By Jeanne Huber
Q: Do you know of any place that could repair my several pieces of antique white wicker furniture? One piece, a chaise, has attached upholstery.
Alexandria
A: Three shops within driving distance are the Master’s Touch in Fredericksburg (540-371-5566, http://www.furniturerepair.net), Chairperson Antiques in Riderwood, Md. (410-486-6420, http://www.chairperson-antiques.com), and Colonial Restoration Studio in Gaithersburg (301-948-6652, http://www.colonialrestorationstudio.com). For others, check listings at Professional Restorers International (http://www.prorestorers.org) and the Wicker Woman (http://www.wickerwoman.com). Basket makers can also help. “Wicker” basically refers to round weaving material; it’s often willow or reed, also used in many baskets. The High Country Basket Guild (http://www.highcountrybasketguild.shutterfly.com) is active in this area.
If a little wrapping is coming loose, Mical Wilmoth-Carton of Chairperson Antiques often just gives the material to the potential customer and explains how to make the repair. It’s a more serious problem if side-to-side weaves are broken or loose. Worst case? If framing underneath the wicker is broken, the repair person has to remove the weaves to access the broken part.
“When the wicker is brittle with age and you start the repair, the area you need to work on tends to grow exponentially,” Wilmoth-Carton says. That’s why, when wicker furniture needs extensive repair but isn’t a treasured heirloom or a museum-quality piece, she sometimes suggests simply using it until it falls apart.
Prices depend on the complexity of the repair, plus whether you deliver the furniture or ask the shop to transport the pieces. Redoing a simple decorative wrap might cost $30, while a complicated framing repair might run to several thousand dollars, says Steve Nearman, owner of the Master’s Touch and the person behind the Professional Restorers International site. Attached upholstery complicates a repair, especially if springs are involved and wicker near the springs is damaged.
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