As avid wicker lovers we tend to want to use our wicker furniture all year round. During nice, crisp weather this is entirely possible. However, sometimes winter weather can sneak up on us and leave our furniture damaged. If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of facing some damaged wicker, don’t stress there are ways to repair it.
The best way to approach this situation is to first assess the damage. If your furniture has major damage it is in your best interest to contact a professional wicker repairer.
If you see minor weather damage, you can repair with these few tips for the most common issues experienced with winter weather on wicker. Local hardware and repair shops should stock rattan or caning for your repair attempts.
Loose Wrapping on Legs
The wind, water and ice of the winter can really batter the leg wrapping. They are the parts that are making constant contact, so this is very likely the first place you will experience wear and tear. Here is how to re-wrap the base of your wicker furniture legs.
1) If you purchased real rattan or reed replacements, you’ll have to soak them for around 30 minutes to soften them enough for use.
2) Place a small dab of glue on the end of the reed and hold it to the furniture leg, keep in place with a small tack.
3) Wrap the reed or cane tightly around the leg and place a small dab of glue at the end and fasten with a small tack.
4) Leave dry for 12-24 hours and remove tacks gently.
Broken/Warped Furniture
Humidity and ice can do real damage on your wicker furniture. If you are caught off-guard or simply forgot to winterize one of your outdoor pieces, there is hope for replacing the odd broken or warped piece of reed.
Replacing the reed involves the same steps above. However, removing the broken piece of caning may be your biggest challenge. You have to think of this repair as an extremely delicate movement. You will need a pair of sharp pointed needle nose pliers to take the broken/warped piece of wire out cleanly.
Once it is removed you will need to find a base to start your repair, such as the underside of an arm, leg, seat etc. Once you have your base you follow the above steps. Be sure to pay attention to the weave pattern and follow it closely for a seamless repair job.
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