Copyright 2003 by The Wicker Woman/Cathryn Peters
1.) Keep cane chairs and furniture away from extreme heat situations and areas with low humidity that could cause the cane to dry out and become brittle.Direct sunlight and heater ducts are areas to be avoided. Using a high-oil content furniture polish product when you dust helps to keep the cane supple. Scott’s Liquid Gold spray furniture polish, lemon oil, orange oil, or mineral oil applied to both the top and bottom of the cane seat a few times a year is usually sufficient.
2.) Cane has natural elastic properties but eventually the caned seat will begin to sag with heavy or prolonged use. It is important to tighten the cane or it will begin to wear and break along the inside edge of the seat frame. Cane seats that are not too badly stretched or
that are free of broken strands, can be revived by turning the chair upside-down and applying a warm, wet cloth to the underside of the cane seat. Let the cloth and cane dry naturally overnight. Remove the cloth and turn chair upright and don’t let anyone sit on it for at least 48 hours. This tightening process is most effective when used within the first five years of recaning and won’t work at all if there are several broken strands.
3.) Bevel the inside edge of the seat and sand it well before beginning to weave if you are caning a chair yourself. This applies to weaving both the traditional hole-to-hole method or the sheet cane or spline cane method with the large hole in the middle of the wood frame. The inside edge is usually a sharp 90 degree angle and may eventually cut the cane, if this step is forgotten. Use a small rasp or plane to pare down the edge and then smooth with sand paper.
4.) A cane seat is intended to take evenly distributed weight, not concentrated weight, so NEVER kneel on a cane seat or use it as a ladder or step stool. 
5.) To prolong the life of your caned seat, the use of a chair pad or cushion is encouraged. This especially pertains to large chairs with a seat diameter of greater than 14 inches. A chair pad will distribute the weight evenly and take the pressure off the individual strands of cane, thus making them last longer.
6.) No need for final finish treatments of varnish, stain or laquer on newly rewoven cane seats. Traditionally cane seats are left unfinished to allow the cane to absorb moisture in the air and remain flexible, expanding and contracting. Although cane will darken with age to a nice honey-brown golden color, it will take several years to achieve this. Occasionally tung oil varnish or even wax furniture polish are used without harmful affects.
7.) If you prefer to hasten the darkening process or need to match a new chair seat to an existing set, use oil-based stain and then a coat of lacquer or varnish can be applied over that. Do not apply varnish to the under side of the cane seat, though. Realize too, that the finish may not match exactly, may be blotchy in appearance, and will tend to dry out the cane, which may cause the seat to fail prematurely. The preferred method is to leave in its natural state, without adding any final finish products.
8.) Clean grimy or dirty cane seats with a wood soap or mild detergent in warm water, using a soft cloth or perhaps a soft bristle brush. Take care not to damage the wood surface with the water. Rinse well and then let the seat dry naturally, because mold and mildew will damage and stain the cane. Do not sit on the seat for at least 48 hours, otherwise the cane will stretch out of shape.
9.) Do not store cane or wicker furniture in high humidity areas or in wet areas where mold and mildew can present a problem. Basements, crawl spaces or next to a wall where the furniture does not get adequate air circulation are places to avoid.
10.) If you notice mold or mildew growing on your cane furniture, use a strong solution of bleach in warm soapy water. Then rinse well and dry outdoors in the sunshine on a warm, windy day. Be careful not to spill the bleach solution on any surrounding wooden frame parts.
11.) With reasonable care, attention and use, your cane-seated chair should last from 5-25 years. But if you notice a few broken strands or a hole becoming bigger, place a padded cushion over the seat to gain many more months or even years of use. I recommend to all my customers that they keep using the chair until the entire seat (or large portion of it) fails, before they have it rewoven. Enjoy!
If you have further questions or concerns about your cane and wicker furniture, please go to Seatweaving FAQ and Wicker FAQ pages. Not sure whether you have cane or rattan reed furniture? Click on the descriptions, harvesting and history of cane and reed page. Or if you’d like to do some chair caning yourself and need raw materials, tools and instruction books, visit the Cane & Basket Supplies page. Thank you for visiting WickerWoman.com, and please come back often for more help in caring for your antique wicker and cane furniture!
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