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painting caned chairs

15 years ago

I've been given a couple of old chairs with caned backs and sides. The seats are upholstered. I am replacing the caning (first timer!) and reupholstering too (again, first attempt) The chairs are very heavy in style and literally too. My room is not that style so I thought I would update them by upholstering in a bold black and white graphic floral print and paint the chairs, which are now a very dark brown, a glossy black. I think it will make them look sophisticated and fun. I am unsure about painting the cane parts though. Does anyone know what type of paint I should be using? The caning will be taut but it does bend a little when a back is pressed against it so I'd think it should be a paint that stays flexible. Any help appreciated.

Comments (4)

concretenprimroses
15 years ago
Your idea sounds very elegant! I think you are not supposed to stain cane cuz it dries it out so paint is probably the way to go. I thought cane had to "breathe" to stay flexible, so maybe don't overdo it on the back side (don't coat totally, Imean)? I've seen old painted cane furniture and it has chipped a bit but that was seats. I think I've seen it painted on hgtv or somewhere with Krylon. I'd go to the store and read the paint cans. Post a pic when you are done. I've always wanted to cane a chair, but not sure I'll ever make it. Would love to hear about your experience.
It also occurs to me that a fabric that was b&W and brown would coord with a black frame and natural cane. Just seems a shame to me to do all that work and then cover it up! Either way you would want to paint the frame of the chair first I think.
kathy
cateyanne
Original Author
15 years ago
thanks for the help. I am still at it! It is turning out to be quite a job. So far I am still in the beginning stage. Trying to remove the old cane is proving to be the hardest thing! All I have read about it did not allude to any real trouble I might have, so I was not prepared for this to be so hard. I am having to chisel the old cane out adding some vinegar to soften the glue(or so I read) but it is very hard going and I thought this part at least would not be the challenging part! Live and learn!
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I have dining room chairs that are almost exactly like yours. Mine are gorgeous cherry wood and the only difference is my back dips down where yours curves up. I wouldn't paint them, the wood is gorgeous. Mine are sturdy as all get out. The set you posted is cheap on Craigslist because folks don't want "brown" formal furniture anymore. I have seen pictures and decorating shows that have those kind of chairs painted and considered painting mine. I decided if it ain't broke don't fix it. I am going with their beauty and positive aspects in my dining room. There's something cool about formal dining rooms. But if you don't like that look at all, why buy formal dining chairs and try to change them? Buy something informal that is made to look informal instead of trying to put a round peg into a square hole. On the flips side, my wood looks good, but if that set has old worn crappy finish then painting is not that much of a tragedy. Oh, and P.S. if you don't want the ones without arms, I would take them in a heartbeat, but I don't know where you live, probably too far away. I don't like the look of mismatched chairs and I am two armless chairs short for my set. My DR is too small for the armed chairs and I am thinking about taking off the arms of mine, but if I move I might regret it. Here's a photo of mine. Of course they will be recovered when I get the time. Those shorter modern ones I would paint in the heartbeat, the wood is nothing special. I'm not painting them because I intend to eventually rotate them out. These photos are just ones I posted for ideas on how to redo my dining room. It's not how I envision it right now, it is a work in progress.
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They are not antique....just modern caned back dining chairs. If you do the caning yourself, the prewoven cane is $1.68 per inch at 24 inches wide. That's about $50 per chair.....IF you do the work yourself! Don't think you will get that much out of them to be worth the effort and expense.
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concretenprimroses
15 years ago
Preparation is always the hardest (and most important), at least thats what my dh says, lol. I guess chairs with the cane already removed are a bargain if you want to learn to cane.
I think you should paint the frame before you cane, but i can't remember how close to the holes you should paint. I used to have a little book about it and am not remembering very well.
good luck
kathy
wishiwasinoz
14 years ago
This was a chair with old caning. It was too beat up & I didn't want to try re-caning. I found it on CL for a few bucks.
{{!gwi}}

This is how I transformed it using a tutorial from CentsationalGirl.com (she featured my chair & SIL's chair on her site, too! My chair is below & SIL's chair is next to the original above):
{{!gwi}}

Good luck!

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