Care of Cane

186 Arthur Tce
Bardon Qld 4065
Australia
(07) 3368 1531
+61 (7) 3368 1531
Wed to Sat
10am - 3pm

General    

Most good quality cane seating is strong, durable, cool and comfortable to sit on, suiting our climate. However, if abused, neglected or used inappropriately its life will be shortened.

Hand Caned Seating

made up of fine cane (rattan) individually woven through holes drilled through the seat of the chair, as seen in many old and antique chairs (eg. bentwoods) and in some better quality modern chairs. Because hand weaving is a time consuming process it is not often used in modern chairs.

Sheet Caned Seating

looks much the same as hand caned seating but comes prewoven in sheet form. It is cut to size and fitted into a groove cut into the seat frame and locked in with a glued spline. Some old and antique chairs use this (eg. most American spindlebacks) and most modern chairs.

Care for these two types of seating in the same way.

• DO dampen both sides of the cane with a moist cloth once a week. Allow to dry completely (approx. 2 hours) before using the chair.
• DO fit a padded cushion to the seat if used by a child who tends to kneel on the cane.
• DO NOT stand on the cane.
• DO NOT sit on the cane in wet togs or when cane is wet.
• DO NOT coat the cane with any finish which will seal it from atmospheric moisture (includes varnish, polyurethane, silicone based cleaners etc).
• DO NOT leave in the weather.

No Cane furniture should be situated where it is fully exposed to the weather. Cane chairs left in the garden or on a deck with no roof will disintegrate rapidly.

Seagrass Furniture

Originally designed and sold as indoor furniture and was not intended for verandah use. However, because it was lightweight, it was often carried to the verandah and eventually stayed there. Paint is its protection from the weather.

• DO NOT leave unpainted seagrass, even if it is varnished, on the verandah. It will fade, grey and eventually rot. *Neither Seagrass nor Split Cane are penetrated deeply by paint and therefore paintwork can easily chip and needs regular attention.
• DO check paint regularly and touch up or repaint if necessary.
• DO hose it clean if it gets dusty and allow it to dry in the shade.
• DO NOT stand on it or let children jump on it.
• DO NOT fit fully enclosed rubber “shoes” to its feet if on a verandah (they hold water from blowing rain and cause footrot).

Split Cane Furniture

originally sold as furniture suitable for the verandah. If natural it will slowly discolour if left on a verandah but usually does not disintegrate as seagrass can. Care as for seagrass from * on.

Bamboo and Wicker Furniture

was intended for indoor use originally. Its biggest enemy is the dryness it suffers from exposure to the elements. Again care is as for seagrass from* on. If any fancy bits on this furniture come adrift or start to unravel the best time to repair it is NOW. It will otherwise get worse or even lost and will be much harder to repair as a lot of the raw materials are no longer available for this fancy work.

Copyright © Ron & Cathie Twaddle