The following price list is for 2010 and is a rough guideline of my restoration charges, only after physical inspection of item will I be able to give you a firm price.
Antique Wicker Repair & Restoration:
Labor: $60.00 hour, plus materials.
Both rattan reed and paper fibre wicker repairs are done, with special emphasis on Victorian reed wicker restoration.
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Traditional Caning(w/drilled holes):
Labor: $1.35/per drilled hole, plus materials.
Holes are drilled around the perimeter of chair seat frame and individual strands of cane are hand woven through the series of drilled holes.
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Cane Webbing, Pressed Cane, or Sheet Cane:
Labor: $3.75 per inch per longest rail, plus materials or 25 cents per square inch, plus materials. Prewoven sheet cane is set into a routed out groove on the top side of chair, held in place with a reed spline, no holes drilled in framework.
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6MM Herringbone Twill Design or 6MM Porch Cane Design:
Labor: $6.50 per inch, plus materials, longest rail. Two layer weave applied to both the top and bottom around seat rails. Frequently seen in seats and backs of porch rockers, hence the name “Porch Cane.” Can also be done in Diamond Weave, Basket Weave, or Chevron.
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Star of David, Spiderweb, or Daisy Caning:
Labor: $2.75 a hole, plus materials. Very intricate and difficult hand cane weaves, using two different gauges of cane. Not as sturdy as Traditional 7-Step Method of Hand Caning, so usually reserved for the backs and under arms of Victorian wicker furniture.
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Blind Caning, Single Sided:
Labor: $3.25 per drilled hole, plus materials. Extremely difficult and very time consuming weaving technique. Blind Caning requires each strand to be measured exactly, cut to proper and exact length and glued into holes only partly drilled through the framework. These holes are not drilled completely through the frame as are regular cane chair holes. Usually reserved for very fine high-end antique furniture.
Double Blind Caning, Two Sided:
Labor: $4.85 per drilled hole, plus materials. Extremely difficult and very time consuming weaving technique. Double Blind Caning requires each strand to be measured exactly, cut to proper and exact length and glued into holes only partly drilled through the framework, like the Blind Caning. But the big exception being that the caning is done on both the front side of each panel in the frame and the back side of each panel of the frame. Almost always reserved for very fine high-end antique furniture.
Hand-Twisted Genuine Natural Cattail Leaf Rush or Bulrush:
Labor: $18.00 per inch, includes materials, longest rail. Extremely rare and very laborious type of hand-twisted weaving, using natural materials of either cattail leaves or bulrush. Usually reserved for museum pieces or high-end quality antiques. But the market is currently being flooded with cheaply made imports, also. See how-to photos on the Hand-Twisted Bulrush Seatweaving album on PictureTrail.com
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Pre-twisted Natural Seagrass Rush:
Labor: $5.95 per inch, plus materials, longest length rail.
Paper Fibre (spelling denotes man-made) Rush:
Labor: $4.95 per inch, plus materials, longest rail. Continuous strand, man-made paper material, forming distinct pattern of four large triangles, meeting in the center. Commonly found on post-1910s Colonial ladderback chairs. Sample photo of paper fibre rush footstool, used in my classes.
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Danish Modern Cord (Scandinavian):
Labor: $6.00 per inch, plus materials, longest rail.
Either L-nail type or side rail seat weaving. Seats and backs are also sometimes woven using ide binding cane rather than Danish cord, check with me for additional pricing.
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Splint Seats–Woven with Reed, Ash, Oak or Hickory Bark
Labor $5.00 (Reed, Ash, Oak) $5.25 (Hickory Bark), plus material cost.
Woven both top and bottom around four seat rungs, usually in a 3×3 or 4×4 twill, but can be other patterns, too. Hickory bark is a seasonal available material and much more costly to obtain than the other weaving materials.
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Classes, Lectures, Demonstrations
- Private Instruction: $35-100 hour, negotiable
- Lectures, demonstrations, presentations: $100 an hour, plus all expenses paid
- Teaching Class Schedule: For guilds, workshops, and conventions $35-100 per hour instruction, plus individual student material fee, with most expenses negotiable. Take a look at my teaching schedule for this year.
If you have further questions about wicker repair, chair seat weaving, painting, instruction how-to books or want to know how to care for your pieces, go to the Seatweaving FAQ, Wicker FAQ and How-to Articles.
Need to have your family heirlooms or flea market finds repaired and want to find a repair expert nearby? Locate your chair caning, wicker, upholstery or refinisher on the National Furniture Repair Directory.
