such “professional” repairs from hawkers again and again, but the strength and appearance suffer because the threads cannot be adjusted to the different drill hole distances of the respective chair.

A ready-made braid is intended exclusively for use in a groove, where it is aligned and secured with a cotter pin in this groove and glued. When installed professionally, the appearance and durability are always right.

A chair made of wicker cane should be wiped down from the bottom with a damp cloth every now and then so that the elasticity is not lost. Drying should not take place next to a heater or in direct sunlight.

Oil, wax and other substances have absolutely no place on a chair mesh.

The repair time depends primarily on the shape and size of the area to be repaired.

For a square seat, including all the necessary preparatory work, it can take up to three working days.
With round or rounded seats, the time required can increase even further, as geometry also plays a major role here.

In the case of backrests and armrests, the threads are usually glued/wedged in each drill hole. Here the holes must first be drilled out so that the old braid can be removed. Each braiding thread must then be measured individually. Over time, the mesh is created, which has to be glued/wedged again for each drill hole. The work effort is therefore greater and therefore takes longer.

Basically it can be said that a chair wicker always has to be completely replaced.

Individual braiding threads cannot be replaced because the braiding is usually so brittle that if you try to remove a defective thread, others are immediately affected.

Threads are often stuck in the holes. When drilling, several threads would always be affected. Braids in backrests are usually always glued.

For a Viennese braid, the price is calculated based on the number of drill holes in the frame (red triangles). The final price is then calculated from the total number times the price per drill hole. A half sun or solar braid is calculated based on the number of rays. For other types of braid please ask for the price.

You can find the current price list and a calculator to calculate the final price here.

Before new chair weave is made to your chair, all woodwork should be completed. This primarily affects the surface of the wood. Subsequent painting or staining could ruin the new braid.

If the braid strip is damaged, I have to decide individually whether it is still sufficiently stable for my braiding work.

If smaller glue work is necessary, I or Ralf usually use bone glue, which ensures a firm but reversible connection. If there is major damage to the wood, I can also recommend a carpenter or restorer who will carry out the repairs professionally and as far as possible.

Chair wicker cane is now in short supply among material retailers. The main exporter Indonesia has severely restricted the supply of wicker chair cane. This means that the quality of the chair wicker on the open market is no longer as good as it was a few years ago.

Giving a course with this wicker chair would be torture and ultimately demotivating for the course participant. For this reason, I will no longer be giving chair weaving courses until further notice.

Chair and furniture weaves come in a few varieties. I’ll list some of them here.

The most commonly used and most stable is the Viennese braid, also known as the octagonal braid. This braid is made up of six braiding threads and is used equally for seats and side and backrests

Other variations include diamond, star or sun braids. These are not suitable as a seat because they are too delicate and therefore not as stable as the Viennese weave. They serve more as an eye-catcher or as an embellishment to furniture.

The sun or half sun wicker is often used for tables and is protected under a glass top. In chairs it is used as a half-solar braid in the backrest

Which braids I no longer produce or repair

Also known is the Worpswede braid made from rush cord. Due to low demand, I no longer make rushes or twine.

It is rarer to find seats made of twill weave with straw inserts as upholstery

On the other hand, the rattan furniture that is lined with wicker is better known.

I also generally do not repair polyrattan, i.e. plastic, used on patio furniture.

As a rule, a chair weave cannot be repaired and must always be completely re-woven. When I have an inquiry, it always helps me to receive one or two pictures of the chair or the seat or the backrest in advance.

Since the natural material rattan, from which the chair weave is made, has become very poor in quality, I have only been using cotton braid since February 2023. This is a cotton thread with integrated tear-resistant plastic threads that visually differs from the natural material.

For example, I generally don’t repair/replace ready-made braids. You can usually recognize a finished braid because there are no drill holes visible in the seat frame when viewed from below and therefore no braid threads. A ready-made braid always lies in a groove and the groove is glued with a cotter pin made of wicker.
What I also do not braid or replace are twill braids with straw inlay, rush and string braids, also known as Worpswede braids and braids made of polyrattan (plastic).

Unfortunately, I have to inform you that it is not possible to (re)ship seats or entire chairs to customers.

If you’re now wondering why, let me tell you that the Packaging Act and the associated compulsory registration for the recipient’s recycling of packaging, filling material and parcel tape mean that the administrative effort is in no way worth it for me.

Since there is no shortage, compulsory membership in the recycling system would be due for the first box shipped.

I often hear the argument that the customer sends me the packaging with the seat or chair. However, as an entrepreneur, I am obliged to prove that this packaging is actually already licensed. And usually neither the customer nor I can prove this.

And why is it used as a replacement for the natural product wicker chair?

The chair wicker is made from rattan and Indonesia has been the main supplier so far. From around 2015, the government in Indonesia severely restricted the export of woven chair cane and over time it became increasingly difficult to obtain high-quality woven chair cane. Unfortunately, the export restrictions continue to this day.

The quality is now so poor that it is hardly possible to produce a wicker chair and, above all, it is a responsibility to the customer. The individual braiding threads are not cut cleanly, the dimensions vary too much and the material constantly breaks. With a clear conscience, I can no longer make wicker chairs with this material if I have to constantly hope that it will last long enough for my customers.

That’s why my material dealer started looking for an adequate replacement and found what he was looking for with the cotton braided band. This thread is made of cotton and has tear-resistant polymer threads woven into it.

After my first attempts with this material, I decided to only use this thread for chair weaves from 2023 onwards. I have already carried out my first customer orders using this alternative and I am satisfied with the results. And so far I haven’t received any negative feedback from my customers.

Patio and garden furniture is usually woven with a plastic mesh made of polyethylene, known as polyrattan. In a wide variety of colors and shapes, the plastic can be a visual eye-catcher and there are also plastics that can hardly be distinguished from the natural material.

But I definitely don’t repair/replace such braids.

In addition to the plastic polyrattan, there is of course also rattan furniture for indoor use that is woven with the natural material. The frame can be made of rattan rods or metal, around which the rattan threads are then braided. I don’t repair braids like that.