Ice Cream Parlor Chair Painted and Re-Caned

Chair After

 

Chair Before

These chairs were once popular in ice cream parlors across the United States. The familiar shape is reminiscent of generations before ours sitting in an ice cream parlor, enjoying a cone of their favorite flavor. 

This chair was quite old, an antique, that had been painted a few times. It was likely part of a set but was a lone chair that needed new paint and a newly caned seat. Many caned seats either got painted with the chair, or stained, depending on the  manufacturer or whoever refinished it prior. My choice is to leave the caning natural and allow it to age which gives it a unique patina that only time can create.

Caning a round chair is a completely different process from caning a square or rectangle chair. This is because you have to go through the same hole many times and skip holes with the weaving process because of the round shape. It’s a bit tricky, but follows the same principles of basic caning in every other way. The white paint was a great choice for this little chair which matches the little table perfectly. It will eventually be used as a place for homework or other projects for a little one.

Chair with table, finished

 

Antique Parlor Chair Gets New Caning

 

Cane Chair Before

Cane Chair After

When a knee ends up in the seat of a caned chair, well, you have a problem, but not to worry, because it is fixable. It simply needs to be replaced with new caning. This antique parlor chair (it was so cute) had a perfectly round seat with a broken caned center. Like many caned chairs, they are not designed for a sudden, rapid force, such as a knee pushed in the center or a child who jumps from the chair, using it as a launching pad. Cane breaking is not uncommon, especially in old chairs. Unfortunately there’s no quick way to “fix” them. The cane must be replaced.

This little gem had strand caning, which is the weaving that requires a hank of cane in a specified size that is woven directly onto the holes surrounding the perimeter of the seat. I actually prefer this caning to the “press in” spline caning, because the process is quite relaxing. I work on chairs in my lovely sunroom (lots of natural daylight) while trying to keep my cats away from their natural instinct of pulling at what I’m tugging, which is each strand of cane as I weave it through the chair! They indeed love playing. Sadie likes to “sneak” off with a section of cane then run away, feeling like she got away with it. 😂

This chair had spindles on the front legs and overall, the chair was in great shape. You can’t beat hardwood, especially in antiques. They made furniture to last back then. Therefore when people ask the question, “Is it worth restoring?” I always answer with “yes,” because you already have the value in the chair (or other furniture item) so why not get it refinished and keep it another 100 years. It’s something to pass down for future generations. Because once they’re gone, they’re gone. Preserving the past, a bit of history, is a great way to appreciate the artistry created by someone who may not be around anymore. Get it done and you won’t regret it.

Sadie, my “helper"

Antique Parlor Cane Chair Refinished

Cane Chair Before

Cane Chair After

This was a lovely antique parlor chair with a broken seat that needed new caning. A few areas also needed to be regaled and tightened, otherwise the chair was in great shape. I had done a similar chair in size a couple of years ago and knew this one was of the same era, approximately 1870’s,  making it a true antique. It had nice lines and was a great accent chair. Its soft curves made it perfect for a ladies boudoir.

The first step was to remove the old, broken cane then open up and glue the loose joints, leaving them in clamps overnight. Although the customer didn’t require this chair to be refinished, once it had been glued I removed the cane and determined there was so much grime on the chair from handling over the years that I would go ahead and surprise her with a full strip and refinish. There wasn’t much to it so it didn’t take that long and turned out to be all worth it, a perfect canvas for new caning.

I chose early American stain with a semi-gloss polyurethane (two coats). I always allow the poly to dry completely before beginning the long, tedious process of caning. This I do indoors in winter but love to do it outdoors on my deck in the warmer months. Luckily I have a lovely sunroom with three window walls and have plenty of natural light which is necessary to work on any caning job.

The most difficult part of this is keeping my two cats, Chelsea and Sadie from biting into the cane while I pull it through the slots. Cats think that anything longer than 3” is something worth playing with, i.e. batting at it with their paws or grabbing it between their teeth and tugging in the opposite direction that I need it to go. They absolutely love the scrap cut pieces I toss at them while they jump a foot off the ground to paw at it. But no worries. I don’t allow them to actually bite the cane I’m working on as I don’t want it to break halfway through a pull-through. Caning requires to be soaked, so the kitties also enjoy watching that process. I call them my two “Snoopervisors,” an adequate description for their careful observation with large, green eyes not missing a thing.

All in all, it’s a good system and the end result is as great as it is time-consuming. The customer was very happy with the chair and was surprised at the “bonus” refinishing job. This chair was completed on Christmas Day, after gift opening. Why not work on Christmas? It’s not like I had to cook since my daughter did that. It was indeed a relaxing yet productive Christmas!

To see a couple other small caning chairs, click on these links:
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/05/caned-parlor-chair.html
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2018/11/antique-parlor-chair.html

Caned Parlor Chair

Caned Chair Before

Caned Chair After

This little parlor chair had broken cane on the seat, but was otherwise in good condition, albeit a bit scratched up. I had never done caning, but I knew that with a little research, the right tools and a bit of determination I could figure it out, so I began reading about caning and found plenty of videos on YouTube and other "how tos" in various sites on the world wide web.

The concept was simple enough. First step is to remove the spline, then pull out the damaged caning. Once that is removed, you chisel away any remaining glue and debris and clean out the spine groove so that the new spline can be installed. Since the spline comes in various sizes, you need to know what size it is before you purchase new spline, otherwise it may not fit. I didn't realize there were so many sizes!