How to recane a chair: from torn seat to new caning
The short answer
Photograph the old seat and keep a piece of the cane. Then take the seat out: peel it off, and drill out any cane stuck in the holes with a bit slightly smaller than the hole. Sand the inner edge smooth, buy cane in the same widths as the old, and weave the new seat in seven passes before you plug and finish the holes.
If the seat sits in a groove instead of holes, it’s prewoven cane webbing, and the job is different: you replace the sheet and the spline instead.
- First
- Photos and a piece of old cane
- Removing
- Scissors, a drill, patience
- New cane
- Same widths as the old
- Weaving
- 7 passes
Holes or a groove?
Turn the chair over and look at the seat rail. A row of holes going all the way through means the seat was hand caned, strand by strand, and you recane it the same way. That’s what this guide covers.
A groove around the opening, with the cane pressed into it and held by a strip (the spline), means cane webbing. Recaning that means replacing the woven sheet: see how to install cane webbing, or our cane webbing course. Not sure what you have? See how to read the frame.
Before you weave: six steps
Most recaning problems start before the first strand goes in. This part decides how easy the weaving will be.
Step 1: Record the old seat
Take clear photos from above and below, and count the holes along each side. On a round seat, the photo shows which holes the old weaver skipped to keep the spacing even. You’ll use it again in almost every layer.
In the course: Lessons 4 and 16
Step 2: Keep a piece of the old cane
Measure it with a tape measure or a calliper. Most seats use two widths: a narrower one for the layers and a slightly wider one for the diagonals. On Marie’s Thonet chair, that was 2 mm and 2.5 mm.
In the course: Lessons 15 and 22
Step 3: Take the old seat out
Sometimes the old caning comes off just by peeling it up. Where it’s stuck in the holes, drill it out with a bit slightly smaller than the hole. Hold the drill so it follows the hole straight down, and watch for legs and rails underneath. Put a cloth or a mat on the floor first, so the chair isn’t scratched as you move it around.
In the course: Lesson 2
Step 4: Check every hole
Turn the chair and look underneath: every hole should go clean through. A hole that isn’t fully drilled out is hard to find and hard to get through later. Some holes have a screw in them. When you weave, push the strand in as far as it goes and peg it, or skip that hole.
In the course: Lessons 2 and 4
Step 5: Round off the inner edge
Run sandpaper along the inside edge of the seat rail. Many old chairs were made with a sharp edge there, and that’s exactly where old seats break. Once the new seat is woven, you can’t get to it.
In the course: Lesson 2
Step 6: Get your materials ready
Cane in the two widths you measured, a little rattan reed for pegs and plugs, wood glue, and your tools: pegs, an awl, scissors, a thin flat screwdriver and a mandrel. The full list is in our guide to how to cane a chair.
In the course: Lesson 22
Then reweave the seat
The new seat goes in in seven passes. Each one is explained in detail in how to cane a chair.
| What you do | Course lessons | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Layer 1 | Strands one way, from the middle out, evenly spaced | 3–4 |
| 2. Layer 2 | Strands across, on top of layer 1 | 5–6 |
| 3. Layer 3 | Back over layer 2, in the same holes as layer 1 | 7–8 |
| 4. Zigzag | The fourth layer, woven over one and under one | 9–14 |
| 5–6. Diagonals | Over two, under two, corner to corner, both ways | 15–18 |
| 7. Edging | Glued reed plugs in the holes, ends trimmed underneath | 19–21 |
Before and after
The torn seat 
Cleaned and sanded 
Recaned
The new seat is lighter, and that’s fine
Fresh cane is much lighter than the seat you took out. It darkens by itself over the years, a bit like wood. You can stain it, but cane is hard to stain evenly because the surface is smooth and the knots take colour differently. Always test first.
To make the new seat last, brush a thin layer of liquid paraffin (vaseline oil) on the rough underside once or twice a year. Don’t water it. The cane isn’t alive, and water only dries it out over time.
Lighter now, golden later.
Recaning mistakes to avoid
Tearing the old seat out
Prying and tearing can split the wood around the holes. Peel what comes away easily, cut, and drill out the rest.
Holes that aren’t fully cleared
Old cane left in a hole will stop you halfway through a layer. Check every hole from below before you start.
Drilling into the frame
Use a bit slightly smaller than the hole, follow the hole, and mind the legs underneath.
Buying wider cane than the original
Wider cane is very hard to get through in the later passes. Match what was there.
Inventing a new edge
Chairs are finished in different ways. Copy what your chair had. That’s what Marie does, every time.
A look inside the course
The course follows one real recaning job from start to finish, including the awkward parts: holes blocked by screws, legs in the way, and strands that break.
What’s in the course
- Introduction (1)
- Preparation (1)
- Layer 1 (2)
- Layer 2 (2)
- Layer 3 (2)
- Zigzag (6)
- The pattern (4)
- Edging and finish (3)
- Materials and tools (1)
Questions we get a lot
How do I get the old cane out of the holes?
Peel off what comes away easily. Drill out what’s stuck with a bit slightly smaller than the hole, so you clear the hole without widening it.
What size cane do I need to recane a chair?
The same as the old seat. Measure a piece of the old cane: there are usually two widths, a narrower one for the layers and a wider one for the diagonals.
Is the new seat glued in?
The seat is held by the frame itself, because the strands are woven through the holes, and by the reed plugs in the holes. Marie adds a tiny dab of wood glue to each plug as extra security.
Can I recane a chair that had cane webbing?
Not by hand caning, unless it has holes. A frame with a groove takes a new sheet of prewoven webbing and a new spline.
Recane it with Marie beside you
Follow the same job on video, from the first drilled hole to the last plug. Stream it or download it, and watch each step as often as you need.