If you can see holes drilled into your chair or sofa into which the cane is woven, then yours is a hand caned piece. Sometimes it is possible to perform rattan cane repairs. However, most often we find that the cane damage is too extensive or the cane too brittle to repair.
It is important to note that some chairs and sofas have panels where the sides and back share holes. Although only one panel may be damaged, it might be impossible to re-cane without also doing the second panel. Additionally, be aware that we sometimes find when old cane is removed, that it was the cane that was actually holding the frame together. In this case, some repair work will be necessary before the re-caning can be carried out. joints need to be strong and firmly glued before a chair is caned.
There are several other forms of cane panel, which will change the cost of your repair. The first is known as blind caning which means that the holes are not drilled completely through the frame. In this case, the cost per hole increases a little as each strand must be glued individually in place.
If your chair has a medallion in the centre of the back panel, then this is much trickier to carry out. You will need to count the holes around the medallion, as well as those around the outer frame of the chair. Add them together and send us the total with a photograph.
The third variation is when both sides of a chair arm or back are caned in one double-sided panel. This is much trickier and therefore costs more.