Elm House Farm,
Crosby, Maryport,
Cumbria, CA15 6SH
Tel: 01900 813200
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A delicately patterned sunrise backed chair with an upholstered seat.
Upholstery carried out by Simon Ireland at Keswick.
Click the small picture to see the full-size version.

CANE SEATING

Cane seats come in all shapes and sizes, from simple bedroom chairs to complicated bergère suites. There are several different patterns used in caning, but by far the commonest is the 6-way pattern: the vast majority of cane chairs are woven in this way as it is both strong and attractive.

RECOGNISING HAND-CANED SEATS

Even if the old seat has completely vanished it's easy to recognise a chair that should be hand caned. Round the edges of the seat you'll see lots of little holes, fairly close together. If these are not present, and the webbing seat seems to be held in place with a strip of centre cane or a narrow spline of wood, it's probably fitted with a pre-woven cane seat.

PLYWOOD SEATS

Sometimes you'll come across an old cane chair with a piece of plywood nailed across the top. This method of repair was often resorted to in the past at times when, for various reasons, imported cane from the Far East was not available. If you think you've got one of these have a look underneath the seat for the telltale little holes. In order to restore the chair to its former glory, all that is required is the removal of the plywood before commencing caning.

If the seat is very large, or an unusual shape or pattern,the job will obviously take longer, but we've never come across a chair yet that we can't tackle. (Maybe you've got the chair that will challenge us?)

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

For a straightforward chair, with a flat surface, and if there aren't more than about 100 holes around the edge, the cost is still only 90p per hole.

If the surface is very curved (as is common in chair backs), or if there is a special pattern (like the sunrise patterns shown on this site) the cost will be more - usually about £1.40 per hole, but please check first.

If the surface is very big (more than about 100 holes) we use a more complicated pricing structure which reflects the complexity of the work - please ask!

WE'RE FRIENDLY!

We love chatting to our customers, and we always respond quickly to your emails, so please feel free to get in touch. Click to eMail or phone 01900 813200.

For lots of detailed information about cane, its origins and history, click here.

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF CANING ON YOUR CHAIR

Detail Of Cane Chair Showing Holes Round The Edge

Above -detail of cane chair showing the little holes round the edge. This type of chair must be hand-caned.

Detail Of Cane Chair Showing Lapping Cane Covering The Holes Around The Edge

Above - detail of cane chair showing the edge holes covered with a strip of lapping cane. If you look underneath you'll be able to see or feel the holes. This type of chair also must be hand-caned.

CHAIRS WITH READY-WOVEN CANE SEATS

Left - A pair of Cesca chairs with ready woven cane seats. This type of seat is made with ready-woven cane which is held in place by a strip of centre cane that goes into a groove around the edge of the seat. (See detail below.) This type of seat comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes, but you can always identify them by the strip of cane - or sometimes a wooden spline - that goes into a groove around the edge. There won't be any little holes, and this type has to be reseated with ready-woven cane.

Right - detail of the edge of a 'Cesca-type seat, showing the spline of centre cane that holds the sheet of ready-woven cane in place. If your seat has something like this round the edge, it needs to be re-seated with ready-woven cane. You can buy a kit from us, and do it yourself, or let us do it for you.