Traditional Six Way Cane Weaving

Hand woven cane seating from 80p per frame hole. For example and average bedroom chair seat, (usually 80-90 holes) would cost from £64-£72 for us to reseat, (a DIY kit is £18). To lightly tint the new cane to look old would cost an extra £5-£10 per panel. Sunburst such as the example shown below, blind or double sided work attracts a premium on standard price.

Pre-Woven Cane Panel Replacement

Panel cane seating (Habitat/Bauhaus chrome style chairs) from £35 per average seat panel, £20 per back panel, tinting to match original from £5 per panel (A DIY panel kit is £12). See example left - the seat panel on this tub chair has been replaced then colour matched to the original back panelling, the small sample strip on top of the seat is to show the natural colour of fresh cane. Below, "Bauhaus/Habitat" chair seats and canoe seat frames.

Danish Cord Seat Replacement

Danish cord seats are woven using a specially manufactured paper fibre cord usually onto a series of "L" shaped nails on the inside of the seat rails (sometimes staples were used). The average replacement cost of a seat in a single rail chair is £70.The example shown top right is a typical Danish cord "two by two" weave

We also specialise in the reseating of Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs and other double sided and double railed Danish cord work. The approximate cost of reseating a Wishbone chair such as shown to the lower right is £125. They are technically very difficult to do.

A Vico Magistretti 1970's dining chair, the drop in seats, (above and right) have been matched in design. These popular seats cost from £65 each to replace.

Traditional Rush Seat Replacement

Rush seating is available in a choice of materials from £25, (footstool sized seat). For example an average dining seat (15" x 17") would cost £55 in paper fibre rush, (a DIY kit is £12) and £65 - £70 in real rush, The example left is a "covered corner" drop in seat re-woven by us using "Reel Rush". Such seats are difficult and time consuming to weave and will cost on average a £10 - £15 premium over most other designs. Hand twisted rush starts from £120 per seat.

A selection of various Paper fibre and "Reel rush" finished Magistretti chair seat pads.

Skeined Willow, Knotted Close Cane and other Specialist Seat Weaving

We are also able to restore other specialised woven seating such as seagrass, close caning ("skeined"), willow, reed, shaker tape, rhympie, splint and centre cane. The photo below is close woven porch weave. The costs for these services are available on request.

Above plaited rush and skeined willow weavng. Below a complex knotted close woven cane pattern

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Cane Conservation Repairs

Sensitive specialist conservation repair of rare or historic pieces. Small damaged areas can be "patched" and colour matched to existing delicate panels.

Woven Pot Handle Restoration Price Guide

Poole pottery biscuit barrels, Tudric pewter tea and coffee pots, trinket boxes - there were many manufacturers who created handles using intricately woven cane or willow. We can restore these for you, the typical cost is between £15 and £25 depending on the size of the handle and complexity of the pattern.

A typical Tudric teapot with a newly woven handle covering in an intricate chevron design.

Traditional Antique "Cabinet" Restoration

We offer a full hand cleaning/stripping, repair and re-finishing service for all antique furniture. (NO CAUSTIC DIPPING!). The availability of this service is very limited and unfortunately the waiting time can be quite long. Due to the time consuming nature of careful restoration and the availability of workshop space only one or two larger projects will be worked on at any one time.

Repairs including turning, copy antique spindles from £15 - French polish, oil and wax finishes available - (sorry - no booth sprayed Ercol type finishes) - Re-veneering and marquetry repairs, missing carvings matched.

A complete "rebuild". One leg was missing, two lower drawers had been "modified" to create a filing drawer, two large carcass splits to one pedestal had opened up, there were several large cigarette burns and pencil sharpener fixing holes through the top surface and very little of the skiver leather survived. It was altogether neglected, veneer was damaged and several mouldings were missing. The restoration was long and painstaking but very satisfying, especially when the desk turned out to have an interesting provenance. On stripping the carcass out we had found a letter from the 1930's ordering theatre tickets. It turned out that the desk had been removed from the offices of a well loved Dorset Victorian theatre on its closure 12 years previously.

A handsome Victorian "Oliver Goldsmith"stick back chair needing new rails and leg top, re-gluing, colour matching and re-finishing.