I thought forum members might be interested in reading how I replaced the woven rattan seat on an old Habitat chair, the chromed tubular "Bauhaus" style with separate seat and back bolted to the frame.
I bought a rattan replacement kit off the web, which gave me enough to do two seats. The hardest bit is removing the rattan bead that secures the woven seat material in a groove that's routed all round the top of the seat. Best technique seemed to be pressing down hard with a broad, sharp chisel while rocking it from side to side then using it to lift out the rattan, which breaks up or comes out more or less cleanly with the remains of the seat mesh if you work your way along. This bit took me an hour of sweating. I clamped the seat base to a table, which helped a lot.
Then as per the instructions, cut the mesh an inch or so too big, cut two lengths of the bead then soak the bead and the mesh in hot water for 30 minutes to soften them. Check which side is "up" and which is "down" then lie the mesh, taking care to get it square, on the base and using a blunt chisel or a wooden door wedge, squash the rattan mesh down into the groove. Try not to let the mesh get too taut. This bit is easy as it conforms with a satisfying scrunch. Then with a sharp Stanley knife trim off the excess on the outside of the groove. Run a bead of PVA around the groove and press in the rattan bead. Clean off the excess glue and leave to dry.
Job done and a very satisfying one at that.
I bought a rattan replacement kit off the web, which gave me enough to do two seats. The hardest bit is removing the rattan bead that secures the woven seat material in a groove that's routed all round the top of the seat. Best technique seemed to be pressing down hard with a broad, sharp chisel while rocking it from side to side then using it to lift out the rattan, which breaks up or comes out more or less cleanly with the remains of the seat mesh if you work your way along. This bit took me an hour of sweating. I clamped the seat base to a table, which helped a lot.
Then as per the instructions, cut the mesh an inch or so too big, cut two lengths of the bead then soak the bead and the mesh in hot water for 30 minutes to soften them. Check which side is "up" and which is "down" then lie the mesh, taking care to get it square, on the base and using a blunt chisel or a wooden door wedge, squash the rattan mesh down into the groove. Try not to let the mesh get too taut. This bit is easy as it conforms with a satisfying scrunch. Then with a sharp Stanley knife trim off the excess on the outside of the groove. Run a bead of PVA around the groove and press in the rattan bead. Clean off the excess glue and leave to dry.
Job done and a very satisfying one at that.
