How To Fix A Wicker Chair Seat

Written By: Olivia

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Difficulty

Easy

Steps

Time Required

30 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Learn how to repair a broken wicker chair seat!

If your wicker chair seat is broken or has cracks, it may be the result of regular use or simply aging. Use this guide to restore your wicker chair seat, making it look as good as new and stable enough to sit on again. This method works for most wicker furniture that uses the same weaving process.

Wicker reed plays a crucial role in the structure of a wicker chair seat, helping to maintain its shape and stability. Soaking the reed in water makes it flexible and malleable, allowing it to be easily shaped and woven between itself and the metal frame of the chair, creating a strong and durable structure as it dries.

Tools

Parts

Round Reed

Step 1

Soak the reed in a bowl of room temperature water for 15 minutes.
It should bend without snapping.

Step 2

Identify the broken pieces; you will need to remove the whole row.

Step 3

Using pliers or your hands, gently remove the broken pieces.
The old reeds will be brittle and will simply snap off.
Reed material is fragile; be careful not to remove more than you need to.

Step 4

Weave the reed through the perpendicular pieces, alternating over and under. Begin by passing the reed over one perpendicular and under the next, going across the chair from one side to the other.
Pull the reed through to the end, leaving out about two inches.

Step 5

When you have completed a few passes, return to the beginning of your project and find the two inches of reed left unwoven.
Wrap the end of the reed around the rail twice.
Take the remaining reed and weave it into a gap in the existing weaving; it should stay in place.
Continue weaving the long end of the reed.

Step 6

Once you reach the end of the row, wrap the reed around the rail twice.

Step 7

For your next row, feed the reed in alternate directions.
Continue this weaving pattern until the broken section is repaired.
Depending on the size of your project, the reed may dry during the repair process. If this happens, gather up what hasn’t already been woven and soak it in water until the reed is pliable again, around 15 minutes.